All the latest news from the 2004 Edition |
Brazil claim fourth World Grand Prix title in
stunning final
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, August 1, 2004 – World number
three Brazil claimed their fourth World Grand
Prix title with an exhilarating 3-1 (25-19,
25-19, 24-26, 25-19) win over world champions
Italy in the final of the 2004 edition in Reggio
Calabria, Italy.
More
Match Results
Awarding Ceremony photos
Tournament Photos
Standings
Previous Tournament Results
Previous podiums
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Best Player Awards
Best Scorer/Most Valuable Player
Logan Tom (USA)*
Rankings
Best Spiker
Yumilka Ruiz (CUB)
Rankings
Best Blocker
Manuela Leggeri (ITA)
Rankings
Best Server
Logan Tom (USA)
Rankings
Best Setter
Fernanda Venturini (BRA)
Rankings
Best Libero
Zhang Na (CHN)*
Fair Play Award Francesca Piccinini (ITA)
Most Popular Player Paola Cardullo (ITA)
* Award given to player from team who finished
higher in team rankings
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Brazilian class wraps up fourth Grand Prix
crown
Reggio Calabria, Italy, August 1, 2004 –
Skill and precision were the order of the day as
Brazil outclassed Italy in a thrilling 2004
World Grand Prix final to claim their fourth
title on Sunday with a 3-1 (25-19, 25-19, 24-26,
25-19) in the PalaPentimele.
More
Spanish
Statistics
Photos Pic: Marianne Steinbrecher
(BRA) spikes on her way to 23 points in the
match |
USA beat Cuba for bronze
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, August 1, 2004 – Two-time
champions USA repeated their 2003 performance of
a World Grand Prix bronze medal with an
efficient straight sets (25-20, 25-22, 25-16)
victory over Cuba in the playoff for third and
fourth on Sunday.
More
Statistics
Photos Pic: Yumilka Ruiz (CUB) spikes
against Keba Phipps and Heather Bown(USA) |
Two stunning
semifinals see Brazil & Italy through to final
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 31, 2004 – The 2004 World
Grand Prix is set up for a dream final with the
hosts Italy playing Brazil after both teams
claimed incredible victories in Saturday’s semifinals at the Palapentimele in Reggio
Calabria.
More
Spanish Pic: Zoila Barros (CUB) attacks
against Sara Anzanello and Francesca Piccinini (ITA)
during the second semifinal |
Italy clinch dream final spot
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 31, 2004 – A passionate
home crowd gave Italy the lift they needed to
beat Cuba in a riveting four-set semifinal 3-1
(25-21, 26-28, 25-22, 27-25) and book a place in
Sunday’s World Grand Prix final.
More
Statistics
Photos
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Brazil through to final with stunning win
over USA
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 31, 2004 – Brazilian coach
José Guimaraes celebrated his 50th birthday when
the brilliance of Brazil proved too much for a
courageous United States team as the South
Americans booked their spot in the 2004 World
Grand Prix final with an incredible five-set
victory (25-18, 19-25, 25-23, 21-25, 19-17) in
the first semifinal on Saturday.
More
Statistics
Photos
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Defending champs finish Final Round in fifth
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 31, 2004 – Defending
champions China, ranked number one in the world,
overcame a marathon struggle with world number
11 Germany to claim fifth spot in the 2004 World
Grand Prix after a come-from-behind 3-2 (25-15,
23-25, 30-32, 25-14, 16-14) win which lasted
more than two hours. It was a surprise to see
China playing off for fifth and sixth position
but more of a surprise was the competition put
up by their opponents Germany.
More
Statistics
Photos
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Semifinals
confirmed – Brazil v USA, Cuba v Italy
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 30, 2004 – Two
breathtaking victories from Brazil and Italy on
Friday against Germany and USA respectively saw
the world number three and four sides claim
spots in the 2004 World Grand Prix final four to
set up a magnificent semifinal showdown on
Saturday.
