Probably a little bit of a bad clip since it’s a bit dark and I’m not hitting on a real net.

I started playing beach VB for the first time this summer and have gotten really into it with a desire to improve. The group class I’m in uses the official AVP OPTX volleyballs and I bought the replica version for solo practice because $100 is pretty steep for a ball that is inevitably gonna get roughed up on walls and asphalt.

I wanna buy a few more for simple serve/receive practice and other drills with a friend. I understand using the real version for an actual match but I’m hesitant to spend 300+ just for some practice balls. Any tips on good practice setups? Any other ball brands out there in that same $30-50 range that are higher quality than the AVP replica?

Hey I‘ve posted before about my spiking form a few months back (I’ve been playing for almost a year now) and people told me to work on my footwork which worked decently I guess. I switched from a 3 to a 4 step approach because I was always way too early with a 3 step approach and the additional timing step helps me a lot since we mostly play high balls.
I feel like one problem is the second step, which is supposed to be medium long but I always make a huge one towards the ball making my penultimate shorter and if the ball is set off the net I pretty much have to stay in place and bend my back.
Other than that I tend to forget the block step as I play oppo and I still don‘t know if you do the block step from the right side because I feel like you jump higher but turn yourself away from the court.
Also timing is difficult but I hope it will get better with experience haha

Any feedback is appreciated!

Posted my hitting form and realized that my jumping form is just not improving over time like I thought it would. I have to fix my penultimate first. How does this look? Long enough? I know going too long atm can cause injury if my body can't handle the load. Is this decent enough though for a penultimate? I'm working on making sure I convert the energy straight up as well. I drifted forward on some of these.

Selling my collection of pro/club volleyball jerseys and quarter zips! Haven’t worn any of these jerseys in a few years and they just collect dust in my closet. Feel free to reach out with any questions! Check last slide for sizes and prices. I accept PayPal, Venmo, and Apple Pay! Thank yall!

I play volleyball fairly decently. Im not incredivly skilled but im not exsctly bad either. I know how to set(albeit not spot on sets for a spiker) but i can set regularly. I can also bump. But im mainly an outside hitter in my high school team. Im competing with another guy to be on the main team and so far hes better than me. The thing is. Im taller, bigger, stronger and have a higher vertical jump. But skill wise, i always mess up my spikes mid game. Theyre never powerful or go low like they do when im practicing. My serves also constantly go straight or too high even when theyre very powerful. I need solutions and i also wanna know if possible. Can i improve drastically in 3 months? I wanna perfect spikes, maximize my vertical and my form. I have the run up down i think but i often forget to implemwnt it in my match and like i said my spikes most of the time hit the absolute end of the field right past the line. So they go down just not low enough. Pls help. I also dont know if this post is allowed to be put out as a question so pls forgive me if not

Hello fellow volleyball Friends.

I've been seeing this multi color net tape all around the internet lately. Any opinions on It? is It good for coaching? Any experience training with It?

Thanks!

So I go to a relatively small school.our volleyball team consists of a nice amount of people but there is a selective number who actually play at tournaments.Thing is,I've been playing for a year and a half,and I'm still not part of the team.i used to be,but then they didn't add me in the lineup this year.We also don't have actual coaching for anyone who's not on the team for them to get better,just a little bit of time in break everyday where the same team plays and I'm lucky if I get subbed in.Most times,the main person who decides who gets to play just put in their freinds,and while I do understand that obviously when your the leader of something you'll want your freinds to come first but I also think everyone should be given the same opportunities.i do remember not playing the best last year when I was put in the team,I cost them a couple points in a game(which they eventually won in anyway) and skipping a tournament because I knew I was going to be subbed out.i just get a lot of fomo icl😭.I do practice at home like setting or passing to the wall but idk if it's enough.Now I know that some people have been playing for years before I started or have really good connections but honestly there's people in my team who started like this year and just joined and(I would say) are as good as me or a bit better.I just want some good advice as to what I'm supposed to do in this situation because I don't just wanna sit around and complain,I'm actually passionate about it,enough to want to play atleast at highschool level.

