Press release

Tokyo, Japan, November 16, 2011 – The final three days of the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup 2011 feature some mouthwatering matches at Yoyogi National and Tokyo Metropolitan Stadiums as seven of the 12 teams still have a chance to make the podium and capture the first three tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The two main attractions of the day will take place at Yoyogi Stadium where tournament leaders and defending champions Italy meet fourth placed Germany and world No.2 and World Grand Prix champions United States clash with three-time World Cup winners China, who are currently third in the standings.

China v USA will open the action at 11:00 (local time) followed by Italy's clash with  Germany at 15.00 and the nightcap between Japan and Kenya when a full crowd is expected to be cheering for the hosts. At the Tokyo Metropolitan the Dominican Republic is pitted against seventh placed Serbia, Algeria entertains Korea and Argentina play South American rivals Brazil, who are currently in sixth place having surprisingly struggled.

China (19 points and a 6-2 record) lead 32-19 in the all-time head to head matches against the United States, but the powerful Americans (21 points and 7-1) have won their last three contests over the past two years while conceding only one set in the process.

“The last three matches are going to be tough and meaningful,” US coach Hugh McCutcheon said on Tuesday. “We are ready to compete and see what happens.”

The American's were upset 3-0 by Germany during the second round in Toyama but other than that have been solid with terrific blocking and a consistent offensive effort led by the ever-impressive Destinee Hooker.

After a slow start, China has regained their composure, winning the last two matches against Serbia and Korea following a 3-2 loss against Brazil in Sapporo’s third round. While their main star Wang Yimei has had a sub-par tournament that has not been the case for Junjing Yang, who tops all spikers, and the consistent Hui Ruoqi who is the fourth best scorer of the tournament.

Italy has lost only three sets during their campaign, winning all eight of its matches and totalling 23 points of 24 possible. Since defeating Japan 3-1 in their first match and following up with a 3-2 victory over China, the Italians went on to claim straight set wins over all other opponents to date.

The team of Massimo Barbolini only need one win from their last three games but will be challenged first up by a spirited Germany (18 points and a 6-2 win-loss record) whose chances of making the top-three could be hampered following a 3-2 loss to the Dominican Republic in Okayama.

“Until now I am satisfied about the level of our play because I think little by little we have improved,” Barbolini stated during Tuesday’s press conference.

Italy's win-loss record against Germany is far superior, leading 13-3 in FIVB contests, but the teams have split the last two matches with the Germans claiming a 3-0 win at the semifinals of the European Championships in Belgrade last month and Italy winning by the same score the match of this year’s World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.

Site A at Yoyogi National Stadium

Japan v Kenya

Japan, currently placed fifth with 16 points and a 5-3 win-loss mark face the winless Kenya a team they have defeated in their seven all-time matches as the Rising Sun side team make one final attempt to sneak in among the top three in the final standings. The Japanese punished Brazil with an astonishing 3-0 result in their last outing at Hiroshima when they showed their usual remarkable defensive skills against the thundering attack from the No. 1 team in the world. Kenya team is coming of a disheartening loss to Algeria and Coach Paul Bitok hopes the next three matches will be helpful to make the Olympics throughout the Continental tournament. For the Japanese squad the match against Kenya will likely serve as a warm-up for two very demanding matches against Germany and USA the final two days when they need to be at their best.

Site B at Tokyo Metropolitan Stadium

Dominican Republic v Serbia

The match features a potential duel between the 2011 World Grand Prix scoring leader Jovana Brakocevic and World Cup single game record-holder Bethania De la Cruz who pounded 42 points against Germany. Brakocevic made her first start of the event last Sunday and responded with 13 points in two sets against Italy while De la Cruz averages 21 points per game. Serbia (11 points) mathematically still is alive with chances to finish among the medalists of the tournament but realistically is out of competition. The goal of both coaches, Serbia’s Zoran Terzic and Dominican Republic’s Marcos Kwiek is to finish the tournament with a good showing in the last leg in Tokyo. Thee European champions have won the two matches between these teams with the most recent a 3-0 whitewash job at this year’s World Grand Prix.

Algeria v Korea

After winning the African battle against Kenya in four sets last Sunday when Faiza Tsabet pounded out 23 points, the young Algeria team of Coach Ahmed Boukacem is ready to continue enjoying the trip in the World Cup. The match against Korea is the first ever between the two sides and represents another good chance to accumulate experience for the Algerian team whose players are students with an average of 22 years old without professional credentials. Korea is coming off a crushing loss to the hands of China where they scored only 36 points and even though his team is physically and mentally tired, Coach Hyung-Sil Kim pointed out they will try their best to finish the competition with a strong showing in the final leg.

Argentina v Brazil

It has been a bumpy road for pre-tournament favorites the Olympic champions and No. 1 Brazil with a lot of ups and downs throughout the tournament as Coach Ze Roberto Guimaraes has admitted repeatedly. The South American team is stationed in the sixth position with 12 points and a 5-3 win-loss record and needs to win the three remaining matches, with a maximum nine points, to have a chance for a medal. On the other side, the three victories achieved by Argentina so far, surpass the expectations that Coach Horacio Bastit had before the start of the competition but he’s still not satisfied with the performance level of his team. In FIVB competitions, the Brazilians have a 7-0 record against their fellow Argentineans including two 3-0 victories at El Callao, Peru during the Continental Championships last October