Argentina
Brazil
China
Cuba
Egypt
Iran
Italy
Japan
Poland
Russia
Serbia
USAPress release
FIVB Men’s World Cup podium chase becomes increasingly interesting
The final two days of competition of the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup Japan 2011 will have major implications on the 2012 Olympic Games
Tokyo, Japan, December 3, 2011 – The FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup Japan 2011 – with three 2012 Olympic Games berths at stake – has been exciting in its first nine days of competition and heats up on the second to last day as the podium race tightens. Six teams are mathematically still in the hunt for one of three 2012 Olympic Games berths awarded through the FIVB World Cup.
Yoyogi National Stadium, Site A for the fourth round, begins with new tournament leader Russia (8-1, 24 points) versus Iran (5-4, 12 points) at 11.00, followed by Poland (8-1, 24 points) against Brazil (6-3, 19 points) at 15.00 and concludes with Italy (6-3, 18 points) versus host Japan (2-7, 8 points) at 18.20. At Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, the Site B competition hall, Serbia (3-6, 9 points) versus China (1-8, 5 points) opens the second to last day of competition at 11.00, followed by Argentina (3-6, 10 points) facing Egypt (1-8, 3 points) at 15.00 and NORCECA rivals Cuba (6-3, 16 points) and USA (5-4, 14 points) taking the court at 18.20.
Although six teams can theoretically gain one of the three Olympic Games spots, the leading contenders are between Russia, Poland, Brazil and Italy with two days of competition remaining. Russia and Poland are 8-1 in the FIVB World Cup with 24 points to hold onto the top two spots, but Russia hold the top spot based on the tiebreaker. Brazil rank third with a 6-3 record, one point ahead of Italy’s 6-3 record and 18 points for third and fourth place. Cuba rank fifth with a 6-3 record and 16 points. USA leaped up to sixth place with a 5-4 record and 14 points, while Iran slipped to seventh place with a 5-4 record and 12 points. Argentina are in eighth place with a 3-6 record and 10 points, just one point ahead of Serbia and their 3-6 record. Japan is 10th in the provisional standings with eight points and a 2-7 record. China and Egypt have 1-8 records with five and three points, respectively, for 11th and 12th place.
All told, each of 12 World Cup teams will play 11 matches each over a 15-day schedule.
Men’s World Cup Results/Standings, Match Info, Photos or Live Scoring
Fourth Round Pool A at Tokyo Yoyogi National Stadium
Russia versus Iran
Russia won their fifth straight match to improve to 8-1 in the tournament with 24 points following a three-set win over Japan after wins over Serbia (3-0), Argentina (3-0) and Cuba (3-1) in the third round. Russia have only lost to No. 1 Brazil (3-0) on the fourth day of competition. Other Russia victories include Italy (3-1) on the opening day, China (3-0), USA (3-0) and Egypt (3-1).
Iran started the third round with a 4-1 record, but have not fared well in the last four matches with a 1-3 record. Iran, 5-4 overall with 12 points, hold wins over tournament leader 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) and Brazil (3-0).
Russia’s Maxim Mikhaylov ranks third in Best Scorer with 160 points and leads Best Spiker with a 54.39 attack percent, while teammate Sergey Tetyukhin has added 66 points as part of a balanced offensive team output. Iran’s Seyed Mehdi Bazargarde leads his team with 90 points, while Alireza Nadi has added 79 points through nine matches with a second-best 0.82 block average.
Russia and Iran have never met in a FIVB competition until they hit the floor on December 3 at Yoyogi National Stadium.
Poland versus Brazil
Poland kept pace at the top of the standings Friday, but needed to rally from two sets down to defeat No. 3 Italy in five sets to improve to 8-1 with 24 points. In addition to the world’s No. 1 Brazil on Saturday, Poland have No. 2 Russia to conclude the World Cup on Sunday. Poland’s lone loss in the tournament was a setback to Iran.
