Press release

Lima, Peru, July 29, 2011 – The FIVB Volleyball Women’s Junior World Championship Peru 2011 moves into its final stage with respective classification semifinals taking place on July 30 in Lima and Callao, Peru.

Brazil, Italy, China and United States have reached the gold-medal bracket semifinal round. Brazil, the only undefeated team in the tournament, will face United States at 17.15 Saturday evening at Lima’s Eduardo Dibos Gymnasium after the Italy versus China meeting at 15.00. Italy and Brazil won Pool E and Pool F, respectively, while United States and China finished in second place in their second-round top eight pools.

In the 5-8 classification semifinals, Dominican Republic faces Slovakia at 13.00 to start day’s action in Lima. Host Peru challenges Belgium in the final match of the day at 19.15. Dominican Republic finished third in Pool E, while Belgium was third in Pool F. Peru and Slovakia were in fourth place in their respective second-round pools.

In the 9-12 classification semifinals, Cuba plays Poland in a 13.00 match at Callao’s Miguel Grau Gymnasium, followed by Japan versus Russia at 15.00. Cuba lost all three of its first-round matches only to come back win all three of the second round matches in Pool G, while Russia won Pool H with a 3-0 record.

In the 13-16 classification semifinals in Callao, Tunisia takes on Serbia at 9.00, followed by Korea against Egypt at 11.00. Korea and Serbia finished third in the third second-round pools, while Tunisia and Egypt were in fourth place.

Live scoring, results, news and photos on FIVB Volleyball Women's Junior World Championship Peru 2011.

Brazil
Brazil, looking for a seventh title in the event, reached the gold-medal semifinal round with six victories and only two sets lost along the way. The squad won Pool B with a 3-0 record against Italy, Serbia and Cuba. Brazil swept through the second round Pool F with wins over Belgium, Slovakia and China.

Brazil’s Gabriela Souza leads her team in scoring with 90 points for fourth-best overall in Best Scorer, while Samara Almeida (83 points) and Sthefanie Paulino (78) points rank eighth and ninth in scoring for a balanced offensive attack. Souza also ranks atop the Best Spiker category with 42.6 spikes converted to points, while Ana Beatriz Correa is fifth in Best Blocker with 0.90 blocks per set. Thais Saraiva is ranked fourth in Best Digger.

Brazil, competing in their 16th FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship is one of only two countries to have competed in all previous editions. Brazil has reached the podium the most times at the FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship with 10 medals in 15 previous events.

Brazil has won six of the past 15 FIVB Women’s Junior World Championships, including four straight editions to begin the new century (2001, 2003, 2005, 2007). Overall, Brazil has reached the podium in six consecutive FIVB Women’s Junior World Championships.

While Brazil’s Junior National Team finished the last edition with a bronze medal, the players competing at this year’s edition captured the gold medal at the 2009 FIVB Girls’ Youth (Under 18) World Championship.

Italy
Italy, in its 11th appearance in the tournament, will be looking to reach the podium for only the second time in the event’s history. The Italians earned the silver medal in 1997.

After losing to Brazil in four sets to open the tournament in the first round, Italy has won five consecutive matches. The side won Pool E with victories over Peru, United States and Dominican Republic to gain the group’s top seed into the gold semifinal. Italy overcame the first round loss to defeat Cuba and Serbia to advance to the top eight second round.

Italy’s Valentina Diouf ranks second in scoring during the tournament with 112 points, while converting 40.1 percent of her spikes for points for third-best in Best Spiker. Caterina Bosetti is 12th in scoring with 74 points and is ranked fourth in Best Spiker with a 39.8 conversion rate and third in best receiver with a 37.4 efficiency. Guilia Pisani averages 0.95 blocks per set for fourth place among all players. Letizia Camera is third among the Best Setter category. Carolina Zardo is fourth in Best Libero and sixth in Best Digger.

Italy did not compete in the event in 2009 after a fifth-place finish in 2007. The Italians reached the semifinals in 2005, but were relegated to fourth place.

Italy finished eighth in the 2009 FIVB Girls’ Youth World Championship with seven athletes competing in this year’s FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship event.

China
Along with Brazil, China is competing in their 16th FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship. China holds nine medals during the event’s history, including the gold medal in 1995.

China won its first round Pool D with a 3-0 record that included wins over Russia, Japan and Dominican Republic. In the second round, China opened with victories over Slovakia and Belgium before losing to Brazil in a match among undefeated teams.

Zhou Yang has been a steady influence for China with 93 total points scored in the tournament for third-best among all players. She has converted 40.7 percent of her spikes for points for second-best in the Best Spiker category, along with providing a 1.10 block average for second in Best Blocker. Qi Wang and Yanchi Pi rank 12th and 13th in scoring with 67 and 64 points, respectively. Li Lin ranks third in Best Digger with 4.65 per set, while Di Yao is rated the Best Setter with 7.55 running sets average.

