Press release

Tokyo, Japan, December 4, 2011 – The FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup Japan 2011 begins its final day of competition on Sunday, December 4, at the Yoyogi National Stadium and Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, which will culminate with sending three teams to the 2012 Olympic Games. The final day also caps a month-long international volleyball tour around Japan showcasing both women’s and men’s teams in the World Cup vying for Olympic berths. The women’s competition took place November 4-18, while the men’s tournament started on November 20.

Yoyogi National Stadium, venue for Site A, starts the day with Russia (9-1, 27 points) versus Poland (8-2, 25 points) at 11.00 in a match that will decide the tournament champion. Later, Italy (7-3, 21 points) face Iran (5-5, 12 points) at 15.00 in a match the European team needs to win to stay alive for possible Olympic Games berth in the first qualification tournament. Brazil (7-3, 21 points) and Japan (2-8, 8 points) cap the day at Yoyogi with an 18.20 match, and Brazil could spoil Italy’s chances for Olympic qualification with a victory of their own. At nearby Site B venue Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, the final day of competition will see Cuba (6-4, 17 points) versus Egypt (1-9, 3 points) at 11.00, Argentina (4-6, 13 points) against China (1-9, 5 points) at 14.00 and USA (6-4, 16 points) challenging Serbia (4-6, 12 points) at 17.00.

Russia and Poland are atop the World Cup standings, already having qualified for the Olympic Games by virtue of at least finishing in the top three teams. Brazil and Italy are in third and fourth place with Brazil holding the slimmest of margins for third place and control their own destiny for the last Olympic Games spot awarded through the World Cup. Cuba rank fifth and USA follows in sixth, but both are out of the podium chase on the last day of competition. Argentina rank seventh, followed by Iran, Serbia and Japan in positions seventh through 10. China and Egypt hold the final two places in the standings.

Men’s World Cup Results/Standings, Match Info, Photos or Live Scoring

Fourth Round Pool A at Tokyo Yoyogi National Stadium

Russia versus Poland
While the World Cup does not utilize a tournament format with a true gold and bronze-medal match, the current World Cup round-robin format will still produce a gold-medal match on the final day between the top two teams – Russia and Poland. Russia will win the title with either a victory or five-set loss, while Poland must win the match in three or four sets to earn the World Cup title. Regardless of the result, both teams have earned berths into the 2012 Olympic Games.

Russia are guaranteed their 10 FIVB Men’s World Cup medal counting seven under the USSR flag. They are currently 9-1 with 27 points, and a win over Poland will be their sixth World Cup title. Outside a three-set loss to top-ranked Brazil, Russia have defeated all takers at the 2011 World Cup including victories over No. 3 Italy (3-1), No. 4 USA (3-0), No. 6 Cuba (3-1), No. 5 Serbia (3-0), No. 9 Argentina (3-0), No. 10 China (3-0), No. 12 Egypt (3-1), No. 14 Iran (3-0) and No. 18 Japan (3-0).

Poland, making their first World Cup appearance since 1981, won the silver medal in the very first World Cup in 1965 for their only medal in the event. At the current World Cup, they lost for the second time in 10 tournament matches on Saturday as Brazil came back from two set losses to win in five sets. Poland now is 8-2 overall with 25 points, one point behind Russia. Poland’s other loss was also a five-setter to Iran. Poland have earned victories over Cuba (3-0), Serbia (3-1), Argentina (3-1), Japan (3-1), China (3-1), USA (3-0), Egypt (3-0) and Italy (3-2).

Russia’s offensive star has been Maxim Mikhaylov with 175 points and is the leader in Best Spiker with a 52.4 attack percent. He also ranks second in Best Server at 0.45 aces per set. Denis Biriukov and Alexander Volkov have chipped in 70 points. Poland’s Zbigniew Bartman has pounded out 141 points, while Bartosz Kurek has totaled 124 points. Marcin Mozdzonek holds a 0.83 block average to top the Best Blocker list.

“We have a big game against Poland (on Sunday),” Russia coach Vladimir Alekno said. “I am very happy that we have now qualified for the Olympics.”

Long-time rivals Poland and Russia meet on the final day in what could determine the World Cup champion. Russia have won 45 of the 60 meetings against Poland. However, Poland won the last meeting with a four-set win over Russia in the European Championship bronze medal match and have won two of the last three meetings. Russia’s last victory was during the 2011 FIVB World League semifinal round.

Italy versus Iran
Italy improved to 7-3 in the tournament with 21 points following a win over host Japan on Saturday. The Italians trail Brazil 26-14 to 25-14 in sets ratio in the chase for the third Olympic Games spot awarded at the World Cup. Italy bounced back from a tournament-opening four-set loss to No. 2 Russia to defeat Egypt (3-0), No. 1 Brazil (3-2), China (3-0) and No. 4 USA (3-1) before falling to Cuba (3-1). Italy recovered to defeat Serbia (3-1), Argentina (3-1) before another loss to Poland (3-2) to start the fourth round.

