Wednesday, 3 July 2019

FIVB launches E-Learning Course on the Prevention of Competition Manipulation

Lausanne, Switzerland, April 1, 2019 – The FIVB has launched its Prevention of Competition Manipulation E-Learning Course aimed at athletes, coaches, referees and FIVB officials today.

The introduction of the course aims to minimise the threat of manipulation in future competitions and secure the integrity of volleyball, beach volleyball and snow volleyball competitions as a way of promoting family-friendly, safe sports for all. The completion of the e-learning programme is a mandatory requirement in order to participate in FIVB and world competitions.

Highlighting the importance of the course, FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° said:

"At the FIVB we work by the principles of good governance and sports integrity. Fair play is vital as we continue to work hard to become the number one family sport in the world. We would like to see thrilling matches with our athletes giving their best to reach the ultimate goals of becoming the champions. We take the competition manipulation issue very seriously and the introduction of the e-learning course is a big step forward in the fight against it.”

President of the FIVB Athletes’ Commission Gilberto Amauri Godoy Filho, better known as Giba, has been appointed Project Ambassador for the course. As one of the most decorated players in the history of indoor volleyball, Giba understands first-hand the pitfalls of professional sport:

“Sport manipulation is a very dangerous phenomenon. It sucks the spirit of fair play, ethics and joy from the game for all people on and off the field of play. No sport or team can be safe from sport manipulation by default. We, as athletes need to be aware of the dangers that exist and that can put our careers at risk. The introduction of the Prevention of Competition Manipulation Course is a great opportunity for all of us and I am very proud to be an ambassador for this project.”

The FIVB Prevention of Competition Manipulation Course has been designed by RC3 and Partners Consulting, a consultancy and education firm with renowned experts in the field of sport integrity and law enforcement.

Norbert Rubicsek, managing partner of RC3 and Partners Consulting said:

“Our educational programme that has been successfully developed with the FIVB provides the perspectives of sports manipulation with our relevant stakeholders, from the sports movement and justice to law enforcement and the betting industry. This collaborative experience with such a prestigious sports federation has been enriching and has resulted in a unique programme for all members.”

VNL ANTHEM “WORLDS COLLIDE” OUT NOW!

Lausanne, Switzerland, July 1, 2019 - From today, volleyball fans all over the world are able to download, stream and watch “Worlds Collide”, the VNL anthem by Grammy award-winning Australian DJ duo NERVO.

The smash-hit anthem for the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL), “Worlds Collide”, is available for fans around the world to stream, download and watch, just in time for this year’s VNL Finals.

The song, recorded by Grammy award-winning Australian DJ duo NERVO, and released on the Thrive Music label, became the song of the VNL in 2018 and is, this year, available to download and stream on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon, Deezer and Pandora.

NERVO, twin sisters Mim and Liv, are the most successful female DJs in the world, having written and produced some of the biggest club tracks in recent years. Fresh from winning the 2019 Miami Music Week IDMA award for Best Female Artist, NERVO have collaborated with the likes of David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Kesha and Britney Spears. As well as regularly headlining the biggest dance music festivals in the world, NERVO have residencies in Ibiza and Las Vegas.

“We are super excited to relaunch the single. It went down so well at last year’s VNL and the party atmosphere was great,” said Liv. “The VNL’s energy includes the fans and athletes from all different countries and cultures, which is what the song is all about.”

This year’s FIVB Women’s Finals return to Nanjing, China, from 3-8 July, while the Men’s Finals take place in Chicago, USA, from 10-15 July. After five weeks of competitive, round-robin pool play, with each nation hosting at least one round, only six teams from each gender will make it through to the Finals.

Last year was the first edition of the FIVB’s innovative new event, which saw 16 nations go head to head in a round-robin format. The VNL’s party-festival atmosphere ensured fans became part of the action, with their energy and enthusiasm reflected in the incredible team performances on court. With courtside MCs and big screen replays, the crowd never missed a moment of the high-intensity action.

NERVO’s collaboration with the VNL is another indication of the FIVB’s commitment to leading the way in fan experience. In 2018, the FIVB partnered with IMG to produce all VNL video content in-house, in an effort to guarantee the highest quality of live broadcast and highlights for the sport’s global audience. Volleyball TV, the FIVB’s first over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform was launched, and more fans than ever before are signing up to make sure they never miss a minute of the action.

Fernando Lima, Secretary General of the FIVB said, “We saw last year what a hit ‘Worlds Collide’ was with volleyball fans around the world, and it is fantastic that they can now stream and download the VNL anthem they love.

“We believe that sport and music are a perfect combination. NERVO has always brought that party atmosphere to the VNL and they are great ambassadors for our sport.”

QATAR & RUSSIA SECURE FIRST MEN'S POOL CROWNS

Ahmed Tijan (left) and Cherif Samba celebrate a point against Beligum Monday.

