The brightest young Russian middle blocker Ilya Vlasov, who just turned 20, was one of the most widely discussed names in 2015.

Leading middle blocker at the inaugural European Games in terms of both statistics and overall presence, Vlasov won two pairs of medals for Russia only this year. The promising Russian squad, whose core comprised Fakel Novy Urengoy’s starting players, won bronze in Baku and the title at the 2015 Universiade in Guangzhou, South Korea. Those of you who have watched Russia in any of the two competitions have surely noticed the opponents’ inability to stop Vlasov in the middle. The 212cm-tall player does not play a very fast ball, which is a bit unlikely for a middle blocker, but makes up for the lack of quick ‘tempo’ with impressive power and height.

Ilya has been a vital part of his club team Fakel in the 2014-2015 season. The promising squad finished sixth at the end of the season and often relied on the performance of the middle blocker. Vlasov has already amassed a great deal of awards and medals in his collection, including gold at the 2013-2014 Russian Youth League, silver from the same competition in 2012-2013, gold at the 2013 European Youth Championship, and gold at the 2014 European U20 Championship. Vlasov was named the Best Blocker for two seasons in a row at the Russian Youth League and at the 2013 European Youth Championship.

Based on the unsatisfactory performance of the Russian senior team and the rapid development of Vlasov, it won’t take long before we see the middle blocker with the men’s national team jersey.

Ilya Vlasov

Born: August 3, 1995
Nationality: Russian
Position: Middle blocker
Height: 212 cm
Current club: Fakel Novy Urengoy