Entering the fourth round with a less-than-stellar 5-3 record, top-ranked Brazil stayed in the World Cup podium chase for an Olympic Games berth by out-scoring Iran 75-54 in a three-set win to open the fourth round. The South Americans, which started the tournament with a 4-1 record through the first two rounds, rebound from third-round losses to Cuba (3-2) and Serbia (3-1) to improve to 6-3 with 19 points. Earlier in the tournament Brazil have defeated Egypt (3-0), USA (3-1), Russia (3-0), China (3-2) and Argentina (3-0), but also took a first-round loss to Italy in a five-set marathon (22-20 in the fifth set).
“These three matches here (in Tokyo) are very important for the London Olympics,” Brazil captain Gilberto Godoy Filho (Giba) said. “We have to treat them like the quarterfinal, semifinals and final of an event.”
Poland’s Zbigniew Bartman leads his team offensively with 115 points, while Bartosz Kurek has added 106 points. Poland’s Marcin Mozdzonek leads Best Blocker with 0.89 blocks per set, while teammate Piotr Nowakowski ranks third with 0.77 blocks per set. Murillo Endres paces Brazil with 110 points, while Giba adds 103 points and Leandro Vissotto Neves 100 points. Sergio Dutra Santos leads the Best Receiver category with a 58.12 efficiency leading to a 5.11 excellent pass and dig average per set to pace the Best Libero category.
Brazil have won 29 of 38 meetings with Poland, the last meeting being a straight set with at the 2011 FIVB World League Final Round. Since the 2004 Olympic Games, Brazil have won 14 straight matches, including the title match at the 2006 FIVB World Championship. Poland’s last victory was during a 2002 FIVB World League preliminary match.
Italy versus Japan
Italy won the first two sets over tournament-leader Poland on Friday, put suffered a letdown in a five-set loss that puts their qualification to the 2012 Olympic Games through the World Cup in jeopardy. Italy are now 6-3 in the tournament with 18 points, one spot out of qualifying for the Olympic Games. Italy, with victories over Brazil (3-2) and USA (3-1) during the World Cup, closes with Iran on Sunday after the match with Japan.
Japan dropped to 2-7 in the tournament with eight points after losing to Russia on Friday to start the fourth round. Japan hold victories over Egypt (3-1) and China (3-0) during the third round.
“Our goal is always to win matches,” Italy coach Mauro Berruto said. “We don't worry about what we can't control.”
Italy’s Michal Lasko leads all scorers in the tournament with 184 points, while producing a 52.38 attack percent for third best among all players. Italy team’s captain Cristian Savani has reached 128 points for sixth place through nine matches. Japan’s Kunihiro Shimizu ranks eighth overall in scoring with 127 points, while teammate Yusuke Ishijima has compiled 73 points.
Italy lead the all-time series with Japan 22-7, which includes a 2010 FIVB World Championship three-set victory in Milano, Italy. Overall, Italy has won the last three meetings. Japan won consecutive five set matches during the 2007 FIVB World League, as well as the first three matches in the series (1976 Olympic Games, 1981 FIVB World Cup and the 1984 Olympic Games).
Fourth Round Pool B at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
Serbia versus China
Serbia maintained momentum from their third-round victory over Brazil by defeating Egypt to open the fourth round and improve to 3-6 overall with nine points. Serbia also hold a five-set win over Japan during the current World Cup. China nearly pulled out their second win the 2011 FIVB World Cup, but lost to Cuba after pushing the higher-ranked team to a fifth set. China are now 1-8 in the tournament with five points, which includes a victory over Iran and five-set losses to Brazil and Cuba.
Serbia captain Ivan Miljkovic has charted 126 points through nine World Cup matches, while Milos Nikic has collected 79 points. Nikola Rosic has averaged a tournament-best 2.11 digs per set. Weijun Zhong leads China in scoring with 107 points. His teammate Chen Zhang has charted 84 points.
Serbia have controlled the all-time series with China, winning 16 of the 18 previous meetings and the last seven contests. Serbia edged China in five sets during the most recent meeting during the 2010 FIVB World League. China’s last victory was a 2004 FIVB World League preliminary round five-set victory. The only team the two teams have met in FIVB World Cup action was in 2003, a 3-0 Serbia victory.