Hamburg, Germany, July 1, 2019 - Highly-regarded teams from Russia and Qatar won their pools as expected here Monday at the US$1-million FIVB World Championships presented by comdirect and ALDI Nord.

Qatar's fourth-seeded Cherif Samba and Ahmed Tijan secured the first group crown by topping the list in Pool D with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) win in 31 minutes over 21st-seeded Dries Koekelkoren and Tom van Walle of Belgium on a side court at Am Rothenbaum Stadium.

The second pool champion Monday was third-seeded Viacheslav Krasilnikov/Oleg Stoyanovskiy as the third-seeded Russians posted a 2-0 (24-22, 21-11) Pool C victory in 37 minutes over 22nd-seeded Clemens Doppler/Alexander Horst of Austria.

A Mikasa reception for Viacheslav Krasilnikov as Russian partner Oleg Stoyanovskiy follows the action

It was a rematch of sorts in the World Championships as Doppler and Horst defeated Krasilnikov and former partner Nikita Liamin in the semi-finals at the Vienna 2017 World Championships. The Austrians finished second in Vienna after losing the finale to Evandro Goncalves and Andre Loyola of Brazil

“Belgium is a pretty good team, but I think we played really well and kept our side out stable all match,” said Ahmed, who is competing in his first FIVB World Championships. “We feel great now, to top our pool at the World Championships really means a lot.”

Samba, who placed fifth and ninth in the last two World Championships in 2015 and 2017, respectively, said winning the pool was "a great confidence booster for us, but we need to have a new mindset now that elimination starts because our jobs here are not done yet. It was great to have these three victories and the way is open for us to keep going. If we keep playing like this, we’ll be a nightmare for any opponent.”

When asked about the setback to Doppler and Horst in the 2017 Vienna semi-finals, Krasilnikov noted it was different now since the "Austrians are not playing in front of their fans. The atmosphere in Vienna was tremendous. Clemens and Alex used it to their advantage. Despite the loss, we still got a bronze medal."

BROUWER/MEEUWSEN BOUNCE BACK AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Dutchman Robert Meeuwsen in action at the net in a pool play match at the 2019 FIVB World Championships Tuesday.

Hamburg, Germany, July 2, 2019 - For two days, Alex Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen stewed over their pool-play loss to Argentina in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships presented by comdirect and ALDI Nord.

And more danger lurked, with old rivals Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena on the schedule with a chance to knock the 2013 world champions out of the tournament.

“Especially when I was walking away from here with the coaches, I was boiling inside, I was so angry,” Meeuwsen said. “Why do we play like this? And I wanted to do it over again and of course you can’t so the only thing you can do is two days later show what you’ve learned from it. And I think that’s exactly what we did.”

The Netherlands Olympians promptly took to Centre Court at Am Rothenbaum Stadium and dissected their fellow Rio 2016 Olympians from the United States with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-15) victory in the final Pool F match.

“I’m really happy we focused on the way we want to play, with passion, with heart, put everything on the table,” Brouwer said. “I think we played every card we have and to win against a great team like this it’s very special.”

Dalhausser and Lucena entered the match having beaten the Dutch in five of their seven meetings. The last time they met in this arena, the Americans scored a two-set victory to claim the gold medal in the 2016 Hamburg Major.

“Yeah, and how about the timing, when you need it the most?” Meeuwsen said. “It’s really sweet, especially after the loss of two days ago, we just did not play at all the way we wanted to play and we wanted to show the commitment in the way we can play and win games.”

The result also sent Dalhausser and Lucena teetering on the brink of elimination for about two hours, until Canada’s victory over Argentina allowed the Americans to sneak through into the knockout phase of the tournament.

And it left the Americans with a series of self-doubt. They opened the tournament with a loss to Canada’s Ben Saxton and Grant O’Gorman. Even after a win over Argentina, their performance Tuesday had them grasping for answers.

“I wish I knew. It just hasn’t been smooth,” Dalhausser said. “They served tough, it was a little gusty in there so maybe the ball was flying around. I think we scored enough points, but the sideout was the problem. It’s not very smooth, real choppy.

“I haven’t gotten in a rhythm. We played well enough against Argentina, hopefully enough to get out of the pool.”

“Hats off to Alex and Robbie. They played so tough,” Lucena said. “There are no excuses. Our last two matches we haven’t been at our best and it’s unfortunate in the timing. I don’t even know what happened.”

What might Dalhausser and Lucena need to reclaim their game?

“Put a firecracker under this guy’s butt, see if I can wake him up,” Lucena cracked, nodding toward his longtime partner.

Even that might not have helped against Brouwer and Meeuwsen, who had as many weapons to attack with as they do vowels in their names.

