All-Stars

Note: What is a versatile tower? It's an expression I use to describe a player who is [unusually] tall and has a varied attack that takes the team's overall offence to a new level. The first versatile tower in the '80s was Gabriela Pérez del Solar (1.94m) who could hit quicks, slides, shoots to the middle, stacks, tandems, high outside balls, and back row sets. Nowadays, there are more players who fit this category though the variety of their offence has fallen: Tayyiba Haneef (>2m), Zhao Ruirui (1.98m), Elisa Togut (1.87m), Yekaterina Gamova (>2m) and Yudelkis Bautista (+1.85m).

THE TEN BEST PLAYERS

In my opinion, these were the élite players whom teammates leaned on and their countries showcased with pride. For me, these players were the best representatives that this sport offered in those years.

THE MOST ENJOYABLE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Besides the top ten, these were the players I absolutely loved to watch. Whether because of their guts, beauty, wits, or good humour, they brought more fun and excitement to the game.

THE MOST ATTRACTIVE

From pretty to drop-dead gorgeous, these players probably graced the cover of a magazine at some point in their careers. These players helped make volleyball a very popular sport!

THE BIG-BANGERS

These big, tall, physical players would receive a set ten metres up in the air and could still pound it for a kill. They were certainly graceful in their overpowering game and most dependable.

SMALL GIANTS: THE LITTLE MOTORS OF THE TEAM

These were the players whose competitiveness and inner fire compensated for their lack of height. Their fighting spirit energised their teams and pushed them forward at pivotal points of the match. Both witty and hard-working, they were what everyone knows as "over-achievers".

ALL-AROUND PLAYERS

This is my favourite category of all. These were the most complete players, able to block solidly, back the setter up with confidence, dig any ball, and attack in deceptive combination plays. These were the players who, in my opinion, were the closest to the ideal volleyball player.

UNDER-RECOGNISED PLAYERS

There are always names that grow in the shadow of other athletes (like those in the categories above), but take them out of the lineup, and the team isn't the same. Indispensable players and quiet leaders (Márcia being the exception), they subtly kept their teams running firm.

OTHER MENTIONS...

This last group comprises "overnight sensations", most improved players, combinations, or just names that gave something to talk about at the time. Some of them have become what I call "versatile towers" that so many teams are finding indispensable nowadays: players who are absurdly tall, but who attack from most any position and enhance the team's offence by a lot.

THE BEST PLAYERS OF THE 80s, 90s & 2000s