Bush's Blog Men's Preview; USA vs. Serbia

by Phil Bush

Phil Bush, FIVB Broadcaster

Over the previous three decades, you'd be hard pressed to find someone in athletics with a greater level of expertise in volleyball production and promotion than Phil Bush.  He will be entering his fourth year working for the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) as a broadcaster on the FIVB “Match of the Week.”  He has also handled 17 seasons working for FSN South, ESPNU, CSS and Sun Sports providing both play-by-play and color analysis on volleyball broadcasts.  Through his MavRen Marketing & Productions company, Bush has worked in the production and promotion of volleyball events for over 25 years. 


                                                   

vs.

                                      Sunday, 11:45AM ET

This match between Team USA and Serbia is anything but a foregone conclusion.  These two teams share similar world rankings (USA: 6, Serbia: 7), and are very evenly matched across the board.  USA needs to come out of the gate roaring in order to take out a team that is capable of beating anyone in the world when they get hot.

Anderson against Poland

Based on the World League results, you might say that the USA had an “up and down” performance.  However, the USA did show improvement as the very unusual World League schedule progressed.  I know the U.S. did not win the tournament, but a runner-up finish to a Poland group that showed mastery throughout World League was by no means a bad showing.  Poland has one of the finest coaches we have seen in Andrea Anastasi.  We will talk about Poland when the time comes, but losing to them in the World League Final is nothing to be ashamed of.

On the other side of the net, since Serbia took home gold at the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia, they have been a perennial contender on the international stage.  There has been a lot of turnover since the beginning of the decade, but that hasn't slowed them down.  They took home bronze medals in 2010 at both the World League and World Championships before capturing the 2011 European Championships.   

The Serbian National Team

Team USA did square off against Serbia in last year's World Cup, but the Serbian squad was too much as they dominated the match 25-23, 25-17, 25-19.  How much stock you want to put in that is ultimately up to you, but I don't look at that match as a predictor of what's to come.  Why?  Because Reid Priddy and Clay Stanley didn't have significant playing time and Brian Thornton was setting.  Also, Serbia's best player in 2011, Ivan Miljković, is not on the Olympic roster after retiring from the national team earlier this year.  With the added firepower on the men's side, and Serbia without their leading weapon, look for a much more competitive match this time around.  

Two key players to watch for Serbia:

Marko Podrascanin

Marko Podrascanin started his career on the national team at the young age of 18, but over the next six years has proven to be an indispensable part of the team.  A member of the World League squad since 2007, he helped Serbia lock up two silver medals and one bronze while also being named the tournament's Best Blocker in 2008.  Podrascanin is one of the most talented middle blockers in the Olympics, and is also a key motivational member of the squad.

Janic Bojan is the most experienced member of Team Serbia with 229 matches under his belt.  In his 11 seasons with the national team, Bojan has accumulated four silver and three bronze medals.  He started as captain at the 2010 World Cup and again at the 2011 and 2012 editions.  

Team USA needs to focus on a few things coming out in a very tough opening match, in what could easily be called the "Pool of Death" across ANY sport in the Olympics!

•  Come out with the energy that propelled Team USA to the World League Finals.  This is neither the time nor the place for slow starts.
•   Know that Clayton Stanley and Matt Anderson need to come out with definitive play so they set the stage for later in the pool.
•   Passing must be a strength of this team; the setters need to be able to run a very diverse offense attack.  Can Donald Suxho get the job done in the world's biggest stage?
•   Adjust when things get tough: This Serbian team has played a ton of hard matches.  We could easily see a five-setter, and the USA will need to make rapid adjustments as the match goes on.  This was key in World League against teams like Italy and Cuba.
•   Remember the adjustments made during World League - know that game plan needs to be followed and not to deviate unless Serbia really surprises Team USA.
•   The bench needs to be big: I suspect we will see a number of players contribute in a number of ways.  It will be important that this is a true team effort.

To be in a pool with Russia and Brazil is clearly a challenge, but the USA is capable of playing at this level...if they stick to the game plan.  It make take some altering along the way, but this can be a memorable Olympics for Team USA!

Next Match:  USA vs. Germany - July 31st at 11:45AM ET

Stay tuned!


Remember to follow the AVCA and USA Volleyball on Facebook and Twitter (@AVCAvolleyball, @USA_Volleyball)!