“I think it was the commitment in all our plays,” Meeuwsen said. “You could see it in everything, our passing, our serving, attacking, blocking. The dedication to what we said, it was going to be do or die, it’s going to be all out. And if we lose because they are better, that’s fine. That’s the way we want to play and it showed.”

In a crazy pool, Canada emerged as the winner by two-thousandths of a point, based on point ratio. The Netherlands were second, leaving the USA to resume play among the lucky losers of the event.

The final 32 of the men’s tournament will be determined once pool play concludes on Wednesday.

FINALS HOSTS CHINA TAKE ON LAST YEAR'S RUNNERS-UP TURKEY ON WEDNESDAY

Nanjing, China, July 2, 2019 - 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League Women's Finals hosts and reigning Olympic champions China begin their campaign in Nanjing against last year's runners-up Turkey on Wednesday. China ended the Preliminary Round at the top of the ranking with 12 wins from 15 matches, despite being automatically qualified for the Finals as the tournament hosts. Last year's finalists, Turkey, meanwhile, claimed 11 wins to take fifth place.

The Preliminary Round match between China and Turkey in Jiangmen in week 4 produced a 3-0 victory for the pool hosts with Gong Xiangyu and Li Yingying leading the scoring with 14 points and 13 points respectively. Meliha Ismailoglu and Ebrar Karakurt both scored 15 points for Turkey.

Pre-match stats:

China - Turkey (July 3, 2019)

Head-to-Head
·   China and Turkey will clash for the 11th time in world level major competitions. China won seven of the previous 10 meetings (W7-L3).
·   China have won six of their last seven matches against Turkey at world level, with the only exception a 3-1 defeat in last year's VNL preliminary round. Turkey's Hande Baladin won 27 points, at least nine more than any other player on the field.
·   Earlier this VNL campaign, China claimed a 3-0 preliminary round win over Turkey in Jiangmen on 12 June. Meliha Ismailoglu (15), Ebrar Karakurt (15) and Gong Xiangyu (14) led the scoring.

China
·   Reigning Olympic champions China finished in third place in the inaugural edition of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League in 2018. They beat Brazil in straight sets in the third-place decider (25-18, 25-22, 25-22).
·   China won 12 matches in this year's VNL preliminary round (W12-L3), the joint-most along with United States (W12-L3). China entered the 2018 final round after winning just seven of their 15 preliminary round fixtures (W7-L8). They finished in ninth place but qualified for the final six as hosts of the final phase.
·   Last year, China started the VNL final round with a 3-1 victory over Netherlands. Lang Ping's side came from behind to beat the Dutch 3-1 at the Olympic Sports Centre in Nanjing on 27 June 2018.
·   China have won 12 of their last 13 VNL matches, with the only exception in that run a straight-set defeat against USA on 13 June.
·   Only United States (18) have won more VNL matches in straight sets than China (16).
·    Zhu Ting (119) and Yuan Xinyue (119) finished the 2019 VNL preliminary round as China's top points scorers.
·   With 106 spikes from 208 attempts (50.96%), Zhu Ting was among the best attackers in the 2019 VNL preliminary round.
·    Zhu Ting was China's top scorer in each of their four final round fixtures in the 2018 VNL, combining for a total of 87 points.
·   No player scored more points in the 2018 VNL final round than Zhu Ting (87). USA's Michelle Bartsch-Hackley followed on 78 points.

Turkey
·   Turkey lost the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League final 3-2 against United States, despite taking the lead twice (25-17, 22-15, 28-16, 15-25, 7-15).
·   Turkey's second-place finish in the 2018 VNL was their second podium spot at a world level major competition, after a third place at the 2012 World Grand Prix.
·   Turkey won 11 of their 15 preliminary round matches in this year's VNL. They finished the 2018 preliminary round with the exact same record (W11-L4).
·   Turkey opened last year's final round with a five-set defeat against United States. Giovanni Guidetti's team took a 2-0 lead in sets only to witness USA fight back to 3-2 at the Olympic Sports Centre in Nanjing on 27 June 2018.
·   Turkey have played a total of 10 five-setters in the VNL, the joint-most along with Italy.
·   With 217 points, Ebrar Karakurt finished in seventh place in the 2019 VNL preliminary round top scorers list. Last year, only Meryem Boz (250) and Eda Erdem Dündar (238) won more than 217 points for Turkey in the VNL (incl. final round).
·   Karakurt (0.37) and Zehra Gunes (0.37) were among the best servers in the 2019 VNL preliminary round.

Source: FIVB.com

Wednesday, 12 June 2019

USA BEGIN VNL WEEK 4 AGAINST 2018 FINAL RIVALS TURKEY

USA take on Turkey in their first match in Women's VNL week 4

Lausanne, Switzerland, June 11, 2019 – The United States take on Turkey in a repeat of last year’s Volleyball Nations League final on Tuesday at 16:00 local time in Jiangmen.

