Ahead of Prime Volleyball League, David Lee opens up on his meeting with PV Sindhu
Feb 03, 2022
New Delhi [India], February 3 : Ahead of the upcoming Prime Volleyball League, America's David Lee opened up on meeting star India shuttler PV Sindhu.
In an interaction with ANI, Lee who would be playing for Calicut Heroes opened up on his meeting with Sindhu and his expectations from the Prime Volleyball League.
"I have met PV Sindhu for the third time. She is such a sweet girl. It was nice to hear from her again. For the first time, we got to do a commercial together. And then we had dinner together with Sindhu and her father. I congratulated them on her Olympics win," Lee told ANI.
"We chatted about the Olympics. I was giving her support to win the gold medal at the next Olympics and have all three which is something so special. So, I gave my best wishes and told her I am rooting for her and hope she does great at the next Olympics," he added.
As a member of the United States volleyball team, Lee became an Olympic Champion at the 2008 Summer Olympics and an Olympic bronze medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He is also a gold medallist at the 2015 World Cup.
"I have played in Indonesia, India, China, Qatar. The type of volleyball in Asia is somewhat similar. They like to do combination plays and run offensive plays where they like to run things from the middle of the court. It is similar in that sense. European like to run a spread-out offence. They like to spread on the court," said Lee.
"Volleyball is volleyball, overall. Bump, set, spikes are the same. As long as you get different levels and historic styles. For me, in India volleyball is really strong. Some players are very skilled and quite athletic. They are 2m tall and making really high jumps, it's exciting," he added.
The Prime Volleyball League will get underway on February 5 and the tournament is scheduled to take place at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium which will see the home team of Hyderabad Black Hawks taking on the mighty Kochi Blue Spikers in the opening fixture. The final of the competition will be played on February 27.
The tournament will consist of a total of 24 matches spread over a course of 23 days. Each of the seven franchises - Calicut Heroes, Kochi Blue Spikers, Ahmedabad Defenders, Hyderabad Black Hawks, Chennai Blitz, Bengaluru Torpedoes, and Kolkata Thunderbolts - will play a single round-robin before the top four teams in the league stage qualify for the semi-finals.
"There is such enthusiasm in the South, especially in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Hyderabad. There is a love of this sport. They should be showcased. And having these players on television will be a great way to show how skilled these players are. The production value of Indian cinema is incredible when it comes to Bollywood. And I think they bring the same style into Volleyball and hence it becomes a great way to showcase the sport in India," said Lee.
"Due to the Omicron situation, we have been able to have only one week of training with all the players. So, what I am trying to do is initiate individual conversations with the players when it comes to specifics on how to play the game. I am also trying to make some videos to show it to players because, with videos, you get to learn quickly," he added.
Prime Volleyball League 2022 can be watched Live on SONY TEN 1 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi), SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) & SONY TEN 2 (Malayalam) channels from February 5.