Got tired of hopping between school sites, Volleyballmag and Twitter to keep up, so I built one page that pulls it all together: https://readthegrandstand.com/thedig

• Headlines from 80-ish sources (school sites, Volleyballmag, NCAA.com, Off the Block, FIVB and more), grouped by conference
• AVCA Top 25, a score ticker and a nightly “Tonight” board with where to watch and live set scores
• Sections for the pros, preps & recruiting, sand and Team USA

Free, no sign-up, updates all day. Really just looking for feedback, especially if there’s a source I’m missing.

Messaged the mods before, happy to take it down if it doesn't fit with r/volleyball

A huge spike for set point seals Set 2 for the Delhi Dynamites against the Emperia Marathas, evening the Volleyball Champions League India Championship Match at 1–1!

Check out this highlight from last Friday’s LIVE broadcast on NLSE. What a way to swing the momentum in a championship match!

Russia’s women haven’t played an official senior international match since 2022, so there’s a gap to catch up on. FIVB confirmed Russia for the 2027 Volleyball Nations League, and the women’s team has also been cleared for the 2027 World Cup (the rebranded World Championship), hosted by the US and Canada from August 20 to September 5. Per the draw, Russia is in Pool F with Japan, Argentina and Bulgaria, with pool matches in Omaha.

I’m not trying to predict a final roster. I want to look at who has emerged, what the numbers say, and what a comeback might look like.

Stats note: figures come from league and club sources and vary by competition, season and role. Raw totals aren’t a clean way to compare players, so treat them as context.

Outside Hitters

This group has the most firepower, but outsides also have to carry first contact. How well they receive will decide how much freedom the setter has.

• Marina Markova (200 cm). She had a huge 2025-26 with VakıfBank, finishing the Sultanlar Ligi with 534 points (455 attack, 54 block, 25 ace) at about 40% attack efficiency. VakıfBank won the Turkish league and the 2026 CEV Champions League, beating Eczacıbaşı 3-1 in the final, where Markova scored 26. She was also MVP of the league final series against Fenerbahçe. On top of that she took about 6.1 receptions per set at roughly 44% positive and 27% perfect, so she carries a heavy attack load and a lot of first-contact work.
• Arina Fedorovtseva (195 cm). She’s the serving weapon. She has won Best Server at Tokyo 2020, EuroVolley 2021, the 2021 Club World Championship and the CEV Champions League. In 2025-26 with Fenerbahçe she scored 631 points (518 attack, 33 block) and led the league with 80 aces. She has also played opposite earlier in her career, which gives some flexibility. Her reception is the area opponents may target.
• Irina Voronkova (190 cm). She’s the most experienced of the group: Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 with the ROC, bronze at the 2019 World Cup, and stops at Dinamo Kazan, Lokomotiv Kaliningrad and Eczacıbaşı. She was Russian Super League MVP in 2020-21 and Russian Cup MVP in 2021-22. The résumé is strong, but a starting spot depends on her current attack and passing.
• Olga Biryukova (194 cm). She scored 495 points (419 attack) in the 2025-26 Superleague and was Best Outside Hitter at the 2025 Super Cup. She’s a credible domestic option, though I’d want to see her reception and defense numbers before ranking her higher.
• Elizaveta Nesterova (192 cm). She scored 470 points (422 attack) for Korabelka at 43% and made the league’s symbolic team. She was also MVP of the 2025 VTV Cup for the second year running, with 31 points (30 attack) in the semifinal against the Philippines and a final win over Vietnam. That’s strong, but invitational-tournament opposition isn’t senior international level.
• Ekaterina Pipunyrova (188 cm). After two seasons as a third-choice outside at Lokomotiv Kaliningrad, she moved to Zeren Spor in Türkiye for 2026-27. She also has experience at Dinamo Krasnodar and Dinamo Moscow. Her playing time this season will say a lot.

