U.S. setter Loly Ball decides to stay in volleyball – Volleyball news
The setter of U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team, Loly Ball, decided to retire from volleyball in spring 2011 and the news spread like jungle fire.
However, he reversed his decision of retirement after receiving an attractive offer. Ball’s secret reason to stay in the team was not known until now when the official magazine of Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB) featured an article about him.
The FIVB magazine VolleyWorld is now available online, which has unfolded the whole story.
The 40-year old Beijing Olympic champion declared in April 2011 that he was “taking a break” from volleyball right after the U.S. team clinched success at the Russian Super League. Ball announced a break to spend time with his friends and family. Nevertheless,
he could not stay away from the court for more than four months and signed a new contract with Russian club team Ural Ufa.
In this regard, Ball frankly shared thoughts about his comeback in the team. He stated, “Obviously, the money was a big factor. On top of that, I just came off knee surgery that went really well. Plus, the Russian championship was only going to be four to
five months long, with a long break in November where I could come home. Ufa had hired an Italian coach (Angelo Frigoni) that I knew and liked. And, maybe the biggest reason was a chance to play with Steam (Clay Stanley) one more time.”
So, money played a big part in reversing Ball’s decision and bringing him back in the sport. Nonetheless, this was not the first time that he reversed his decision of retirement. Back in 2004 when American team finished fourth at the Olympics, Ball announced
that he was retiring from team. However, he took a little break and continued playing volleyball for some overseas clubs. He spent some time with Turkish club Iraklis Izmir and then moved to Russia to play at Kazan.
U.S. coach Hugh McCutcheon went to Russia and convinced him to return in the national team. Ball rejoined the American squad and participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. McCutcheon complimented Ball by saying that he is a great student of the game and
makes good choices. Let’s see how long does he stay in the team.
Tags: