The commentator from the Russian sports channel looked at the cue cards given by the director and began his work.
“Welcome everyone to the opening match of the 2017-2018 Russian Men’s Volleyball Super League. I am commentator Mickey. The two participating teams are the Hamsters from Saint Petersburg and the Steel from Yekaterinburg.
They are both traditional powerhouses in the Russian Super League. It is worth mentioning that the Hamsters experienced many changes last year, and now they are starting anew. Let’s look forward to their performance.”
His co-commentator, retired male volleyball player Jeff, said, “This year, the Hamsters are determined to make up for their regrets from last year. They have recruited the transfer player Soso and also brought in two Chinese foreign players.
One of them is the libero Misha Qin, who is the Best Receiver and MVP of this year’s World Youth Championship and Asian Championship. He is very young, only 16 years old. However, Coach Nikolai positioned him as Libero not a support player.”
Mickey: “Misha Qin is less than 1.8 meters tall. I think it would be better for him to defend if we have enough attackers.”
Jeff: “Let’s hope for the best from these young guys.”
The referee signaled for the Steel Club to serve.
Anton took a deep breath and comforts Qin Chunxiao once again: “Misha, don’t be nervous.”
Qin Chunxiao remains calm: “I’m not nervous.”
Anton smiles and pats Qin Chunxiao’s head, giving himself a mental thumbs up.
That’s right, Anton. Misha is only 16 years old. You need to comfort him more. Only then can this immature defensive genius have a better environment for growth. When he grows up, you will be able to contribute to winning the championship. Even if Misha misses the ball, it doesn’t matter. It won’t be worse than before anyway.
At that moment, the captain of the Steel Club delivered a powerful jump serve towards their side. The high speed and tricky angle instinctively made Anton’s heart tighten.
Based on his past experience, there were no more than five people in the Russian Super League who could receive such a ball, and even then, it depends on luck.
This is how it is in men’s volleyball. The ball is too fast, so there are relatively few people who can receive it well. In the end, both teams try to break through each other’s defense, and the winner is determined by who has a higher efficiency in scoring.
Just then, someone ran past him from the side.
Anton quickly turned his head, almost straining his neck, only to find that Qin Chunxiao had already sprinted to the corner of the court. With a flick of his left wrist, the volleyball flew to the net, which was Anton’s favorite passing position during training.
Anton instinctively jumped lightly, raising his hands and catching the ball with a comfortable force and a slight spin. He smoothly passed the ball, and Oleg jumped up for a quick attack.
Bang!
The Hamster Club scored their first point in this match!
Qin Chunxiao got up, twisted his wrist, and felt that if he didn’t have to be ready to jump and attack at the net all the time, his running would be even smoother. He thought he did well in receiving the ball and his set was powerful, and the attacker’s execution was also sharp.
He said to his new teammates, “Nice shot.”
He hoped to continue playing like this and looked forward to a beautiful victory in his first Russian Super League match.
Meanwhile, Anton’s hands were trembling.
What just happened?
That perfectly timed moment!
That smooth feeling of the spinning ball that was almost unloaded!
The smooth and fast attack that followed!
Was he dreaming?
Previously, Anton took care of the whole team like a parent, especially last season when Alexander got injured and Oleg’s dad jumped from the third floor after getting drunk, almost becoming a vegetable, which affected Oleg’s performance on the court.
Teammates were having various problems, causing the only intact player, Anton, not only to received and passed the ball, but also to occasionally assist in the attack, because he realized that compared to the soft eggs on the bench, even his second assists could score more points! As a young second setter, Anton’s days last season were basically filled with disappointment and tears, to the point where he couldn’t even react when his first pass suddenly became powerful.
After a while, the opposing attacker took the opportunity to spike the ball, and Qin Chunxiao once again received it and sent it to Anton. Anton finally confirmed that this first pass was truly reliable.
Qin Chunxiao really wanted to prove to the world that he didn’t receive the highest salary in the Chinese men’s volleyball team for nothing, so he was extremely powerful in the upcoming matches. Although he couldn’t receive every ball, his efforts increased the receiving efficiency of the team by a whopping 50%!