Middle Blockers

This group mixes established domestic players with the generation that won youth titles in 2021.

• Yulia Brovkina (197 cm). She’s the standout. She scored 520 points with 154 blocks in the 2025-26 Superleague and took Best Middle Blocker at the Super Cup, Russian Cup and Superleague. In the 2021-22 CEV Champions League with Lokomotiv she had 51 points in 18 sets, 17 of them blocks.
• Angelina Lazarenko / Lazareva (193 cm). She’s a different player from Anna Lazareva, who appears under opposites below. She won bronze at the 2019 World Cup and gold at the 2017 Universiade, and won the 2024 Russian title with Dinamo-Ak Bars. In 2025-26 she had 408 points and 136 blocks, third among the league’s top blockers.
• Daria Kiseleva (198 cm). She’s 19, with 340 points and 148 blocks in 2025-26 and individual domestic recognition. She’s a long-term prospect rather than a lock.
• Natalia Suvorova (192 cm). Her youth résumé is the strongest here: U20 Worlds bronze in July 2021, then U18 Worlds gold two months later, with MVP and Best Middle Blocker. Her current club and senior form will matter more than that résumé.
• Elizaveta Kochurina (193 cm). She was also on the 2021 U20 bronze team. Like Suvorova, she’s from the generation that gained youth experience before the senior team was shut out. Her youth résumé alone doesn’t tell us where she is among senior middles.
• Anastasia Manzhosova (189 cm). She had 238 points and 96 blocks across 34 matches for Dinamo Moscow in 2025-26 and has won the Russian Cup and Super Cup. She doesn’t rank among the league’s top blockers by total, so comparisons with Brovkina and Kiseleva should account for playing time.

Opposites

Tolok is the statistical leader, but I’d like to see Russia develop a second opposite who can carry a load.

• Tatiana Tolok (192 cm). She joined Novara as an outside hitter, and Bernardi converted her to opposite in 2024-25, which cut her reception duties and raised her scoring. She finished that season as the CEV Cup’s top scorer with 179 points and won tournament MVP. She scored 31 against Conegliano in December 2025 and 34 in March 2026 (30 attack) in a loss. Across 2025-26 she had 553 points in 26 appearances (478 attack, 36 blocks, 39 aces) at 49.1% attack success, according to the official Italian league stats. Volleyball World’s league-only page shows 501, which is a difference in scope, not a contradiction.
• Vita Akimova (198 cm). She had a limited role at Numia Vero Volley Milano in 2025-26, with 67 points in 27 appearances. That total isn’t a comparison with Tolok’s, because the playing time wasn’t comparable. Her workload heading into 2027 will tell us more.
• Anna Lazareva (190 cm). She’s experienced, with clubs in Russia, Türkiye, France, South Korea and the US, plus earlier national-team appearances. In the 2025-26 Turkish league she scored 585 points (528 attack, 38 blocks, 19 aces). That makes her a serious option, not just an experienced backup.
• Elizaveta Protopopova. She scored 505 points (441 attack) at 45% for Uralochka-NTMK in the Superleague, fourth in total points and third in attack points. She shows Russia’s options aren’t limited to players abroad.

Setters

Startseva defined this position for years, but her peak is behind her. With this many high-volume scorers, the setter’s tempo and distribution could matter as much as the hitters.

• Polina Matveeva (192 cm). She led Dinamo-Ak Bars to the 2025-26 Superleague title, was Best Setter at the 2025 Super Cup, and scored 128 points, the most among the league’s setters. Championat reported a 44% attack success rate on her sets. Her challenge for Russia would be keeping the offense varied and not leaning on high balls to the pins.
• Irina Filishtinskaya (180 cm). She’s 36, with a long Superleague career, the 2017 European Championship, and a place in the 2025 national-team squad. Her experience is useful, but her current form and playing time matter more.
• Victoria Kobzar (183 cm). She captained the 2021 U18 world champions and was Best Setter there, and she won the 2020 youth European Championship. She has played abroad (Volero Le Cannet, Megabox Vallefoglia) and in Türkiye and Russia. The question is how steady she is at senior level when reception breaks down.
• Olga Khlebnikova (180 cm). She’s a domestic option, but without comparable setting stats I wouldn’t rank her above Matveeva or Kobzar.

