2017 FIVB VOLLEYBALL WORLD GRAND PRIX
- Group 1
- July 7th – August 6th
- FIVB World Grand Prix Round 3
- Schedule/Results
The Netherlands have been competing at the FIVB World Grand Prix on and off since their first year in 1994. In 2007 the Dutch finished fifth in the opening rounds but rolled through the competition in the Final Six to the undefeated gold medal. Since then, they were demoted to Group 2, but with a first place finish in 2015 they were promoted to Group 1 and finished in third place at the 2016 edition of the competition.
The Netherlands finished the preliminary rounds with a 6-3 record, as did four other teams, they were two points away from Team USA who took second in the rankings and one point away from Brazil. The Dutch began their journey with a 2-1 record in week one followed by a 3-0 second week. In the Dutch’s final week of the opening rounds they faltered, going 1-2 on the weekend to come in fourth overall in the standings.
Key Contributors
- Celeste Plak – Plak comes in third overall in scoring over the three weeks with 142 points on 121 kills, 11 blocks and 10 aces. The Dutch will need to lean on Plak in the Finals to give them a boosted chance at the title.
- Anne Buijs – Buijs was also a dominant force for the Dutch in that she put down 132 points on 116 kills, 10 blocks and six aces.
- Robin De Kruijf – De Kruijf made her impact for the Dutch in the form of 21 blocks over the first three weeks of play for an average of 0.60 blocks per set.
For the Netherlands to be successful in the final round of the World Grand Prix they will need to see strong outputs from their top players. Without a dominant presence on the court, the Netherlands will falter against their tough competition.
Roster
(* denotes participation at the 2017 Olympic Games)
- Kirsten Knip
- Femke Stoltenborg*
- Yvon Belien*
- Celeste Plak*
- Robin De Kruijf*
- Maret Balkestein-Grothues*
- Jeanine Stoeten
- Myrthe Schoot*
- Lonneke Sloetjes*
- Anne Buijs*
- Britt Bongaerts
- Sarah Van Aalen
- Laura Dijkema*
- Debby Stam-Pilon*
- Nicole Oude Luttikhuis
- Marrit Jasper
- Nika Daalderop
- Tessa Polder
- Laura De Zwart
- Nicole Koolhaas
- Dagmar Boom
The Dutch returned 10 players from their 2016 Rio Olympic’s roster, with Celeste Plak leading the way for the Netherlands along with Anne Buijs.
Schedule
The Dutch squad will first take on Brazil on August 3 followed by the hosts, China, on August 4.
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