Iran started the third round with a 4-1 record and in a position to medal. However, their trip into Fukuoka started a downward spin having lost four of the last five matches. Iran, 5-5 overall with 12 points, hold wins over Poland (3-2), Argentina (3-2), Serbia (3-2), Egypt (3-0) and host Japan (3-0) with losses to Cuba (3-0), USA (3-0), China (3-0), Brazil (3-0) and Russia (3-0).

Michal Lasko, Italy’s top offensive threat in the tournament, ranks second in scoring with 197 points and and fourth in Best Spiker at 51.40 attack percent. Cristian Savani has charted 135 points for Italy and ranks third in Best Server with 0.44 aces per set. Iran’s Seyed Mehdi Bazargarde has provided his team with 92 points, followed by Alireza Nadi’s 86 points and second-best block average at 0.81 per set.

Italy and Iran have played only twice before this year’s World Cup, and Italy have won both meetings. The Italians won a hard-fought five set win over Iran during the first round of the 2010 FIVB World Championship in Italy. In the first meeting, Italy won in four sets during the 2006 FIVB World Championship in Japan.

Brazil versus Japan
Brazil fought back from two sets down and trailing 13-8 in the third set to Poland to win in five sets on Saturday preserving their chances for 2012 Olympic Games qualification in the first possible tournament. Brazil are now 7-3 with 21 points and hold a slim set ratio advantage in the tiebreaker over Italy (26-14 for Brazil, 25-14 for Italy). Being Brazil face Japan in the last match of the tournament, it will go a long way in deciding the bronze medal and the third Olympic Games berth from the World Cup.

Brazil are trying to bounce back from a disappointing 5-3 record through the first three rounds after starting the tournament 4-1. The South Americans have lost to Italy (3-2), Cuba (3-2) and Serbia (3-1). Earlier in the tournament Brazil defeated Egypt (3-0), USA, Russia (3-0), China (3-2), Argentina (3-0) and Iran (3-0).

Japan dropped to 2-8 in the tournament with eight points following their Saturday night loss to Italy. Japan hold victories over Egypt (3-1) and China (3-0) during the third round.

Leandro Vissotto Neves has charted a Brazil-high 123 points, while Murilo Endres has accumulated 121 points and Gilberto Godoy Filho (Giba) 111 points. Sergio Dutra Santos holds a 56.80 efficiency percent to lead the Best Receiver category. Japan’s Kunihiro Shimizu has totaled 133 points and teammate Yusuke Ishijima has contributed 78 points.

Brazil and Japan have met 38 times before the 2011 FIVB World Cup final match with the Brazilians winning 28 times. Brazil have won the last 19 meetings since the 1993 FIVB Grand Champions Cup. Japan’s last win was a five-set victory during the 1993 FIVB World League preliminary round. Japan won seven of the first nine meetings in the series that started at the 1960 FIVB World Championship.

Fourth Round Pool B at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium

Cuba versus Egypt
Cuba had their Olympic Games berth dashed with a 3-2 loss to NORCECA rival USA on Saturday night to fall to 6-4 in the tournament with 17 points. Cuba hold 2011 World Cup victories over Iran (3-0), Japan (3-0), Serbia (3-1), Italy (3-1), Brazil (3-2) and China (3-2).

Egypt look to end the World Cup with an upset of Cuba and on a positive note after posting a 1-9 record through the first 10 matches. The Egyptians’ only points of the tournament came in a victory over China to end the first round.

Cuban Fernando Hernandez Ramos has a tournament-leading 200 points, while teammate Wilfredo Leon Venero ranks fourth with 160 points. Ahmed Abdelhay paces Egypt with 154 points and ranks second in Best Spiker with a 52.08 conversion percent. Teammate Mohamed Badawy has charted 84 points.

Cuba have won all 12 meetings in the series with Egypt, the most recent being a five-set victory in the 2009 FIVB Grand Champions Cup in Nagoya, Japan. The first meeting occurred at the 1977 FIVB World Cup. Nine of the 12 meetings have resulted in a three-set victory.

Argentina versus China
Argentina snapped their five-match losing streak with a sweep over Egypt to improve to 4-6 in the World cup with 13 points. Earlier the tournament Argentina scored victories over Cuba (3-1), Serbia (3-0) and Japan (3-2). China continue to show glimpses of positives by taking sets from opponents, but have managed to put together one victory – a win over Iran. China have extended both Brazil and Cuba to five sets and lost to Serbia in four sets on December 3. Overall, China are now 1-9 with five points.

Facundo Conte leads the Argentina with 142 points, while Federico Pereyra has added 123 points. China’s Argentina’s Luciano De Cecco heads the Best Setter category with 9.49 running sets average, while China’s Runming Li ranks second with a 7.94 average. Weijun Zhong has scored a team-high 116 points, while Chen Zhang has added 93 points. Qi Ren ranks second in Best Digger with 2.14 per set and is atop the Best Libero race with a 5.00 average per set in excellent digs and receptions.

Argentina and China have played nine times before with Argentina holding a slim 5-4 advantage in the series. China have won the last four meetings which all took place in the 2007 FIVB World League. Argentina won the first five meetings in the series that started with the 1982 FIVB World Championship. Argentina’s last win was during the 2006 FIVB World Championship.

