Jenia Grebennikov, the boss of the blue defense
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Don’t be fooled by her youthful smile, but rather her graying hair, Jenia Grebennikov is part of the French volleyball team, which faces Italy on Wednesday September 7 for a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup. . A match which promises to be all the more delicate for the Olympic champions as the Squadra Azzurra, which qualified on Saturday by beating Cuba three sets to one, benefited from two additional days of rest.
At 32, “Grebe” is a captain of the Blues, in the same way as his accomplice Earvin Ngapeth, with whom he started in the selection more than a decade ago. In the round of 16 against Japan, he again delivered an XXL performance on Monday, allowing the Habs to pass the Japanese obstacle on the wire.
However, Jenia Grebennikov did not score a single point during this match. Logical since he plays libero, a position entirely dedicated to defensive tasks. A master of defence, he can neither attack nor serve, and must play in the open near the net, but his reflexes are crucial as he is the one who receives most of the opponent’s serves.
Like a goalie “he is the bulwark of his team and the defensive strategies are organized around him”explains Hubert Henno, former libero of the France team (1999-2010), now coach of the Nantes-Rezé club.
The position was introduced in 1998 by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to allow players of average height to play at the highest level and to make the game more attractive. “Without this rule change, I would never have had an international career”testifies Jean-François Exiga, 1.74 m, former libero of the France team, retired since 2019. Important detail: the libero wears a distinctive jersey to help the general public to follow the game.
“He gave a new dimension to the position”
Spectacular player, Jenia Grebennikov has done a lot to popularize this position. Hotheaded, he does not hesitate to jump into the stands or use all parts of his body to counter opposing services. “He is a bubbling player. He’s all over the field.” appreciates the former international Stéphane Faure.
“He has a feline side, he is very lively on his feet. He is able to remount seemingly unplayable balls. He gave a new dimension to the position: young people identify with him and want to become a libero, which did not happen before”adds Hubert Henno. “He has progressed a lot mentally to become a true leader”, completes Mr. Exiga. Elected the world’s best libero several times, Jenia Grebennikov takes things with a grain of salt. “Volleyball goes really fast. One day you can be a star, the next day a failure”he said.
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