After 30 matches, 107 sets, 4552 rallies, and 48 hours and 24 minutes of play, the quarterfinals of the women's volleyball tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 are set and we now look at the statistics for each team and leading players in different categories. This is what to look out for on Wednesday when the matches take place.
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Volleyball
Women's quarterfinals: Statistical preview
Published 08:00, 03 Aug 2021
Quarterfinal 1: Turkey - Korea
After finishing third in Pool B, Turkey now take on the team that finished third in Pool A in the first quarterfinal on Wednesday, namely Korea.
The Turkish women have been one of the best blocking teams in the tournament with an average of 3.05 blocks per set, which was third in pool play. Middle blockers Zehra Gunes led all blockers with 1.25 blocks per set and Eda Erdem was at 0.65 blocks per set, 11th. Korea will have to figure a way to get around them.
However, one part of defence that Turkey has had difficulty with is with their digging, averaging just 9.35 digs per set, which was 10th in pool play. Considering that Turkey played more points than any other team in pool play, it could be higher. Led by Libero Simge Akoz with 2.65 digs per set, four players average more than a dig per set.
Switching to the offence, opposites Meryem Boz and Ebrar Karakurt have often been swapped for each other when they have not been performing. Combined, these two players had 217 out of Turkey's 574 spike attempts, 37.80% of the attempts. But the spike efficiency was 89 points with 47 errors, which is 19.35%. If either one gets on track, Turkey will be better for it. As a team, Turkey’s spike efficiency was 23.26%.
Moving on to Korea, their offence has been focused through the captain Kim Yeon Koung, opposite Kim Heejin and outside hitter Park Jeongah. For Korea, 71.92% of their spike attempts went through these three, but they had a 22.60% spike efficiency, which was only ninth in pool play.
Kim Yeon Koung’s spiking efficiency was at 35.37%, which was fourth in pool play and may cause defence to shift towards her. For Korea, their defence was really focused on the back row with 10.95 digs per set, fourth in pool play, while the front row averaged 1.95 blocks per set, which was ninth in pool play.
In the digging, libero Oh Jiyoung was tied for second in pool play with 3.00 digs per set, and Kim Yeon Koung at 12th with 2.47 digs per set. Blocking was led by middle blocker Yang Hyo Jin with 0.58 blocks per set.
In serving both teams were about even with the same average of aces per set at 1.05, while Turkey had a slightly higher service error rate than Korea.
Quarterfinal 2: Dominican Republic - USA
In a NORCECA matchup in the second quarterfinal, first place in Pool B USA face fourth place in Pool A the Dominican Republic.
For the USA, the biggest questions will be the ankles of both Jordan Thompson and Jordyn Poulter. If Thompson can play, that will be a great help to the offence. Not that Annie Drews cannot carry the load. She led the USA comeback with 22 points against Italy in the final match of pool play. Poulter’s injury is more critical because with only a 12-player roster, the USA are down to just one setter in Micha Hancock.
Moving to the statistical analysis, the USA led pool play in service reception with a success rate at 71.67%, and each of the three primary players in serve receive - outside hitters Jordan Larson, Michelle Bartsch-Hackley and libero Justine Wong-Orantes - had success rates above 72.00%. However, this did not turn into points at the net from spiking where the USA were fifth after pool play at 23.53%.
Thompson and Drews as the opposites were the best hitters at a combined 36.79% spike efficiency. If Bartsch-Hackley and Jordan Larson can improve then the USA could be difficult in this match. In the blocking part of the game, middle blockers Haleigh Washington and Foluke Akinradewo with 0.74 blocks per set each were tied for sixth for the best blockers after pool play.
The Dominican Republic really have only had one category that they are strong in, and that has been spiking, with a fourth-place rank after pool play at a spike efficiency of 25.21%.
Brayelin Martinez was the focus of the offence with 24.36% of the spike attempts and a spike efficiency of 25.00%.
In blocking, the team averaged 2.40 blocks per set led by Jineiry Martinez at 0.65 blocks per set, tied for 11th after pool play, and Lisvel Elisa Eve with 0.50 blocks per set, tied for 16th. In digging, it was all about Brenda Castillo and her 2.75 digs per set. As a team, however, digging is not a specialty at 8.80 digs per set.
In serving the USA have a slight advantage with 0.95 service aces to the Dominican Republic’s 0.80, but the USA have a 0.45 service error advantage as the Dominican Republic averaged 2.50 service errors per set to the USA’s 2.05 service errors per set.
Quarterfinal 3: Serbia - Italy
A matchup of the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship finalists, the third quarterfinal on Wednesday features Serbia, who finished second in Pool A, and Italy, who finished second in Pool B.
At the end of pool play Serbia led all teams in spike efficiency at 36.64%, blocking at 3.38 per set and service aces at 2.00 per set. And yet, they finished second in their pool after a 3-1 loss to Brazil. This team has many recognisable names, first of which is opposite Tijana Boskovic. She carried an immense load, 40.30% of Serbia’s spike attempts went to her. Still more impressive is that she had a spike efficiency of 41.18%, which was tied for second after pool play. If you can’t stop “The Boss,” you must stop the others, and only two players on the Serbia team have an efficiency of less than 30%.
Tijana Boskovic (SRB)
In blocking, middles Mina Popovic and Milena Rasic had 0.75 blocks per set, tied for fourth after pool play. In the back row, five players had over a dig per set, led by the libero Silvija Popovic at 2.31 digs per set. At the service line Bianka Busa and Boskovic led the team with 0.44 and 0.38 service aces per set respectively.
Italy’s offence is dependent on Paola Egonu, who has taken 37.36% of Italy’s spike attempts, but has only been spiking at a 24.38% efficiency rate. If Egonu can improve, we have seen that she can score in bunches, which may be needed against Serbia. Outside hitters Caterina Bosetti and Elena Pietrini were hitting at similar levels of 22.86% and 25.53% respectively, but at much smaller volumes than Egonu.
In blocking, Italy are right behind Serbia in the ranking after pool play with 3.17 blocks per set led by Sarah Fahr with 0.72 blocks per set and Anna Danesi with 0.61 blocks per set. Setter Ofelia Malinov and Egonu were at 0.44 blocks per set as well, so the opponents' outside hitters are covered too.
Extending the defence to the back row, libero Monica De Gennaro and Bosetti both averaged over two digs per set, but Italy as a team were only ninth after pool play with 9.39 digs per set.
For Italy the service line was very dependent on Egonu with 7 aces, but 18 service errors. As a team, Italy averaged 3.50 service errors per set, compared to 1.22 service aces. Serbia were at just under 3 service errors per set, so an error late in the set could be crucial.
Quarterfinal 4: Brazil - ROC
In the last quarterfinal on Wednesday, Pool A winners Brazil will play ROC, who finished fourth in the other pool.
Brazil are the last remaining undefeated team in the tournament and their offence and digging were reasons for that success. Brazil were second after pool play with a spike efficiency of 35.07%, led by Fernanda Garay, Tandara Caixeta and Gabi Guimaraes. These three took 69.27% of the team spike attempts and had an efficiency rate of 31.58%, led by Garay at 44.29%. When the outsides and opposites drive the offence successfully, it is tough to stop them.
Speaking of stopping, middle blockers Carol Gattaz and Carolina Da Silva at 0.89 and 0.83 blocks per set respectively, helped stop their opponents in their tracks. Brazil were only ranked at seventh with 2.56 blocks per set, but when the offence is carrying you, the blocking is not such a priority.
Still if the blocking doesn’t stop the ball, the back row will with 12.33 digs per set, second in pool play. Five players had at least one dig per set and Gabi Guimares and libero Camila Brait were both on an average of over two digs. Throw in the second-best team in service receive in pool play with a 66.67% success rate and Brazil look very tough to face.
In offence, the ball went through three ROC players principally, opposite Nataliya Goncharova (186 attempts), outside hitters Arina Fedorovtseva (164) and Irina Voronkova (145). Combined these three had 495 attempts out of 596, 83.05% of the team total. Goncharova with an efficiency of 31.18%, Voronkova on 22.6% and Fedorovtseva on 12.80%, combined for 22.63%. If you stop one, you may still survive the rest.
Nataliya Goncharova (RUS)
Irina Koroleva led the team in blocking with 0.74 per set, and Irina Fetisova was close at 0.68, which would put both players in the top ten in blocking after pool play.
In digging, Russia were third after pool play with 11.53 digs per set, led by libero Anna Podkopaeva at 3.37 digs per set, who led all players after pool play. Even Voronkova played some defence too with 2.53 digs per set.
One place Russia may be able to take advantage of is with Fedorovtseva’s serve. She had 12 service aces in pool play, leading all players and with the highest average of all players at 0.63 service aces per set. Even more interesting is that she had more aces than errors - 12 to 11.