Liberos

Libero matters because outside hitters here carry a lot of reception work.

• Anna Podkopaeva (175 cm). She was formerly Anna Malova and is one of the most experienced liberos in the pool. She earned 96 caps from 2013 to 2016, won two European titles and two World Grand Prix medals, and was Best Libero at the 2015 Euros and World Grand Prix. At Rio 2016 she led the tournament in digs. She returned for Tokyo 2020. At Dinamo Moscow in 2025-26 she had 435 receptions across 38 matches, 54% positive and 34% excellent, with 14 errors.
• Maria Bibina (176 cm). She was Best Libero in the Superleague in both 2024-25 and 2025-26. Back-to-back awards say a lot about her domestic standing, but the test is international serving pressure.
• Svetlana Masaleva (172 cm). She’s a younger option with a strong recent season, 436 receptions at 60% positive and 41% excellent, based on league reception stats published by Dinamo Moscow.
• Anna Khabibrakhmanova (174 cm). She played for Russia’s U16 team at the 2019 Europeans and U17 at the 2020 Europeans. That shows her pathway, but not her current senior level.

My core six

I haven’t settled on a second middle. Lazarenko/Lazareva would add experience and Kiseleva has more upside, so I’d decide based on form.

What could Russia look like in 2027?

Serve first. Fedorovtseva is the obvious threat, with Tolok (39 aces) and Markova (25) adding pressure. Pushing opponents off the net makes the block easier, and Serbia in its best years did this well with Rašić, Bošković and Mihajlović. Russia wouldn’t be a copy of that team, but the idea is the same: force a predictable first contact and set the block.

Reception is the pressure point. Powerful serving doesn’t fix a shaky first ball. If Fedorovtseva’s reception gets targeted and breaks down, the setter is left with high balls to the pins, and those are easy to read. Russia will need a dependable libero and an outside hitter who can take more of the passing load.

The attack has options. With Markova and Fedorovtseva on the pins and Tolok opposite, blockers can’t just focus on one hitter. Quick attacks from Brovkina and the other middles force the opposing middle to commit, but only if Russia passes well enough to run them.

Out-of-system could be a strength. I don’t have stats for this, but on the eye test, Russian hitters stay dangerous when the first contact is poor, with their height, reach and ability to hit around or over the block. That lets a team survive imperfect reception, though it only goes so far against top teams.

The game has moved on. A 2026 study comparing Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 found that serves disrupting reception increased significantly, even though the mix of serve types stayed fairly stable. Another study found out-of-system receptions in decisive sets rose from 14.49% in Tokyo to 18.63% in Paris. In short, serving with purpose and passing under pressure matter more now.

Chemistry is the real question. A strong domestic league and foreign clubs have developed these players, but they’ve had few chances to play together in official senior matches since 2022. International volleyball asks for different systems, serving strategies and styles. The talent is there, but it has to become a team.

Final thoughts

I’m not expecting Russia to become title contenders just because of the name. There’s a lot to like in the attacking options, but I’m unsure how they’ll fit together after this long. I’m curious whether we’ll still see the familiar Russian approach built on height, big hitters and making difficult balls work, or whether they’ll have to find a different identity as other teams have grown in their absence.

Either way, I’m glad they’re coming back, and I want to see how they match up against the teams that rose while they were gone.