More Pic: Italy turned it on for their
home fans by beating USA
Final Round Info
Match Schedule & Results
Overall schedule
Best Players
Photos
Standings
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Italy beat USA to progress through to final
phase ahead of China
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 30, 2004 – Needing a
victory to reach the semifinals, Italy stormed
to a 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19) win over
world number two USA to pip defending champions
China for the fourth semifinal spot at the 2004
World Grand Prix.
More
Statistics
Photos Pic: Captain Manuela Leggeri
was inspirational for Italy
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Brazil claim second semifinal spot in Pool B
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 30, 2004 – World number
three Brazil fought hard to overcome Germany in
the final Pool B match, sealing a spot with USA
and Cuba in Saturday's semifinals of the World
Grand Prix Final Round.
More
Statistics
Photos Pic: Great defence from Brazil
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Four teams aim for two semifinal spots
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 30, 2004 – A fascinating
day of women’s Volleyball is in store at the
2004 World Grand Prix Final Round in the
Palapentimele hall on Friday with four teams
still in contention for the two remaining
semifinal spots. Following Cuba’s two successive
wins in Pool B on Wednesday and Thursday,
Germany will play Brazil at 15:00 GMT to see who
joins the Central Americans in the semifinals
while USA take on Italy at 18:00 GMT in Pool A
with Italy needing to beat USA to qualify with
the Americans ahead of China. Pic: China
captain Feng Kun and Logan Tom do battle as USA
beat the defending champions on Thursday 3-0
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Cuba & USA confirm semifinal spots on Day Two
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 29, 2004 – After another
day of wonderful exchanges at the net,
breathtaking defense and superb spiking in the Palapentimele hall, Cuba and USA both claimed semifinal places at the 2004 World Grand Prix
Final Round after exhilarating straight sets win
over Germany and China respectively on Thursday.
More
Spanish Pic: Cuba celebrate
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Cuba charge into semifinals claiming second
successive victory
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 29, 2004 – After beating
Brazil on the opening day of the World Grand
Prix Final Round, Cuba made it two wins from two
games after beating Germany in straight sets
(25-20, 25-21, 25-21) to claim the first
semifinal spot in the six-team tournament.
More
Statistics
Photos Pic: Judith Silvester (GER)
attacks against Maria Tellez and Luaces Liana
Mesa
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Perfect start for
USA with straight sets win over defending champs
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 29, 2004 – USA made a
superb start to the World Grand Prix Final Round
with a straight sets 25-23, 25-18, 25-20 victory
over the defending champions China in the much
awaited duel between the two top teams in the
world rankings, to jump to the top of Pool A
ahead of China and Italy.
More
Statistics
Photos Pic: USA complete a superb
win over China
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Cuba and China big winners on first day
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 28, 2004 – The 2004 World
Grand Prix Final Round got off to a super start
on Wednesday for both Cuba and defending
champions China as they recorded outstanding
victories on the opening day in the Palapentimele hall in Reggio Calabria.
More
Spanish Pic: Zhang Yuehong (CHN) attacks aginst Francesca Piccinini and Manuela Leggeri
(ITA)
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Clinical China make great start to Final Round
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 28, 2004 – China took
revenge for a defeat at the hands of Italy
during the Preliminary Round one week ago to
complete a clinical 3-1 (25-20, 25-23, 24-26,
25-20) win over the hosts of the World Grand
Prix Final Round in front of a passionate
Italian crowd.
More
Statistics
Photos Pic: China celebrate
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Cuba charge to victory in Final Round opening
match
Reggio
Calabria, Italy, July 28, 2004 – Cuba reversed
their earlier defeat to previously unbeaten
Brazil in the Preliminary Round with a
sensational come-from-behind 3-2 (20-25, 26-24,
21-25, 25-19, 15-12) victory in the
opening match of the World Grand Prix Final
Round in the Palapentimele Hall.