Argentina versus Egypt
Argentina and Egypt will be looking toward stopping losing streaks at the FIVB World Cup. Argentina have dropped five straight matches to Iran, Brazil, Russia, Italy and USA after a four-set win over Cuba. Argentina are now 3-6 with 10 points in the World Cup with other wins over Serbia (3-0) and Japan (3-2). Egypt dropped to 1-8 in the FIVB World Cup following a four-set loss to Serbia to open the fourth round. The Egyptians’ only points of the tournament came in a victory over China to end the first round.
Egypt’s Ahmed Abdelhay has produced 146 points during the first nine matches of the World Cup to go with his second-best 52.40 attack percent, while Mohamed Badawy has chipped in 80 points. Facundo Conte has provided Argentina 128 points for sixth-best in the tournament, while teammate Federico Pereyra has chalked up 108 points. Argentina’s Luciano De Cecco leads the tournament in Best Setter with 9.31 running sets average.
“Today we’ll watch some video and hope to play better in the next match,” Egypt captain Ashraf Abouelhassan said.
Argentina have won all five meetings with Egypt, but four of the five matches have been extended to four sets. Argentina’s most recent victory in the series was a 2007 FIVB World Cup four-set win. The first meeting in the series took place during the 1978 FIVB World Championship in Venice.
Cuba versus USA
Cuba improved to 6-3 in the FIVB World Cup with a victory over China Friday, but only gained two points with a five-set match. Cuba, which had a slim chance to gain an 2012 Olympic Games berth through the World Cup entering the fourth round, now have victories over Iran (3-0), Japan (3-0), Serbia (3-1), Italy (3-1) and Brazil (3-2) to go along with the fourth-round opener against China. The Cubans have dropped matches to Poland (3-0), Argentina (3-1) and Russia (3-1).
USA improved to 5-4 on the tournament with 14 points to move up to sixth place after edging Argentina to start the fourth round. The North Americans have also beat Egypt (3-0), China (3-0), Iran (3-0) and Japan (3-0) in the World Cup, but have fallen to Poland (3-0), Russia (3-0), Italy (3-1) and Brazil (3-1).
“I do feel we have to play better than (Friday), especially in terms of defense and blocking,” Cuba coach Orlando Samuells Blackwood said. “We have to be stronger. In order to do that we’d like to analyze today’s match as best we can and try to be ready for tomorrow.”
"We expect it to be a tough match with Cuba for sure, as they had some wins against very good teams so far,” USA coach Alan Knipe said.
Cuban Fernando Hernandez Ramos ranks second in Best Scorer with 179 points, while Cuba captain Wilfredo Leon Venero has chipped in 139 points for fifth place. Cuba is the only team to have two scorers rank among the top five in the tournament. Hernandez and Leon also rank four and five, respectively, in Best Spiker. Matthew Anderson leads the USA with 127 points for 10th place in Best Scorer. USA captain Clayton Stanley has scored 126 points in the tournament for 10th place and is the top server with 0.55 aces per set, despite not playing in the last match against Argentina. USA’s Richard Lambourne ranks second in Best Digger with 2.03 digs per set.
Cuba won the last meeting with USA, a five-set thriller in the 2011 NORCECA Championship gold-medal match to qualify for the FIVB World Cup. The victory avenged a USA four-set victory during the 2011 NORCECA Championship preliminary round. In FIVB and Olympic Games competition only, the USA hold an 11-6 advantage over Cuba, including a thrilling five-set victory in the 2011 FIVB World League seventh-place match. Counting NORCECA, Pan American Games, Pan American Cup and other zonal matches, the USA hold a slim 73-69 lead over Cuba since 1983. However, the USA have won 11 of the last 13 overall matches.
Day 10 | December 3, 2011
* The first whistle for each match will sound 10 minutes after the start time listed
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FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup Highlights
Tournament Leading Scorers
1 Michal Lasko (ITA) 184 points
2 Fernando Hernandez Ramos (CUB) 179 points
3 Maxim Mikhaylov (RUS) 160
4 Ahmed Abdelhay (EGY) 145
5 Wilfredo Leon Venero (CUB) 139
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
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
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
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.
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