Intermediate - Volleyball(0093)

A:  It's a beautiful day here in New Zealand at the Men's Volleyball world championship. My name is Rick Fields and I'm joined by the man with the plan, Bob Copeland.
B:  Thank you, Rick. We've got a very exciting encounter ahead of us today as two powerhouse teams, Brazil and China, face off against each other and try to qualify for the next round. Without a doubt, both teams are in top shape and this will prove to be a competitive match.
A:  The ref signals the start of the game and here we go. Ribeiro serves and China quickly receives the ball. Chen bumps it to the setter, and... a very nice set by Chen!
B:  Xu spikes it! Wow, what a great hit! The Brazilian blockers anticipated the play and tried to block him but he managed to get the ball in! Great play.
A:  It's China's service now. What a superb jump serve by Li, oh, and we have a let serve. The ball was coming in fast and almost made it over the net.
B:  Brazil calls for a time out and we'll be right back, after a short commercial break.

Key Vocabulary

encountercommon noun, singularmeet for a game or battle
ahead of (someone)Prepositionin the future
powerhousecommon noun, singulara highly energetic, strong team
qualifyverbto reach the later stages of a selection process or contest by competing successfully in earlier rounds
in top shapephrasein their best condition
serveverbhits the ball to start a set of the game
bumpverbto pass (a volleyball) by redirecting it with the forearms
setcommon noun, singularthe action of putting ball in the air so as to be driven to opponents' court
spikeverbstrongly hit the ball to opponents' court using the palm of the hand
anticipateverbto foresee and act in advance of
jump servecommon noun, singulara serve with the ball firstly thrown overhead and then the player jumping to hit it
let servecommon noun, singularthe ball touches the net in a serve but still crosses into the opponents' court
time outcommon noun, singulara pause during a game

Supplementary Vocabulary

side outcommon noun, singularwhen the team that served the ball loses the rally, causing the other team to serve the next point.
whiffphrasea mishit — when a player attempts to hit (or spike) the ball with the open hand and nearly misses the ball
digphrasethe ability to prevent the ball from touching one's court after a spike or attack, particularly a ball that is nearly touching the ground
coin tosscommon noun, singularis the practice of throwing a coin in the air to resolve a dispute between two parties
drawcommon noun, singulara contest or game ending in a tie