Márcia Fu (BRA)
Dispelling the "Duck theory" with great style
This wonderful player from Minas Gerais was once likened to a football player at the Seoul Olympics because of the strength and volume that she commanded on the court. Márcia Cunha (nicknamed Márcia Fu—they say that Fu stands for "fudida", which means someone extremely good at something) started off as just that: blind, raw power, but with the years she became one of Brazil's most consistent—and yet, underrated—players. One thing she can definitely be proud of, however, was that she was one of the few players in the world who learned how to play against Cuba. If she could pass that hurdle, then anything else for her was, tssss, bread and butter.

Her progress was most notable, especially after seeing her try to pound high balls in the middle against Gaby Pérez del Solar at the '90 Goodwill Games. Of course she got roofed, what was she thinking? The year prior to that, she and Filo were Brazil's two powerful outside hitters at the Junior World's, putting balls down that were carefully set by wondersetter Fernanda to avoid the high blocks. She hit championship point against Cuba with a diagonal hit that was pounded so hard you'd think it would've bounced all the way to the last row of the coliseum! That same year, coach Inaldo Manta brought Márcia with her impressive résumé of two Junior world titles to the Adult Team, and quickly cast her as middle blocker. Odd choice, but I guess Márcia had exhibited some blocking skills that the coach liked. However, compared to the norm, Márcia was too big and slow for that position. At the Goodwill Games, Márcia was put back at outside, which she did quite well as long as the blocks weren't in her face. But I believe it was prior to Barcelona that the new coach Wadson Lima put Márcia to play opposite the setter because, after all, that position is for players who do a bit of everything well but not one thing extremely well—the so-called "Duck theory" (ducks can swim, fly, and walk but aren't the best in any skill). Though she was an on-and-off starter in Barcelona, she played well whenever she had to. Still, Márcia Fu was nowhere close to the great player we remember her for.

And then the waters parted and out came Bernardinho. This new coach transformed the Adult Team from a middle-ranked team, to one of the most innovative and dangerous teams in the world. When I saw Márcia play two years after Barcelona at the '94 Grand Prix, I couldn't believe me eyes. Secure in her position as opposite hitter, she seemed to have eliminated all those tiny errors that used to make her seem a bit obtuse. Not only that, but she was blocking very well from position 2 (a crucial position because it determines how successful the adversary's outside hitter will be), and she was hitting slides, quick short balls in front or behind Fernanda, and even hitting from the back row! Fernanda used her in combination plays, and Márcia was scurrying about the court with very good defence. And last but not least, her serve was a powerful one, for she would stand way back, almost where the advertisement boards were situated and hit a hard ball that came at you as heavy as a football. Márcia's improvement comes to show—similar to Lyndsay Davenport's in tennis—that even big girls can achieve a good level of flexibility, quickness, and wit, while still retaining the power and physical solidness that made them good to begin with.

At the '94 World's in her country, Márcia might have been a bit overlooked throughout the tournament, especially with Ana Moser sending the fans into a cheering frenzy with her long series of outstanding kills at crucial moments, or with Fernanda's composed, serene beauty as the mastermind, or with Ana Paula's cover girl looks. But Márcia was everywhere on the court, serving well, hitting from any position, blocking solidly (those series of consecutive stuff blocks over Batukhtina and Menshova were absolutely magnificent), and even backing Fernanda's setting whenever she dug a ball. In the match for the world title, Márcia (more than Ana Flávia) was the only player who didn't seem intimidated by Cuba's overpowering performance. Whereas before she didn't know how to tool blocks, now she was slicing through Mireya and Regla Bell's blocks and driving them crazy! At a moment when Ana Moser and Hilma were shut out of the match, Márcia was the answer. Fernanda back set her ball after ball and Márcia would tool them, one after the other, keeping Brazil with some hope of putting up a more dignified resistance. Soon middle hitter Ana Flávia also realised that Mireya and Regla Bell's blocks were the weakest ones, so she began a long series of slides that also racked up the points for Brazil. But two players can't do it all for a team and eventually they gave into Cuba's strength. The Brazilian commentators knew, however, that Márcia was getting smarter and wittier with every match, and for many people she had become the name of solidity and consistence in the team.

Indeed, Márcia played well against Cuba at the '95 Grand Prix, where she continued driving the Cuban outside hitters insane with her off-the-block kills. And in the first match against Cuba at the Atlanta Olympics, Márcia was hands down spectacular. By then, this whole generation of Brazilian players had matured, learning a lot from Bernardinho, and they were in optimal physical shape. Márcia had trimmed down a lot, and one could admire her gorgeous brown skin and strong arms because she rolled her sleeves all the way up to her shoulders. Even more inspiring was the way she used to cheer: she would score a point and hop her way around the court as if on springs, finding her teammates for the traditional Brazilian team hug. At the end of a well-earned set,

she would hold her teammates together with her strong arms, and raise her head and yell up at the roof (what did she yell?); then she would lower her head, look left and right at her teammates, and pushed them into playing hard until the match was over. She really infused the team with vitality and confidence, and with the 3-0 drubbing of Cuba in pool play, everyone thought Márcia's progress would reach a highly-deserved gold standard.

A week later, she would find out it wasn't to be. Losing to Cuba in the semifinal and playing well (though unfortunately not her best), she was a member of that Brazilian team that rumbled their way out of the Omni Coliseum in the famous "brawls" that characterised Atlanta. Actually, match point was directed by Mireya Luis to smash Márcia's face, but the Brazilian luckily covered it with both underarms; the ball went over Fernanda and Ana Paula's block, violently hitting Márcia before touching the ground in a millisecond. And when Mireya and her cohorts began thrashing the net and yelling at the Brazilians, Márcia returned to stand by Ana Moser and face the Cubans. They played the footage over and over again, as the teams were being carefully escorted out of the court and Márcia threw her towel at the Cubans in disgust. She was one of the players who took the Cuban provocations more personally, at one time even telling the press back at home that they were like beasts that deserved to be locked up in cages. I don't blame her for having such strong feelings. Even though Brazil won the '96 Grand Prix (knocking Cuba out in the semifinal), Márcia had her share of the brawls there, and exacted revenge on the Caribbeans. But memories of Atlanta will always cloud her mind, and I just hope that she remembers all the other wonderful matches she played outside of that horrible chapter.

The '96 Olympics and Grand Prix were the last major tournaments for Márcia Fu, a player who taught herself how to think, how to be consistent, and kept herself in shape, which is crucial to attain optimal conditions at the international level. Her joyful celebrations after every point kept her team's energy level pumping high, and she seemed to be a team leader in a more relaxed way than Ana Moser, whose every indication was said with the appropriate seriousness. But if Brazilians don't remember Márcia as one of the pillars of Brazil's rise into the élite of world volleyball, then they aren't giving this talented player the credit she deserves. Márcia is as deserving of lifting Brazil into success as Ana Moser and Fernanda, her other two teammates from the '87 World Junior Championship team as well as from the Seoul Olympics. Márcia came a long way to achieve what she did, and her progress should never be forgotten.