That’s 50% in a professional match! Even though the team was not very skilled, being able to improve the receiving efficiency by so much on their foundation was already an almost unbelievable achievement. In the past, as long as the team could receive the ball, it was considered good enough.
Whether the ball flew out of bounds immediately after being received, requiring the second setter to dive and save it, or whether the receiver couldn’t pass the ball to setter and instead fell in front of the attacker, confusing them to act as the setter, everyone couldn’t ask for more. After all, in men’s volleyball, as long as the ball didn’t hit the ground directly, it was considered a success.
Today, Qin Chunxiao told everyone that receiving the ball was not enough. He not only wants to receive it, but the ball he received, whether in terms of speed or height, would be the most comfortable ball for the setter to play. A high-quality first pass meant that as long as the setter was a bit smart, they could quickly organize the team for defensive counterattacks.
Qin Chunxiao had been acting as the team’s daddy for the national team’s rough men for so long, constantly winning against stronger opponents, relying on this skill. At the end of the first set, the Hamster Club won 25:15, and Anton already gave a thumbs up to Nikolai in his heart.
Nikolai, you said you would bring us a championship puzzle for the new season, but I didn’t expect that this puzzle would not even require leveling up. It’s a level 90 character right from the start!
Nikolai beckoned to Li Ling and said, “Two leng, come here.”
Li Ling replied, “Coming~”
Nikolai said, “Go up and replace Alexander.”
Li Ling responded, “Okay”’
Nikolai stood up to signal the substitution.
As an experienced player in the card training industry, a leveling master in the coaching world, Nikolai knew very well that a good card needed to grow, and someone needed to feed it.
Specifically, for a passer, he needed to have balls to receive; for a setter, he needed to read the game and expand his thinking; and for an attacker, he needed to play against various opponents to enrich his attacking routes.
Alexander was very stable, but he had hidden injuries. When the team was in a difficult situation, sending Li Ling, who was like a sharp knife, onto the court was also a way to break the deadlock. However, if he wanted to play an extraordinary game in the Russian Super League, the higher the level of the card, the better.
Nikolai was determined to start the ‘violent feeding’ mode. As long as the situation allows, he would give Li Ling enough playing time to feed him well. Only then could the card’s growth speed be guaranteed.
After all, he spent money to bring Li Ling over, intending to use him as a championship puzzle. If Li Ling didn’t level up in the regular season before the high-intensity playoffs arrive, how could he be relied upon in the future?
When Li Ling came on the court, Anton’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t forget the joy brought by the previous set, but unfortunately, he was no longer the team’s only setter.
Li Ling high-fived with Qin Chunxiao and said, “I’m here~”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Go take your position.”
Li Ling obediently responded with an “okay” and went to his position.
Anton: Ha, this kid was clearly crying and howling after being trained by Misha Qin before the game, but now he’s behaving so well. It’s really a waste that he grew up so big and doesn’t have any presence in front of Misha Qin.
Then the second game officially started, and Soso, who was in the first position, smoothly scored 1 point with a jump float serve, which meant he could continue to serve, and this serve was for three balls.
The Steel Club was not weak, but in the rough male-dominated Russian Super League, everyone’s receiving level is not that high, so they struggle when facing a skilled server.
It wasn’t until the 4th ball that the opponent’s reception finally got better and received the ball, but the ball bounced back directly to the Hamster’s side. Li Ling seized the opportunity and directly jumped up to make a probe shot, but the Steel’s opposite blocker was already prepared and blocked Li Ling’s attack.
The ball hit the opponent’s arm, making a dull sound. Li Ling exclaimed, but Qin Chunxiao was already standing behind him and stably lifted the blocked ball. Anton passed the ball, and Oleg attacked again, and the Hamster team scored again.
The Hamster guys gathered together, rejoicing for scoring again. Oleg patted Qin Chunxiao’s shoulder forcefully and said, “Your blocking and follow-up are so beautiful, Misha, well done!”
Qin Chunxiao said lightly, “You guys just spike, I will watch your ball and make sure it doesn’t
touch the ground.”
With his words, the attackers instantly gained confidence and felt that they could unleash more of their previous strength, which is also the positive impact that top-level defense can bring to the team.
Then Li Ling happily showed off his skills in his first Russian Super League match.