USA versus Serbia
USA edged NORCECA rival Cuba in five sets Saturday to improve to 6-4 with 16 points, just one point behind Cuba for fifth place. The North Americans have also beat Egypt (3-0), China (3-0), Iran (3-0), Japan (3-0) and Argentina (3-2) in the World Cup, but have fallen to Poland (3-0), Russia (3-0), Italy (3-1) and Brazil (3-1).

Serbia have improved throughout the tournament and now hold a 4-6 record with 12 points after a four-set win over China on Saturday. Serbia have now won three straight matches that include a victory over Brazil to conclude the third round.

USA’s Matthew Anderson ranks sixth in scoring with 152 points, while Clayton Stanley has scored 126 points despite missing the last two matches. Stanley still ranks atop the Best Server list with 0.47 aces per set. William (Reid) Priddy has charted 104 points for the USA. Serbia captain Ivan Miljkovic has collected a team-high 143 points, while Milos Nikic as pocketed 89 points heading into the final match. Nikola Rosic leads the Best Digger category with 2.33 digs per set.

Serbia lead the all-time series with USA, having won 10 of 14 meetings. Serbia captured the last meeting with a 3-0 victory during the FIVB World League Final Round. USA’s last victory was a five-set battle during the 2008 Olympic Games quarterfinals. The series began in the 1956 FIVB World Championship, a three-set win for the USA.

Day 11 | December 4, 2011

FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup Highlights
Tournament Leading Scorers
1 Fernando Hernandez Ramos (CUB) 200 points
2 Michal Lasko (ITA) 197 points
3 Maxim Mikhaylov (RUS) 175
4 Wilfredo Leon Venero (CUB) 160
5 Ahmed Abdelhay (EGY) 154

Top Scoring Performances
30 – Ahmed Abdelhay (EGY) v JPN on Nov. 27
28 – Maxim Mikhayhov (RUS) v CUB on Nov. 29
27 – Michal Lasko (ITA) v BRA on Nov. 22
27 – Fernando Hernandez Ramos (CUB) v China on Dec. 2
26 – Michal Lasko (ITA) v RUS on Nov. 20
26 – Bartosz Kurek (POL) v IRI on Nov. 24
26 – Zhi Yuan (CHN) v CUB on Dec. 2
26 – Zbigniew Bartman (POL) v BRA on Dec. 3

Top Scorers by Day
November 20: 26 – Michal Lasko (Italy) versus Russia
November 21: 21 – Zbigniew Bartman (Poland) versus Serbia; Tatsuya Fukuzaka (Japan) versus Argentina
November 22: 27 – Michal Lasko (Italy) versus Brazil
November 24: 26 – Bartosz Kurek (Poland) versus Iran
November 25: 25 – Michal Lasko (Italy) versus USA
November 27: 30 – Ahmed Abdelhay (Egypt) versus Japan
November 28: 25 – Michal Lasko (Italy) versus Serbia
November 29: 28 – Maxim Mikhaylov (Russia) versus Cuba
December 2: 27 – Fernando  Hernandez Ramos (Cuba) versus China
December 3: 26 – Zbigniew Bartman (Poland) versus Brazil

Top Blocking Performances
7 – Clayton Stanley (USA) v RUS on Nov. 27
7 – Alexander Volkov (RUS) v ITA on Nov. 20
7 – Michal Lasko (ITA) v BRA on Nov. 22
7 – Marcin Mozdzonek (POL) v JPN on Nov. 25
7 – Cristian Savani (ITA) v POL on Dec. 2 

Top Service Ace Performances
6 – Bartosz Kurek (POL) v IRI on Nov. 24
5 – Clayton Stanley (USA) v IRI on Nov. 27

Highest Set Score:
41-39 – ITA v USA (Set 1) on Nov. 25 (FIVB Men’s World Cup record)
39-37 – USA v JPN (Set 1) on Nov. 29 (second-highest in FIVB Men’s World Cup history)
36-34 – ARG v ITA (Set 1) on Nov. 29
31-29 – RUS v IRI (Set 1) on Dec. 3
30-28 – POL v SRB (Set 4) on Nov. 21

Highest Scoring Matches
220 – Italy beat USA 3-1 (41-39, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21) on Nov. 25
217 – Italy beat Brazil 3-2 (25-16, 20-25, 18-25, 25-21, 22-20) on Nov. 22
216 – Cuba beat China 3-2 (25-21, 18-25, 26-28, 25-20, 15-13) on Dec. 2
211 – Iran beat Poland 3-2 (23-25, 28-26, 8-25, 26-24, 15-11) on Nov. 24

For more information contact:
Site A (Tokyo-Yoyogi Gymnasium) - Mr. Federico Ferraro  +81 (0)80 2584 4622
Site B: (Tokyo Metropolitan Stadium) - Mr. Bill Kauffman +81 (0)80 2584 4623

For all non-urgent inquiries concerning the 2011 FIVB Men's World Cup please contact the FIVB Press Department at press@fivb.org.