Last year’s final in Nanjing saw USA comeback twice as they lost the first set 25-17 and the third set 28-26 to claim the inaugural title with a 3-2 scoreline.

The USA-Turkey matchup will be the first VNL fixture to have been played four times, with all three previous VNL encounters between these sides played in five sets, with the European squad always winning the first set.

USA are tied with Italy, China and Poland in number of wins after suffering their second defeat in this year’s VNL against Brazil in a four-setter, while Turkey occupies the top spot with eight victories in nine matches.

Andrea Drews is leading the charge for the USA team together with some new faces in this 2019 campaign. She is the first USA player to reach the 100-point mark – surpassing her 89-point output last year.

At the other end, young Turkish player Ebrar Karakurt is the best attacker in the 2019 VNL with a 53 per cent success rate.

In the other Pool 16 match, Chinese superstar Zhu Ting will go head-to-head with the top scorer of the tournament – Poland’s Malwina Smarzek.

After missing the first week and only coming off the bench at the start of the second week, Zhu is now picking up the pace in offence, scoring in double figures in China's last four matches, while Smarzek has been consistent with her double-digit scoring in all nine matches.

Meanwhile, the order of play in the fourth week starts with the encounter between Serbia and Thailand in Tokyo at 15:40 local time. The second match in Pool 15 is the match between hosts Japan and Brazil at 19:10.

In Pool 13, Russia take on Korea at 17:00 in Perugia, then all eyes will could be on Egonu as she spearheads the offence of Italy when they meet winless Bulgaria at 20:00.

Stuttgart will feature the match between two European teams – Belgium and the Netherlands – at 17:30 local time, and the clash between the home team and the Dominican Republic at 20:30 in Pool 14.

All VNL matches will be available live and on-demand on Volleyball TV.

June 11 – full schedule:

06:40 GMT: SRB vs THA in Tokyo

08:00 GMT: USA vs TUR in Jiangmen

10:10 GMT: JPN vs BRA in Tokyo

12:00 GMT: CHN vs POL in Jiangmen

15:00 GMT: RUS vs KOR in Perugia

15:30 GMT: BEL vs NED in Stuttgart

18:00 GMT: ITA vs BUL in Perugia

18:30 GMT: GER vs DOM in Stuttgart

2019 Women's VNL - Pool 13 - Head-to-head statistics

2019 Women's VNL - Pool 14 - Head-to-head statistics

2019 Women's VNL - Pool 15 - Head-to-head statistics

2019 Women's VNL - Pool 16 - Head-to-head statistics

CHINA MAINTAIN WINNING WAYS AGAINST POLAND

China celebrate their win over Poland

Jiangmen, China, June 11, 2019 – China didn’t wait around to keep up their winning run in the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League as they took less than two hours to defeat Poland 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-22) at the Jiangmen Sports Center Gym on Tuesday.

Despite China’s dominant performance Poland saved three match points, but on the fourth Kamila Witkowska served long to give the Olympic champions victory in a match where they were fully in control.

Zhu Ting led scoring for China with 13 points, but Poland’s Malwina Smarzek led the way in the match as she continued her impressive form in the VNL with another 16 points.

The result means that China have now won eight and lost two as they chase another VNL medal to go with the bronze they won in 2018.

Poland’s defeat was their third of the tournament and they will seek to return to winning ways on Wednesday when they take on the USA. China will now face Turkey.

GROBELNA GOES 30+ IN BELGIUM COMEBACK AGAINST THE NETHERLANDS

Kaja Grobelna on the attack as she scores 32 points for Belgium in the comeback win over the Netherlands at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League.

Lausanne, Switzerland, June 11, 2019 - Kaja Grobelna scored 32 points today as she led Belgium to an amazing comeback win 3-2 (22-25, 23-25, 25-17, 25-19, 15-10) over the Netherlands in the regional classic at Stuttgart on the opening day of Week 4 of the 2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League.

The 24-year-old opposite of Belgium scored from 25 attacks (25/53 for 47%) and added 5 blocks and 2 aces, becoming the sixth player to make the list this season of players who have scored 30 points or more in a single match.

Poland's Malwina Smarzek four times (including an all-time VNL high of 41 points against Bulgaria), Italy's Paola Egonu (twice), the Dominican Republic's Brayelin Martinez, Thailand's Ajcharaporn Kongyot and Germany's have also scored 30+ points this season.

Grobelna becomes the first ever player from Belgium to make the list in the VNL.

POLAND, SMARZEK FACE GIANT TASK AGAINST UNITED STATES

Kaja Grobelna on the attack as she scores 32 points for Belgium in the comeback win over the Netherlands at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League.

