Far be it from me to write about something simply for the sake of making a post, but with no webcast volleyball matches — at least that I can find — until the weekend, and with nothing much else going on competitively, I did need to reach a little bit to find this. I think it’s of some interest.
Yuri Marichev, previously coach of Russia’s club-level team Krasnador (he will hold the two positions concurrently for a time), has been named as the replacement for Sergei Ovchinnikov. You may recall that Ovchinnikov reportedly committed suicide in his despondency over his team’s performance at the London Olympics. Like many scandalous things, I don’t know if that was ever “officially” confirmed, but unfortunately rumors and innuendo like that tend to be accurate more often than not. The FIVB presser quite adeptly sidesteps the matter, merely saying that Ovchinnikov “passed away.” It’s a small wonder they even acknowledged that he died.
Marichev says his coaching philosophy will sharply contrast with the playing style the Russian women had before, seemingly putting a greater emphasis on speed than on size. Russia will be one of the 20 teams to take the court in the FIVB World Grand Prix this summer.
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