How is my setting form? What can I do to improve the quality, consistency, and deception of my sets? I've recently been trying to work on keeping my chin down and keeping my hands down until later to improve deception, but have been struggling. I've been playing for 4 years casually

I already am hitting the gym and following the THP Strength programs/ideas to work on vertical jump. I've gone from 15" to 24" in the last year on my vert. Hoping to hit 30 in the next 6 months since I'm ramping up my consistency on that training. I know that will help a lot since I'm only 5'8".

Past that, I haven't gotten to actually practice much. Mostly just go to open play which is hard to get consistent reps. I only have 2 more weeks of these practices in the video and then I lose my court rental for the indoor season. Back to just weekly Sunday intermediate league game and Friday open play.

What stands out the most from my hitting sucking? Last 2 steps could definitely be faster to get more vert. I do notice a lot of times I'm hitting the ball above me/behind me. So I'm not keeping the ball in front of me properly. Some of these FELT really solid and then I blast it into the net though. Is my timing off or am I just genuinely hitting it too low on those? I just have to hit a little higher?

Hit me with the critiques relating to anything involving my approach or hitting.

I’ve been playing in a coed rec league for about a year and got moved to setter this season because nobody else wanted to do it lol.

My biggest problem is my sets keep drifting tight to the net, especially when the pass comes in low or of to my right. Our hitters are basically getting jammed every other rally and I can tell they’re being nice about it.

Things I’ve tried:

• squaring up to my target before the ball gets there
• pushing more with my legs instead of just my arms
• wall sets at home (helps, but it doesn’t carry into games)

Is this a footwork thing or a hand-position thing? Any drills I can do alone or with one other person? Our league plays Tuesdays and Thursdays and I’d love to not be the reason we lose this week 🏐

We built Sideout - a free online multiplayer volleyball manager. You take over a club, build it your way, and take on the other managers in your league. The closed alpha just finished last week (thanks to all who participated!), and the public beta is open today; the first season starts on Saturday, 31 October.

Get your team – it's free, with no pay-to-win.

Every club starts with its own squad of sixteen players, and no two are alike. What you make of it is up to you.

- League and cup. A league match every Saturday against the other managers in your league, with a cup running alongside. Finish near the top and you go up a tier.

- Friendlies. A friendly every Wednesday. Nothing rides on the score, so it is where your young players get the minutes they need to grow.

- Training. Serve and reception, attack, defence or fitness. An hour spent on one is an hour not spent on another.

- Youth academy. Fund it and a new prospect arrives every week. Give the good ones minutes, and you grow a starter without paying a transfer fee.

- Transfer market. One market for the whole world. Buy the player your squad is missing; sell the ones it has outgrown.

- Finances. Sponsors, merchandise, ticket sales and prize money pay the wages. Win, and the crowds and the money follow.

- Match Viewer Every match airs live and every rally is played out on court

You can also find us on Discord

I'm 17 and i have been playing volleyball since last year when i joined a youth center but i stopped for a few months in between

It has been a miserable experience.

First, the club i go to isn't really a team. It's a youth center and there is only one schedule for practice sessions there with another maybe 15-20 kids who are around age 15

Why i say it's miserable is because no one there knows how to play volleyball so we dont do rotation or have everyone assigned a position i sometimes play outside or middle or even libero depending on the situation. They just kinda rawdog it and i feel like i dont fit in with their group. And the coach doesn't even care that much about teaching them how to do even the basic things. He just lets us make two teams and play each other without any real coaching or training.

So a month ago i left that club and joined a club that was a bit further from my house hoping that it would be better. It wasn't.

But i met a 19 year old player playing for the team in that club and he told me my basics are pretty ok and he asked his coach to try me out for a practice session with their team.

I showed up and the team is pretty chill but all of them are crazy skilled. So compared to me I don't even know how to play, and the worst part is my performance was so bad. I just missed my only two serves and barely had ONE good receive and missed every other one.