Everyone at the scene could only give him six points: …
Powell, who had previously had a pleasant conversation with Li Ling, commented with a serious expression, “Apart from receiving, Two Leng didn’t do well in other areas. His sets were almost unable to be hit by the attackers, and his own attacks were constantly blocked. It seems that he is not adapting well to the rhythm of the Russian Super League.”
His grandson covered his bruised eye, which was punched by the girl’s father he was chatting with, and looked shocked, “Grandpa, do you actually remember the name of that player?”
Powell nodded seriously, looked for a while, and smiled: “Oh, it seems that everything is fine. Two leng’s partner is very good, he covered the scene for him. As long as his partner doesn’t slack off, Nikolai will continue to give Two Leng playing time. He will eventually adapt here.”
Powell’s grandson opened his mouth wide, wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, and choked complainingly: “Grandpa, you don’t even remember my name, why do you remember the volleyball matter so clearly?”
Just at this moment, after giving four balls to Anton, Qin Chunxiao once again sent the ball to Li Ling’s hands. Li Ling jumped up and attacked, and this time, his ball landed.
Because this guy had made many mistakes before, many people on the scene felt that Li Ling’s goal was not a success, but gave a sense of relief that ‘he finally didn’t screw up.’
Even Anton couldn’t say that Qin Chunxiao was too busy feeding his partner, because most of the time, Qin Chunxiao’s balls were for him, while Li Ling was responsible for assisting and wiping the floor together with Qin Chunxiao. Moreover, the floor was wiped quite well, making a crisp sound.
But in fact, everyone knew that Qin Chunxiao played a bit draggy in today’s game. If he didn’t cover it, Li Ling would have been substituted. After all, if they wanted to compete for the championship, Nikolai’s primary responsibility as a coach is to win the game. Li Ling could make mistakes, but the error rate must be within his acceptable range.
But as long as Qin Chunxiao covered it, in Nikolai’s eyes, the Guangdong Twin Stars were still very promising.
This was his coaching style. He usually explored various card pool and brought good cards for leveling up. When the cards were maxed out, he could also tidy up and wait to be lifted into the Hall of Fame as a coach.
The commentator from the Russian sports channel looked at the cue cards given by the director and began his work.
“Welcome everyone to the opening match of the 2017-2018 Russian Men’s Volleyball Super League. I am commentator Mickey. The two participating teams are the Hamsters from Saint Petersburg and the Steel from Yekaterinburg.
They are both traditional powerhouses in the Russian Super League. It is worth mentioning that the Hamsters experienced many changes last year, and now they are starting anew. Let’s look forward to their performance.”
His co-commentator, retired male volleyball player Jeff, said, “This year, the Hamsters are determined to make up for their regrets from last year. They have recruited the transfer player Soso and also brought in two Chinese foreign players.
One of them is the libero Misha Qin, who is the Best Receiver and MVP of this year’s World Youth Championship and Asian Championship. He is very young, only 16 years old. However, Coach Nikolai positioned him as Libero not a support player.”
Mickey: “Misha Qin is less than 1.8 meters tall. I think it would be better for him to defend if we have enough attackers.”
Jeff: “Let’s hope for the best from these young guys.”
The referee signaled for the Steel Club to serve.
Anton took a deep breath and comforts Qin Chunxiao once again: “Misha, don’t be nervous.”
Qin Chunxiao remains calm: “I’m not nervous.”
Anton smiles and pats Qin Chunxiao’s head, giving himself a mental thumbs up.
That’s right, Anton. Misha is only 16 years old. You need to comfort him more. Only then can this immature defensive genius have a better environment for growth. When he grows up, you will be able to contribute to winning the championship. Even if Misha misses the ball, it doesn’t matter. It won’t be worse than before anyway.
At that moment, the captain of the Steel Club delivered a powerful jump serve towards their side. The high speed and tricky angle instinctively made Anton’s heart tighten.
Based on his past experience, there were no more than five people in the Russian Super League who could receive such a ball, and even then, it depends on luck.
This is how it is in men’s volleyball. The ball is too fast, so there are relatively few people who can receive it well. In the end, both teams try to break through each other’s defense, and the winner is determined by who has a higher efficiency in scoring.
Just then, someone ran past him from the side.