Saturday, 1 June 2019

NOOTSARA TOMKOM SETS EXAMPLE FOR YOUNG THAI PLAYERS

Thailand setter and captain Nootsara Tomkom

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 30, 2019 – Thailand’s Nootsara Tomkom talked to fivb.com as her team participate in week 2 of the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League. Her team lost to Belgium on Thursday, but claimed their second victory of the competition on Wednesday by defeating Korea. She shares tips on setting and talks about mentoring some of the younger players in the Thailand team, to prepare them for the future.

“I always do my best to set a good example to our younger players so that when it’s their turn to play at an international level, they will all be ready to take on all the challenges,” she said.

Nootsara has a calm personality and undeniable creativity, that she can pass on to her younger teammates.

“I describe myself as always smiling, small and spirited. I wanted to add smart but I don’t think I am smart,” jested Nootsara.

Nootsara wears the number 13 on her jersey, which others think is an unlucky number – but not for her.

“It’s my lucky number,” Nootsara said. “That and smiling a lot, and creating beautiful plays makes everything positive.”

Nootsara has looked up to many inspirations as an athlete and she worked hard to reach her status as one of the best setters in the world.

“My sister was my first big inspiration,” she recounted. “We would play together when we were kids, so my interest in volleyball started from there. I also looked up to our former setter Prim Intawong, who is a legendary setter in Thailand. And then from other countries, it’s Japanese setter Yoshie Takeshita who is very skilful.”

Nootsara has undoubtedly made a name for herself and stands among the best playmakers in the world. She has a distinct style in setting and she brilliantly involves her teammates in each play, making every game exciting to watch.

“You need to understand the nature of each spiker because they are all different,” she said. “More importantly, you need to know how to deal with each situation immediately.

“You need to know how to adapt the play in each touch and make the game. Command and control of the game is also necessary to be able to give your teammates some space to display their best plays.

“I naturally go with the flow when I set for the national team. We have been playing together for years so I have very few adjustments to make, but when I am setting for my teammates in the club, I need to get myself to the standard they expect me to be at. I also have to adapt the set to each spiker.”

Nootsara has had the opportunity to work alongside the best players in the world during club competition. She admires her teammates but also has her own personal favourites.

“My dream team would have Kim Yeon-Koung and Natalia Pereira, my middles would be Foluke Akinradewo and Pleumjit Thinkaow, my opposite would be Paola Egonu and my libero would be Monika De Gennaro. The first four players I have had the chance to play with before, the other two – Egonu and De Gennaro – I like them personally.”

At the 2019 VNL, Nootsara hopes to learn more about her team's opponents, which will help her achieve her team’s ultimate dream.

“The VNL is such a big event this year. This will bring out the best and I hope I can learn something from meeting the best teams in the world and get to know their level of play, their new players and the new system that each team utilises because everything that we do here is to reach our dream of playing in the Olympic Games.”

Apart from her Olympic dream, she has also set some goals for herself in volleyball and in her private life.

“I will try to help to promote the sport by working behind the scenes in our federation. I also want to be a chef because I love to cook…and eat a lot.”

Source : www.fivb.org

2019 MEN'S VNL - TEAM-BY-TEAM STATS PREVIEW

2018 VNL finalists Russia and France meet on the first day of men's action in this year's competition

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 31, 2019 - The 2019 men's FIVB Volleyball Nations League begins on Friday with sixteen teams taking to the courts in Jiangmen, China (Pool 1), Mendoza, Argentina (Pool 2), Katowice, Poland (Pool 3) and Novi Sad, Serbia (Pool 4). The team-by-team stats below put all the information at your fingertips in the final days ahead of the competition.

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Argentina
·    Argentina finished in 14th place in the 2018 Volleyball Nations League.
·    Argentina's best result in the Volleyball Nations League/FIVB Volleyball World League was a fourth place in 2011.
·    Argentina finished on the podium of a world level major tournament twice: third at the 1982 FIVB Volleyball World Championship and the 1988 Olympic Games.
·    Argentina finished either second or third at each of the last 19 South American Championships.
·    Cristian Poglajen was Argentina's top scorer at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League on 163 points.

Australia
·    Last year, Australia finished in 13th place in the Volleyball Nations League.
·    Australia's best result in a world major level tournament was a fifth place at the 2014 World League.
·    Australia reached the second round at the 2018 World Championship, ultimately finishing in 14th place (of 24 teams).
·    The last time Australia finished in the top-10 of a world level major competition was in 2015: ninth at the World Cup.
·    Jordan Richards was Australia's top scorer at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League on 118 points.

Brazil
·    Brazil finished in fourth place at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League.
·    Brazil are the reigning Olympic champions in men's volleyball and are leading the FIVB world ranking.
·    Brazil (22) are the country to have won most major world level competitions, Russia (including Soviet Union and CIS) follow on 20 titles.
·    The Volleyball Nations League is the only of six world level major competitions which Brazil have never won.