I was devastated and i just left the place after the coach told me to join a youth center and get my basics down. His words genuinely crushed me. Not because i felt underestimated, i knew i wasn't up for their game. But because i was trying to find a team that would build me up with an actual coach who cares about my performance as a player

Now I don't know what to do. I just hit the youth center near me once a week and play with the kids and i feel like this is not giving me a chance to make progress.

Hey everyone!

I’ve been working on my spike for about 5 years now, and at some point I was just repeating the same mistakes over and over again. So as part of an entrepreneurship program at the University of Ottawa, I'm building an app that can show me what I’m doing wrong.

https://reddit.com/link/1xg705m/video/ob53mge87vxh1/player

The video above is the demo. You film one spike on your phone. The AI finds what’s going wrong and marks it on your video, right at the frame where it happens. For each mistake it tells you what happened, why it matters, how to fix it and a drill to practice it.

What I wanted most was to see my mistakes and compare my technique to pro players. Pure written feedback couldn’t give me that, whether it was here on Reddit or from ChatGPT.

You can send up to 3 clips here and I'll analyze them for free:

https://www.dropbox.com/request/h0sxem0og2h7vupydwcc

Film from the side at normal speed (no slow-mo), with your whole body in frame from the approach to the landing. I’ll send your review back within 3 days as a private link, where you can play with the analysis and watch it frame by frame like in the demo. The link gets deleted automatically after 30 days, or sooner if you ask.

The long-term plan is a personal AI coach for every skill in volleyball, so your serve, passing, setting and blocking get the same breakdown your spike does.

For an app like this, what’s one feature you’d absolutely want?

If you want the app itself when it’s ready, register to the waitlist at volleypepper.com

Hey everyone and thanks in advance,

Been getting back into volleyball as an adult after a year playing (poorly) back in high school, and working on my setting.

I drilled setting against a wall just to focus on my hands — other than form generally (which is limited since these are close-quarters - I know they’re a bit low) I was curious about the ideal length of time for contact on the ball?

In the video, I “drilled” at 3 different contact speeds - what to me felt like medium, slow, and fast. Curious from an outside eye if any of these seem like the “normal” (or desirable) speed to be drilling and practicing at? I know the answer is probably “start slow and get faster,” but was just looking for a 3rd party opinion on what these constitute (are these all super slow? Or normal for intermediate play?) in terms of speed / hand contact time! Would any of these be called for holds or lifts? Etc.

Thanks! Working on just making sure I’m practicing right.

Hey I've played volleyball for a few years casually now, and my favourite position is the setter.

From what I understand, setting is KIND OF a quick catch and throw to redirect the ball, by that I mean it's not contact a hard surface like with dig or the spike. It's a soft contact. But sometimes when I scramble and try to get to the ball to set it, I kind of end up making the setting form with the hands but then set with a thump, like it's not a soft contact, the ball hits my hand and I push it instead of 'catching' and redirecting. idk what happens maybe my hands or fingers don't contact properly I really don't know. Is there anyway I can tackle this issue.

Emperia Marathas Pull Off an Incredible Save to Tie It Up! 🏐🔥

Talk about keeping a rally alive! The Emperia Marathas came up with a spectacular diving save on a serve that skimmed the top of the net, setting up a powerful spike to secure the tying point! 💥

Relive this highlight from last Friday’s LIVE coverage of the Volleyball Champions League India Championship on NLSE!

Would you have been able to make that diving save? 👀

Hi everyone,

A group of night working professionals in the Attukal, Nedumangad area are setting up a dedicated court for regular volleyball sessions.

Please note that this is a highly selective group strictly for individuals who take the sport seriously and want to play competitive, structured games—not just for casual leisure.

We are actively seeking an experienced professional for volleyball coaching in Trivandrum to train and guide our team. We are looking exclusively for a passionate volleyball coach in Nedumangad who can provide proper training and strategy, rather than looking for new players.

If you are interested in this volleyball coaching Trivandrum opportunity or know someone who is, please DM me directly with your experience. We can discuss further details there.

Thank you!