Anton quickly turned his head, almost straining his neck, only to find that Qin Chunxiao had already sprinted to the corner of the court. With a flick of his left wrist, the volleyball flew to the net, which was Anton’s favorite passing position during training.
Anton instinctively jumped lightly, raising his hands and catching the ball with a comfortable force and a slight spin. He smoothly passed the ball, and Oleg jumped up for a quick attack.
Bang!
The Hamster Club scored their first point in this match!
Qin Chunxiao got up, twisted his wrist, and felt that if he didn’t have to be ready to jump and attack at the net all the time, his running would be even smoother. He thought he did well in receiving the ball and his set was powerful, and the attacker’s execution was also sharp.
He said to his new teammates, “Nice shot.”
He hoped to continue playing like this and looked forward to a beautiful victory in his first Russian Super League match.
Meanwhile, Anton’s hands were trembling.
What just happened?
That perfectly timed moment!
That smooth feeling of the spinning ball that was almost unloaded!
The smooth and fast attack that followed!
Was he dreaming?
Previously, Anton took care of the whole team like a parent, especially last season when Alexander got injured and Oleg’s dad jumped from the third floor after getting drunk, almost becoming a vegetable, which affected Oleg’s performance on the court.
Teammates were having various problems, causing the only intact player, Anton, not only to received and passed the ball, but also to occasionally assist in the attack, because he realized that compared to the soft eggs on the bench, even his second assists could score more points! As a young second setter, Anton’s days last season were basically filled with disappointment and tears, to the point where he couldn’t even react when his first pass suddenly became powerful.
After a while, the opposing attacker took the opportunity to spike the ball, and Qin Chunxiao once again received it and sent it to Anton. Anton finally confirmed that this first pass was truly reliable.
Qin Chunxiao really wanted to prove to the world that he didn’t receive the highest salary in the Chinese men’s volleyball team for nothing, so he was extremely powerful in the upcoming matches. Although he couldn’t receive every ball, his efforts increased the receiving efficiency of the team by a whopping 50%!
That’s 50% in a professional match! Even though the team was not very skilled, being able to improve the receiving efficiency by so much on their foundation was already an almost unbelievable achievement. In the past, as long as the team could receive the ball, it was considered good enough.
Whether the ball flew out of bounds immediately after being received, requiring the second setter to dive and save it, or whether the receiver couldn’t pass the ball to setter and instead fell in front of the attacker, confusing them to act as the setter, everyone couldn’t ask for more. After all, in men’s volleyball, as long as the ball didn’t hit the ground directly, it was considered a success.
Today, Qin Chunxiao told everyone that receiving the ball was not enough. He not only wants to receive it, but the ball he received, whether in terms of speed or height, would be the most comfortable ball for the setter to play. A high-quality first pass meant that as long as the setter was a bit smart, they could quickly organize the team for defensive counterattacks.
Qin Chunxiao had been acting as the team’s daddy for the national team’s rough men for so long, constantly winning against stronger opponents, relying on this skill. At the end of the first set, the Hamster Club won 25:15, and Anton already gave a thumbs up to Nikolai in his heart.
Nikolai, you said you would bring us a championship puzzle for the new season, but I didn’t expect that this puzzle would not even require leveling up. It’s a level 90 character right from the start!
Nikolai beckoned to Li Ling and said, “Two leng, come here.”
Li Ling replied, “Coming~”
Nikolai said, “Go up and replace Alexander.”
Li Ling responded, “Okay”’
Nikolai stood up to signal the substitution.
As an experienced player in the card training industry, a leveling master in the coaching world, Nikolai knew very well that a good card needed to grow, and someone needed to feed it.
Specifically, for a passer, he needed to have balls to receive; for a setter, he needed to read the game and expand his thinking; and for an attacker, he needed to play against various opponents to enrich his attacking routes.
Alexander was very stable, but he had hidden injuries. When the team was in a difficult situation, sending Li Ling, who was like a sharp knife, onto the court was also a way to break the deadlock. However, if he wanted to play an extraordinary game in the Russian Super League, the higher the level of the card, the better.
Nikolai was determined to start the ‘violent feeding’ mode. As long as the situation allows, he would give Li Ling enough playing time to feed him well. Only then could the card’s growth speed be guaranteed.