More
Statistics
Photos Pic: Virna (BRA) finds the Cuban
defence too much
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July 28, 2004 –
Big day arrives – opening day of Final Round begins
Spanish
July 27, 2004 –
Coaches countdown to crunch time
Spanish
July 26, 2004 –
Great anticipation
ahead of Final Round
Spanish
July 24, 2004 –
Teams confirmed for Final Round
Weekend Results
|
World Grand Prix "Sporting Highlight of the Year"
- Rostock Minister President
Rostock,
Germany, July 21, 2004 - The Rostock Minister
President Harald Ringstorff called the 2004
Women’s World Volleyball Grand Prix “the
sporting highlight of the year, not just for
Rostock and the State of Mecklenburg- Vorpommern”
on the occasion of the reception given by
Rostock’s Lord Mayor. “We are proud to have been
chosen for staging the event”, Ringstorff added.
More
Pic: Germany's star captain Angelina Gruen
(15) rejoined the German team on Thursday in
time for the match against Thailand
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World Grand Prix - Opening Press Conference -
Germany
Rostock, Germany, July 21, 2004 - The third week
of the World Grand Prix starts on Thursday with
Germany hosting a fascinating showdown between
Russia, USA and Thailand. This is what the
coaches and captains had to say ahead of the
tomorrow's action.
More Pic: USA coach Toshiaki Yoshida
during a timeout earlier in the competition
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Hefei preparing
for fantastic women's action
Hefei,
China, July 19, 2004 - FIVB officials and four
participating teams China, the Dominican
Republic, Italy and Poland were warmly welcomed
by the city of Hefei, the capital of Anhui
province of China, on Monday for the third week
of the World Grand Prix Preliminary Round, which
runs from July 22-24. For three of the four
participating teams, the premier annual event of
the FIVB acts as last warm-up for Athens
Olympics 2004. The Dominican Republic is to be
in the Olympics for the first time. The girls
have shown their skills and strength in previous
matches and are expected to bring a fresh
playing style of South America in this phase.
More
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Taiwan
- What the coaches said
MIAOLI, Taiwan. July 8 2004 -
China is the favorite to once again become World
Grand Prix Champion and is also considered to
have the inside track to take the gold medal in
the next Olympic Games.
More
Spanish Pic:
Chinese libero Na Zhang
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Japan - What the coaches said
July
8, 2004 - On the eve of the 2004 FIVB World
Grand Prix women's Volleyball tournament opening
in Japan Friday, the head coaches of
participating teams expressed hope their teams
will finish the tournament with good results.
Participating in the four-team round-robin
tournament at Todoroki Arena in Kawasaki in the
western suburbs of Tokyo will be Italy, Japan,
Poland and Russia. The head coaches held a brief
press conference after a technical meeting ahead
of the opening of the tournament opening Friday.
More Pic: (L to R) Head coaches Marco
Bonitta (ITA), Shoichi Yanagimoto (JPN), Andrzej
Niemczyk (POL), Nikolai Karpol (RUS)
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Thailand - What the coaches said
BANGKOK,
THAILAND (July 8) - Hosts Thailand on Thursday
held a welcome party for all four participating
teams comprising Cuba, USA, Korea and the home
team. Aside from the party, the press interview
to all four head coaches also took place at the
same opportunity. Those coaches gave an
excellent cooperation by joining in the press
interview. After the activity, they received
souvenirs from Thailand.
More
Pic: (L to R) Head coaches Luils Blet
Calderon(CUB), Toshiaki Yoshida (USA), Kim
Cheol-Yong(THA), Natthapon Srisamutnak(KOR)
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Dominican Republic, a highly motivated team for
the Grand Prix
MIAOLI, Taiwan.- July 7 2004 -The Dominican
Republic is the smallest country in this year's
Women’s Volleyball World Grand Prix and also in
the Olympics, which says a lot about the
motivation and deep desire of its players.
That was the statement of Cristobal Marte, the
Dominican’s Team Manager who also is its sponsor
and biggest fan.
More
Spanish
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Top class action guaranteed as women's premier
event begins Friday with increased prize money
Lausanne,
Switzerland, July 06, 2004 - The 2004 World
Grand Prix will feature amazing prize money, new
venues and an exciting playing format when it
starts on Friday. A grand total of an
unprecedented US$1.295 million in prize money is
on offer for the premier women's Volleyball
event with 12 of the best teams in the world
competing for the honour of World Grand Prix
champion.
