FIVB World League Preview:
Lausanne, Switzerland, June 24, 2015 - France are chasing the consecutive wins record, Olympic champions Russia are hoping for a first victory, Australia are expecting a big show – the seventh week of the FIVB Volleyball World League also offers entertainment at its best for fans around the world. France and Canada could also secure tickets to the Group 2 Finals in Bulgaria from July 10-12.
“We will try to win all of the remaining matches,” said France captain Benjamin Toniutti ahead of the duels with Japan in Pool D
The first match on Thursday in Tours starts the 20 matches in the FIVB World League this weekend. France has a perfect 24 points to its name and could secure a ticket to the FGroup 2 Finals even if they were to lose 2-3 to the Japanese team (13 points). France – who were fourth at the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship last year - want more, however. After eight wins in a row, the record of nine consecutive wins in the FIVB Volleyball World League, set by the Netherlands in 1990, is within reach.
In Pool C, the result of the two matches between Argentina (13 points from eight matches) and Canada (22 points from ten matches) may decide which team qualifies for the Finals.
Canada only needs to win one of the two duels to secure their spot. However, Canada's captain Frederic Winters is by no means sure that this will work out after the 2-3 defeat in Cuba last weekend: “If we play the same way against Argentina next week, we will not qualify for Bulgaria for the Finals. We really have to learn from our mistakes.”
In Pool E, the remote duel between neighbours Belgium (19) and the Netherlands (17) for first place continues. Belgium will compete in Portugal; the Netherlands in Finland. Netherlands coach Gido Vermeulen said: “If we want to keep competing for first place in this pool, we have to win every match from now on.”
Things are just as exciting in Intercontinental Group 1, which includes the top eight teams in the world. The two top teams from each of super pools A and B plus the host country and world number Brazil will play in the Group 1 Finals. The final ticket goes to the winner of Group 2. The grand finale will take place at the Maracanãzinho in Rio de Janeiro from July 15-19, and will serve as a test event for the volleyball competition at the Olympic Games in 2016 at the same venue.
Only Brazil can sit back and relax. As the host nation, the FIVB World League record winners have already secured their ticket. While Serbia and Italy will take each other on in a classic in Pool A, table leaders Brazil will use the two matches in Australia as a test. The hosts are turning the visit of the world number ones into a big show; in addition to seeing two of the world’s best men’s volleyball teams in Sydney, fans will also be able to watch one of Australia’s most exciting live electronic dance groups, The Potbelleez.
Volleyball Australia President Craig Carracher said: “Last year we had James Blunt perform ahead of World League games in Canberra, and Bonnie Anderson in Sydney, which was a thrill for the crowds, the players, and, dare I say it, the officials. It’s all part of Volleyball Australia making World League, and volleyball, a major event experience in this country.”
Last weekend also showed that the FIVB World League is much more than simply a sporting event. Defending champions USA's matches in Iran were an example of how volleyball can build bridges, "I think we are all aware that the portrait of the relationship between Iran and the United States is inaccurate in the media. Probably on both sides, my guess. I think, what I know and have known from spending time with Iran and the United States both last year and this year is that the relationship between the people is not reflective of the relationship between our governments and that the Iranian people are wonderful people and have treated us kindly. I think we have shown the same because America is a wonderful country with wonderful people too."
Incidentally, Iran ended the USA's winning streak with two clear 3-0 wins last weekend. This results in a three-way battle between USA (19 points), World Champions Poland (16) and Iran (13) in Pool B for the two Finals tickets. Poland and Iran will meet in front of the fantastic fans in Tehran in a deciding duel.
Iran's captain Saeid Marouf said: "I believe in my team. Iran was so good at both home matches against USA. I hope this will last in the same way. We must forget these two wins as we forgot the last six losses before. We must try more now."
This applies just as much to the US team, who will take on bottom of the table Russia, who are still without a win. USA coach John Speraw said: "We are a team and have some physical gifts, some big players who can jump high and beat the ball, but we have to play the entire game much better as a team." Olympic winners Russia, without some of their top players, have lost all eight matches to date, meaning they have no chance of reaching the Finals. Despite that, the prestigious duels with the USA are incredibly important to Russia coach Andrey Voronkov: "We still have our main goal to achieve – to win."
The preliminary round is already over in Intercontinental Group 3. Egypt (Pool H winners) will face Montenegro (Pool F winners), China (Pool G winners) and the hosts Slovakia in the the Group 3 Finals. The event will take place in Bratislava, Slovakia from July 4-5. The 26th staging of the FIVB World League has also expanded again this year. 32 teams – four more than in 2014 – battle for the title at the most prestigious annual event in the volleyball world, which this year spans a record ten weeks.
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