After all, he spent money to bring Li Ling over, intending to use him as a championship puzzle. If Li Ling didn’t level up in the regular season before the high-intensity playoffs arrive, how could he be relied upon in the future?
When Li Ling came on the court, Anton’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t forget the joy brought by the previous set, but unfortunately, he was no longer the team’s only setter.
Li Ling high-fived with Qin Chunxiao and said, “I’m here~”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Go take your position.”
Li Ling obediently responded with an “okay” and went to his position.
Anton: Ha, this kid was clearly crying and howling after being trained by Misha Qin before the game, but now he’s behaving so well. It’s really a waste that he grew up so big and doesn’t have any presence in front of Misha Qin.
Then the second game officially started, and Soso, who was in the first position, smoothly scored 1 point with a jump float serve, which meant he could continue to serve, and this serve was for three balls.
The Steel Club was not weak, but in the rough male-dominated Russian Super League, everyone’s receiving level is not that high, so they struggle when facing a skilled server.
It wasn’t until the 4th ball that the opponent’s reception finally got better and received the ball, but the ball bounced back directly to the Hamster’s side. Li Ling seized the opportunity and directly jumped up to make a probe shot, but the Steel’s opposite blocker was already prepared and blocked Li Ling’s attack.
The ball hit the opponent’s arm, making a dull sound. Li Ling exclaimed, but Qin Chunxiao was already standing behind him and stably lifted the blocked ball. Anton passed the ball, and Oleg attacked again, and the Hamster team scored again.
The Hamster guys gathered together, rejoicing for scoring again. Oleg patted Qin Chunxiao’s shoulder forcefully and said, “Your blocking and follow-up are so beautiful, Misha, well done!”
Qin Chunxiao said lightly, “You guys just spike, I will watch your ball and make sure it doesn’t
touch the ground.”
With his words, the attackers instantly gained confidence and felt that they could unleash more of their previous strength, which is also the positive impact that top-level defense can bring to the team.
Then Li Ling happily showed off his skills in his first Russian Super League match.
Everyone at the scene could only give him six points: …
Powell, who had previously had a pleasant conversation with Li Ling, commented with a serious expression, “Apart from receiving, Two Leng didn’t do well in other areas. His sets were almost unable to be hit by the attackers, and his own attacks were constantly blocked. It seems that he is not adapting well to the rhythm of the Russian Super League.”
His grandson covered his bruised eye, which was punched by the girl’s father he was chatting with, and looked shocked, “Grandpa, do you actually remember the name of that player?”
Powell nodded seriously, looked for a while, and smiled: “Oh, it seems that everything is fine. Two leng’s partner is very good, he covered the scene for him. As long as his partner doesn’t slack off, Nikolai will continue to give Two Leng playing time. He will eventually adapt here.”
Powell’s grandson opened his mouth wide, wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, and choked complainingly: “Grandpa, you don’t even remember my name, why do you remember the volleyball matter so clearly?”
Just at this moment, after giving four balls to Anton, Qin Chunxiao once again sent the ball to Li Ling’s hands. Li Ling jumped up and attacked, and this time, his ball landed.
Because this guy had made many mistakes before, many people on the scene felt that Li Ling’s goal was not a success, but gave a sense of relief that ‘he finally didn’t screw up.’
Even Anton couldn’t say that Qin Chunxiao was too busy feeding his partner, because most of the time, Qin Chunxiao’s balls were for him, while Li Ling was responsible for assisting and wiping the floor together with Qin Chunxiao. Moreover, the floor was wiped quite well, making a crisp sound.
But in fact, everyone knew that Qin Chunxiao played a bit draggy in today’s game. If he didn’t cover it, Li Ling would have been substituted. After all, if they wanted to compete for the championship, Nikolai’s primary responsibility as a coach is to win the game. Li Ling could make mistakes, but the error rate must be within his acceptable range.
But as long as Qin Chunxiao covered it, in Nikolai’s eyes, the Guangdong Twin Stars were still very promising.
This was his coaching style. He usually explored various card pool and brought good cards for leveling up. When the cards were maxed out, he could also tidy up and wait to be lifted into the Hall of Fame as a coach.