More
Spanish
French Pic: China with the winner's
check at the 2003 World Grand Prix
Schedule
Competition Formula
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Cuba looking for top shape in the Grand Prix
Cuba July 4 2004 -
Cuba, the reigning Pan American Cup champion, is
one of the three Norceca teams that will
participate in this year World Grand Prix, the
premier annual women competition of FIVB.
The Cubans come from a spectacular performance
in Tijuana and Mexicali during the Pan American
Cup where they only conceded one set to USA
during the match for the gold medal. More
Spanish
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Germany's
last training camp/Grand Prix in
Rostock on July 22-24
Frankfurt/Main, July 2, 2004 - The 2004 Women's World Grand
Prix, as most important event of the
International Volleyball Federation, FIVB, apart
from the Olympic Games and World Championships,
will serve Germany women's volleyball team and
national coach Hee Wan Lee as a last test for the
Olympic Games in Athens.
More Pic: Germany celebrate during World
Grand Prix 2003. |
USA
Women Depart Monday for World Grand Prix
COLORADO
SPRINGS, Colo. July 02, 2004 - The world’s
second-ranked USA women’s national Volleyball
team departs for Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday,
July 5, for their second-biggest tournament of
the year: the World Grand Prix. This year’s
Grand Prix, the premier annual women’s
competition that features many of the best teams
in the world, will serve as the final
pre-Olympic competition for Team USA before
beginning play in the 2004 Olympic Games in
Athens, Greece, on Aug. 14.
More
Spanish Pic: The World Grand Prix
begins on July 7
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Dominican Women’s team to train in France
Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic, May 25, 2004 - The Dominican
Women’s national team travel to France on
Wednesday to have combined training and friendly
matches with the French squad at Montpelier.
More
Spanish
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Top
sides for China tournament

Beijing, China, May 2, 2004 - As part of their
World Grand Prix and Olympic Games preparations,
World Cup and World Grand Prix champions China
will meet Cuba, Poland and Turkey in a
four-nation women's volleyball tournament from
May 20-23.
More
Pic: China's Feng Kun with
the 2003 World GP trophy
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Thailand looking
for improved performance
March
22, 2004 - Having finished eighth and ninth in
the last two World Grand Prix events, Thailand
will be hoping for an improved performance in
their third appearance in the competition when it
gets underway on July 11.
The emerging Volleyball nation will also
have the privilege of hosting the opening phase
of this premier tournament where 12 of the
world’s top teams will battle it out for US$1
million in prize money.
More
Pic: Thailand are looking
ahead to the 2004 World Grand Prix and hope to
improve their performance on the last two years.
More
Pre-season Grand Prix news
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Feng
Kun gears up for the Olympics
February
11, 2004 -
It’s been a long
wait, both for Chinese volleyball fans and for
Feng Kun. But on November15 last year, Feng, 25,
captained China to their first Women’s Volleyball
World Cup in 18 years. It was a moment Feng had
dreamed of since she was a little girl. She was
inspired by the Chinese women’s teams that
dominated the sport, winning the World Cup in
1981 and ‘85, the World Championships in 1982 and
‘86, and taking Olympic gold in 1984.
Download the
full article Story
courtesy
of Beijing Today. Pic:
Feng Kun sets for China
at the 2003 World Cup.
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Chinese women undergo intensive training for Olympics
February
05, 2004 - The Chinese national women's team will contest the 2004
World Grand Prix and the Athens Olympic Games with the same lineup
from the victorious 2003 FIVB World Cup in Japan, announced the
Chinese team head coach Chen Zhonghe recently.
In
addition to the 12 World Cup winners Chen has enlisted three new
talents: attackers 15-year-old Wang Yimei (1.90m) and 19-year-old
Yang Shuang (1.85m) and 20-year-old, 1.88m Wang Ting.
More
Pic: Yanan
Liu of China spikes at the 2003 World Grand Prix.
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