After four straight podium finishes from 2001 to 2007, China was absent from the medal chase in 2009 with a 10th-place finish. Before the 2009 edition, China had never finished lower than fifth place.

At the younger 2009 FIVB Girls’ Youth World Championship, China finished a disappointing 13th place with players competing in this year’s FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship.

United States
The United States, in its seventh appearance in the tournament, has assured itself at least the best finish in program history for the FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship. The Americans finished fourth at the 2007 event, but are in search of their first-ever medal in 2011.

The United States captured Pool C with a 3-0 record with victories over Belgium, Korea and Poland. The Americans earned a second-round opening victory over Dominican Republic, but then lost to Italy and host Peru in consecutive matches to finish Pool E. Although the United States, Peru and Dominican Republic all finished with 1-2 records in Pool E, the Americans earned four pool points to Dominican Republic’s three and Peru’s two.

Haley Eckerman has scored 88 points for the Americans to rank fifth in scoring, while teammate Kelly Reeves has scored 85 points for sixth place. Eckerman has converted 39.1 percent of her spikes for fifth in Best Spiker, while Reeves is ninth with a 34.8 spike percent. Natalie Hagglund ranks atop the Best Libero category with a 61.9 percent success rate while ranking second in Best Digger with a 5.32 average and fourth in Best Receiver with a 35.8 efficiency.

The United States hosted China in five friendly scrimmages this month in California immediately prior to flying to Peru.

The Americans finished 12th at the younger FIVB Girls’ Youth World Championship held in 2009 with five players that have moved up to this year’s FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship team.

Highest Scorer by Day
Day 1 (July 22): 22 points by Zhou Yang (China) in 3-1 win over Russia; Aleksandra Sikorska (Poland) in 3-2 loss to Korea; and Gabriela Souza (Brazil) in 3-1 win over Italy
Day 2 (July 23): 37 points by Lise Van Hecke (Belgium) in 3-1 win over Korea
Day 3 (July 24): 40 points by Lise Van Hecke (Belgium) in 3-1 win over Poland
Day 4 (July 26): 21 points by Yunieska Robles (Cuba) in 3-1 win over Korea; Lise Van Hecke (Belgium) in 3-0 loss to Brazil
Day 5 (July 27): 24 points by Valentina Diouf (Italy) in 3-1 win over United States
Day 6 (July 28): 30 points by Lise Van Hecke (Belgium) in 3-2 win over Slovakia

Top 5 Scoring Performances
40 – Lise Van Hecke (Belgium) in 3-1 win over Poland on July 24
37 – Lise Van Hecke (Belgium) in 3-1 win over Korea on July 23
30 – Lise Van Hecke (Belgium) in 3-2 win over Slovakia on July 28
27 – Zuzanna Czyznielewska (Poland) in 3-1 loss to Belgium on July 24
27 – Valentina Diouf (Italy) in 3-1 win over Dominican Republic on July 28

Top Blocking Performances
14 – Zhou Yang (China) in 3-1 win over Japan on July 23
12 – Aleksandra Sikorska (Poland) in 3-2 loss to Korea on July 22
8 – Danica Radenkovic (Serbia) in 3-2 loss to Poland on July 26
8 – Ana Beatriz Correa (Brazil) in 3-1 win over Italy on July 22

Top Service Ace Performances
7 – Fumika Moriya (Japan) in 3-0 win over Tunisia on July 26
6 – Lise Van Hecke (Belgium) in 3-1 win over Korea on July 23
5 – Nikola Radosova (Slovakia) in 3-0 win over Egypt on July 23
5 – Yasmin Hussein (Egypt) in 3-2 loss to Tunisia on July 24
5 – Priscila Heldes (Brazil) in 3-0 win over Cuba on July 24
5 – Sthefanie Paulino (Brazil) in 3-0 win over Cuba on July 24

Highest Set Score
29-27 (USA versus Poland) in first round played on July 23 in Trujillo
29-27 (Serbia versus Egypt) in second round played on July 27 in Trujillo
29-27 (Brazil versus China) in second round played on July 28 in Trujillo
27-25 (China versus Russia) in first round played on July 22 in Lima

Highest Scoring Matches
220 – Tunisia def. Egypt 26-24, 25-22, 21-25, 20-25, 17-15 in first round on July 24 in Trujillo
213 – Korea def. Poland 22-25, 25-22, 24-26, 25-19, 15-10 in first round on July 22 in Trujillo
209 – Russia def. Serbia 26-24, 19-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-11 in second round on July 27 in Trujillo
206 – Peru def. United States 21-25, 25-19, 22-25, 25-20, 15-9 in second round on July 28 in Lima
196 – Poland def. Serbia 25-21, 25-17, 14-25, 18-25, 15-11 in second round on July 26 in Trujillo

Live scoring, results, news and photos on http://www.fivb.org/EN/Volleyball/Competitions/Junior/Women/2011/index.asp.
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