Athlete Profiles of Elite Volleyball Players by Playing Position: Women’s VNL Final Four Example

Öz

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the player profiles and performance characteristics of the Women’s VNL Final Four teams based on playing positions.

Method: In the research, the age, height, and body weight variables of the players from Italy, Brazil, Poland, and Japan, which ranked in the top four of the 2025 Women’s VNL, were analyzed according to their playing positions. The analyses were conducted using data obtained from the official match results and player statistics of the tournament.

Results: When the team-based findings were examined, no statistically significant difference was found between the mean ages of the four teams. However, the mean height and body weight values of the Japan team was found to be statistically significantly lower than those of the other teams (p < 0.05). When the position-based findings were examined, it was observed that the average age of setters, middle blockers, and liberos was higher than that of outside hitters. In terms of anthropometric characteristics, liberos were identified as the group with the shortest height and the lowest body weight, whereas opposite hitters were the position with the greatest height and body weight. However, the differences in height and body weight between opposite hitters and middle blockers were not found to be statistically significant (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Position-based physical differences were observed among elite female volleyball players. Findings indicate that liberos tend to be shorter and lighter, whereas outside hitters tend to be taller and heavier compared to other positions. These results suggest that the physical profiles of players in different positions are generally aligned with the positional demands of the sport.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Volleyball
• VNL
• Player Profile
• Position analysis
• Anthropometry

Elit Kadın Voleybol Sporcularında Mevkiye Göre Sporcu Profili: Kadın VNL Final Four Örneği

Öz

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, 2025 VNL Kadın Final Four takımlarının oyuncu profilleri ve performans göstergelerini mevki bazında incelemektir.

Yöntem: Araştırmada Kadınlar 2025 VNL sonuçlarında ilk dört olan İtalya, Brezilya, Polonya ve Japonya takımlarının yaş, boy ve vücut ağırlığı değişkenleri mevkilere göre analiz edilmiştir. Analizler, turnuvanın resmi maç sonuçları ve oyuncu istatistiklerinden elde edilen veriler kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir

Bulgular: Takım bazlı bulgular incelendiğinde, dört takımın yaş ortalamaları arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark saptanmamıştır. Buna karşılık, Japonya takımının boy ve vücut ağırlığı ortalamalarının diğer takımlara kıyasla istatistiksel olarak anlamlı düzeyde daha düşük olduğu tespit edilmiştir (p<0,05). Mevki bazlı bulgular incelendiğinde ise pasör, orta oyuncu ve liberoların yaş ortalamasının smaçörlere göre daha yüksek olduğu görülmüştür. Antropometrik özellikler incelendiğinde; liberoların en kısa boylu ve en düşük vücut ağırlığına sahip grup olduğu, pasör çaprazlarının ise en uzun boylu ve en yüksek ağırlığa sahip pozisyon olduğu belirlenmiştir. Ancak pasör çaprazları ile orta oyuncular arasındaki boy ve kilo farkları istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bulunmamıştır (p>0,05).

Sonuç: Elit kadın voleybolunda mevki bazlı fiziksel farklılıklar gözlemlenmiştir. Bulgular, liberoların genellikle daha kısa ve hafif, pasör çaprazlarının ise diğer mevkilere kıyasla daha uzun ve ağır olma eğiliminde olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu durum, farklı mevki pozisyonlarında görev yapan sporcuların fiziksel profillerinin pozisyon gereksinimleriyle uyumlu olabileceğini düşündürmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Voleybol
• VNL
• Sporcu profilleri
• Pozisyon analizi
• Antropometri

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