· Wallace De Souza finished as the overall top scorer in the 2018 Volleyball Nations League on 277 points.

Bulgaria

·    Bulgaria finished 11th in the inaugural edition of the Volleyball Nations League last year.
·    Bulgaria's best result in World League/ Volleyball Nations League is a fourth place (1994, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2013).
·    The last time Bulgaria claimed a medal in a world level major tournament was at the 2007 World Cup, finishing third.
·    Nikolay Uchikov scored 169 points last year in the Volleyball Nations League to become Bulgaria's top scorer in the competition.
·    Svetoslav Gotsev was the best blocker in the preliminary round last year with a total of 36 points of blocks (0.6 average per set).

Canada
·    Canada finished seventh in the inaugural edition of the Volleyball Nations League last year, just missing out on the final round.
·    Canada's best result in a world level major tournament was a third place in the 2017 World League.
·    Canada finished on the podium in each of the last four NORCECA Championships, including winning the title in 2015.
·    Five of Canada's eight victories at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League came in straight sets.
·    Stephen Timothy Maar scored 165 points last year to become Canada's 2018 Volleyball Nations League top scorer.

China
·    China finished 15th in the inaugural edition of the Volleyball Nations League last year.
·    China's best result in the World League/ Volleyball Nations League came in 1996, when they finished sixth.
·    China's best result in a world level major competition was a fourth place at the 1997 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Champions Cup.
·    Jiang Chuan was the overall top scorer in the preliminary round last year in the Volleyball Nations League, scoring 274 points including a league-high 242 spikes.

· In the overall Volleyball Nations League top scorers list, Jiang Chuan was surpassed by only Brazil's Wallace De Souza (277).

France

·    France finished as runners-up at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League, losing the final against Russia (3-0).
·    France have finished in the top-3 in each of the last four editions of the World League/ Volleyball Nations League, winning the competition in 2015 and 2017 (third in 2016).
·    Their victories in the World League in 2015 and 2017 are the only two world level major tournament titles for France.
·    Only Russia (12) claimed more straight set victories last year in the Volleyball Nations League than France (8).

· Stephen Boyer was France's top scorer at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League on 257 points.

Germany

·    Germany finished ninth in the inaugural edition of the Volleyball Nations League last year.
·    Germany's best result in the World League/Volleyball Nations League came in 2012, when they finished fifth.
·    Since 1972, Germany have claimed only one podium finish in a world level major tournament: a third place at the 2014 World Championship.
·    Germany finished second at the 2017 European Championship, losing in five sets against Russia in the final.
·    Simon Hirsch finished as Germany's Volleyball Nations League top scorer in 2018 on 183 points.

Iran
·    At the 2018 Volleyball Nations League, Iran finished in 10th place.
·    Iran (8th) are the highest ranked Asian team on the FIVB World Ranking coming into the 2019 Volleyball Nations League. Japan follow in 11th place.
·    Iran's only podium finish at a world level major competition was a third place at the 2017 Grand Champions Cup.
·    In September 2018, Iran won the men's volleyball title at the Asian Games. They did not lose a single set in their five matches in the tournament.

· Milad Ebadipour Ghara H. finished as Iran's top scorer at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League on 193 points.

Italy

·    Italy finished in eighth place at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League.
·    The last world level major tournament won by Italy was the 2000 World League.
·    The last time Italy finished on the podium of the World League, the predecessor of the Volleyball Nations League, was in 2014 (3rd).
·    Coming into the 2018 Volleyball Nations League, Italy are the highest ranked European team on the FIVB World Ranking in third place.
·    Ivan Zaytsev was Italy's top scorer at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League on 172 points.

Japan
·    Japan finished in 12th place at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League.
·    The last time Japan finished on the podium of a world level major tournament was in 2009, when they finished in third place at the Grand Champions Cup.
·    Japan's only victory at a world level major tournament came in 1972, when they won the Olympic title in Munich. They are the only Asian team to have won the Olympic title in men's volleyball.
·    Japan are the reigning Asian champions in men's volleyball as they won the Asian title in both 2015 and 2017.

· In the preliminary round of the 2018 Volleyball Nations League, Yuji Nishida scored 187 points, fourth-most of all players.

Poland

·    Poland finished in fifth place at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League, alongside Serbia.
·    Poland won the Volleyball Nations League/World League once, in 2012. Their only other podium finish in the competition was a third place in 2011.
·    Poland are the two-time defending world champions, having won the world title 2014 and 2018.
·    Artur Szalpuk was Poland's top scorer at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League on 126 points.

· Bartosz Kurek was the most valuable player at the 2018 World Championship.

Portugal

·    Portugal will make their debut at the Volleyball Nations League. They won the 2018 Challenger Cup to qualify for the tournament, replacing Republic of Korea.
·    At the 2017 World League, Portugal finished in 22th place.
·    Portugal's best result in the World League was a fifth place finish in 2005.
·    That fifth place was Portugal's best result in a world level major competition.
·    Alexandre Ferreira was Portugal's top scorer at the 2018 Challenger Cup on 64 points.

Russia
·    Russia won the inaugural edition of the Volleyball Nations League last year, beating France in the final in straight sets.
·    Russia (including predecessors) have won 20 world level major tournaments, only trailing Brazil (22) for most.
·    Russia also are the reigning European champions in men's volleyball. At the 2018 World Championship, they missed out on the medals (6th).
·    Egor Kliuka was Russia's top scorer at last year's Volleyball Nations League on 224 points, followed by Dmitriy Muserskiy on 222 points.
·    Maxim Mikhaylov was the most valuable player at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League.

Serbia
·    Serbia finished in fifth place at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League, alongside Poland.
·    Serbia have finished in the top-five in each of their last five participations in world level major competitions: second at the 2015 World League, first at the 2016 World League, fifth at the 2017 World League, fifth at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League and fourth at the 2018 World Championship.
·    The win at the 2016 World League is one of two victories for Serbia in world level major competitions, alongside the 2000 Olympic Games (as Yugoslavia).
·    Serbia won 11 of their 15 Volleyball Nations League matches in the preliminary round in 2018.
·    Drazen Luburic was Serbia's top scorer in the 2018 Volleyball Nations League on 156 points.

USA
·    USA finished in third place at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League, defeating Brazil in the third-place match.
·    The last time United States won a world level major tournament was in 2015, when they won the World Cup.
·    Next to the World Cup (1985 and 2015), USA have also won the Olympic Games (1984, 1988, 2008), World Championship (1986) and the World League (2008, 2014).
·    USA also finished in third place at the 2018 World Championship, defeating Serbia in the bronze-medal match.

· Matthew Anderson (217 points) was top scorer for United States at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League. In the preliminary round, he was both the third-best spiker and third-best server.

KEIZER & MEPPELINK WIN ALL-DUTCH CLASH ON WAY TO OSTRAVA KNOCKOUTS

Netherlands’ Keizer & Meppelink celebrate their victory over Ukraine’s Lunina & Samoday

Ostrava, Czech Republic, May 31, 2019 – As many as four women’s teams managed to win two matches each on Friday to move successfully from the pools’ survival matches in the morning through the first direct elimination round to book their spots in Saturday’s round of 16 at the four-star J&T Banka Ostrava Beach Open 2019 main draw on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.

One of them was Netherlands’ duo Sanne Keizer & Madelein Meppelink, who started their day with a 2-1 (24-26, 21-11, 15-13) win in the all-Dutch clash with Joy Stubbe & Marleen Ramond-van Iersel for the third place in Pool G. The sixth-seeded pair went on to knock out bottom-seeded Ukrainian sensations Diana Lunina & Maryna Samoday with a hard-earned 2-0 (23-21, 21-17) victory.

“This morning we had the Dutch battle. It was a good game and a tough one, so we are happy we won. It was a difficult switch to the next game to keep going, but we did a good job. In the first set we made it a bit exciting, but I think in the second set we controlled the game,” said Keizer, and added, “It’s an awesome location, the organization is really good, and people are very friendly. Every time I walk around here I see new stuff and I am just amazed and grateful we can play here.”

“The Ukrainian team had many good results lately and we were excited to play against them for the first time. They did a really good job. It was not easy and we had to fight for every ball,” Meppelink commented. “At this point, I have no idea who we play next, but we are looking forward to playing any match here, hopefully through the end.”

29th-seeded Greeks Vasiliki Arvaniti & Panagiota Karagkouni faced few issues in hammering out a 2-0 (21-17, 21-13) shutout of China’s Xinyi Xia & Fan Wang for the last ticket from Pool D. They continued their good performance into the first knockout round, where they managed a 2-1 (21-16, 16-21, 17-15) victory after denying a match point for their Russian opponents Nadezda Makroguzova & Svetlana Kholomina, to remain as the lowest seeded team still in contention.

27th-seeded Chen Xue & Xinxin Wang of China delivered sensational upset of eighth-seeded Canadians Sarah Pavan & Melissa Humana-Paredes. To book a spot in the next round, Xue & Wang survived a triple match point for the opponents in the tie-breaker on the way to a spectacular comeback for a 2-1 (21-17, 18-21, 17-15) win. Earlier on Friday, the Chinese pair also upset the highest ranked German duo, Sandra Ittlinger & Chantal Laboureur, seeded first at next month’s World Championship in Hamburg, by 2-0 (21-15, 22-20) for the third place in Pool F.

Katharina Schuetzenhoefer & Lena Plesiutschnig, seeded 28th, also knocked out a strong German team in their losers match in Pool E. The Austrians claimed a 2-0 (21-16, 29-27) win over Victoria Bieneck & Isabel Schneider, and went on to master a 2-1 (17-21, 21-16, 15-13) come-from-behind victory over Russia’s Ekaterina Birlova & Evgenia Ukolova.

Having finished second in their pools on Thursday, three American teams - Sara Hughes & Summer Ross, Brooke Sweat & Kerri Walsh Jennings and Sarah Sponcil & Kelly Claes – and one Brazilian pair, Agatha Bednarczuk & Eduarda Santos Lisboa, had the luxury of needing only one win on Friday to progress to the second knockout round, and they all achieved it in straight sets.

Sponcil & Claes took a 2-0 (21-19, 21-16) victory over Switzerland’s Nina Betschart & Tanja Hueberli, the team that had upset Czech top seeds and defending Ostrava champs Barbora Hermannova & Marketa Slukova earlier in the day to knock them out of contention.

“We are so excited about this new partnership and we’ve been trying to just get a little bit better each tournament and each game we play,” Kelly Claes pointed out. “The Swiss are an amazing team. They’ve been together for a while and they’re great competitors. It’s fun to see our progress going through. We are so excited and we are ready to keep this momentum going.”

“I think we did a good job communicating throughout the game,” Sarah Sponcil added. “It’s easy to look far ahead, but we are just focusing on the next match, recovering, looking at our next opponent, and trying to get better at the things we didn’t do well in this game.”

Source : www.fivb.org

KONARSKI TO PROVIDE CREATIVE SPARK FOR POLAND IN ENCOUNTER WITH UNITED STATES

Dawid Konarski's great scoring perfromance could spark a good run for Poland against the United States

Lausanne, Switzerland, June 1, 2019 – Dawid Konarski’s 22-point performance in Poland’s 3-1 opening win against Australia could ignite a winning start on home court when his team face the United States in Pool 3 at 17.00 local time at the Spodek Arena on Saturday.

Konarski’s 22 points were built on 17 spikes, two blocks and three service winners, providing the reigning world champions with an all-around performance that could put them in a good position to record successive VNL wins for the first time since a three-match winning streak in the third weekend of the 2018 edition.

The encounter with the USA is a replay of the 2018 World Championship semifinal, where Poland prevailed in five sets that led to their second world title in a row. Poland and the USA have met 38 times in world level tournaments, each with an equal win-record of 19 triumphs.

"Even though USA is playing a bit of an experimental squad, we will be ready for a big fight," Poland player Pawel Zatorski said.

In last year’s tournament, USA defeated Poland in straight sets in both the preliminary round and the final round.

Poland led on all fronts against Australia, including the 11 blocks and nine service winners, while USA lost in straight sets after suffering from 29 turnovers against Brazil.

“It’s never fun to lose,” USA coach John Speraw said. “There are some specific areas of the game we weren’t good at tonight. Regardless of whether we were young and inexperienced – I want them to play and compete better.”

Meanwhile, Brazil are seeking to claim back-to-back wins in Katowice, where they will play Australia at 14.00 local time.

Ricardo Lucarelli’s return in the line-up is a positive development for the South American side as he helped his squad with the opening win by scoring all his 14 points from piercing spikes on Friday.

In Pool 1, an all-European clash between Italy and Germany will take place in the second day’s opening match at 16.00 local time in Jiangmen.

The Germans are counting on balance in scoring following their 3-2 win against China on opening day, when five of their starting unit delivered double-digit outputs. The Italians, on the other hand, are banking on their young hitter Gabriele Nelli and their ace playmaker Simone Giannelli to recover from their 3-1 loss to Iran.

Hosts China will meet their Asian rivals Iran in the second match at 20.00. Like last year, Chuan Jiang is spearheading the scoring for China, while Saeid Marouf is brilliantly directing plays for the Iranian side.

Canada and Portugal are scheduled to play at 18.00 local time in Mendoza in the Pool 2 tournament. Both squads are seeking their first win, after losing their respective opening matches on Friday. In the other matchup, Argentina are facing Bulgaria at 21.10 to decide leadership in the group.

Bulgaria’s Nikolay Uchikov delivered a power-packed performance on the first day, with 27 points from 23 attacks and three blocks.

In Pool 4 at Novi Sad, Japan are looking for their second win, while Russia are seeking to bounce back after losing to France on opening day. Japan and Russia will play at 16.00 local time, and then Serbia will face France at 19.00.

Among the notable performances in Pool 4 are Jennia Grebennikov’s high-energy defensive performance as he dominates the best digger category and Yuki Ishikawa’s 19 points against Serbia that made him the third best attacker so far in the tournament.

Source: www.fivb.org

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