FIVB WORLD LEAGUE PREVIEWS WEEK 2 JUNE 23-26, 2016€¦ · WEEK 2 – JUNE 23-26, 2016 Pool D3: Slovenia - Qatar (24 June) Head-to-Head · Slovenia and Qatar played their first ever

FIVB VOLLEYBALL WORLD LEAGUE 2016 Page 1

FIVB WORLD LEAGUE PREVIEWS WEEK 2 – JUNE 23-26, 2016

Pool D3: Greece - Puerto Rico (24 June)

Head-to-Head

· Greece won their first ever World League encounter with Puerto Rico on 18 June 2016: 3-0.

· Mitar Tzourits (12), Georgios Petreas (10) and Rafail Koumentakis (10) all scored 10+ points for Greece in

that match, while for Puerto Rico only Steven Morales reached double figures (10).

· This was the only meeting between these teams at major tournaments this century.

Greece

· Greece won their first three matches at the 2016 World League: they defeated Kazakhstan and Puerto

Rico in straight sets and won their last match against Chinese Taipei 3-1.

· Together with Slovenia and Montenegro, they are the only team to remain unbeaten in Group 3 of the

World League coming into the second week. Greece are the only team losing only one set among Group

3 teams.

· Greece could start their World League campaign with four victories for the first time.

· They also could win four consecutive World League matches for the first time since 2004.

· Andreas-Dimitrios Fragkos has the highest spike success rate of all players in Group 3: he scored 32

points from 44 attempts (73%).

Puerto Rico

· Puerto Rico lost their opening matches at the 2016 World League in straight sets against Chinese Taipei

and Greece, but won their last match against Kazakhstan 3-0.

· They could win consecutive World League matches for the first time.

· Steven Morales has scored 55 points, fourth most of all Group 3 players this World League season.



Pool D3: Slovenia - Qatar (24 June)

Head-to-Head

· Slovenia and Qatar played their first ever World League match against each other last week on 17 June.

Slovenia won 3-1: 25-15, 25-21, 18-25, 25-18.

· Slovenia's Mitja Gasparini was top scorer in that match with 19 points, two points more than Qatar's Bojan

Djukic.

· It was the ever meeting between these teams at a major tournament.

Slovenia

· Slovenia won their first ever three World League matches against Qatar (3-1), Tunisia (3-0) and

Venezuela (3-1).

· Coming into the second week of the World League, Slovenia, Greece and Montenegro are the only

unbeaten teams in Group 3.

· Mitja Gasparini has scored nine points from aces at this World League season, most of all players in

Group 3.

Qatar

· Qatar lost their first two ever matches at the World League against forthcoming opponents Slovenia (3-1)

and Venezuela (3-1), but won their last match on 19 June against Tunisia (3-1).

· They could win consecutive World League matches for the first time.

· Bojan Djukic has scored a team-high 42 points at this World League.



Pool D3: Greece - Slovenia (26 June)

Head-to-Head

· Greece and Slovenia will go head-to-head at the World League for the first time.

· They met at the 2009 European Championship, where Greece won 3-1.

· Greece could win three World League matches in a row against fellow CEV sides for the first time since a

run of four in 2004, as they already beat Slovakia twice in 2015.

· Slovenia will meet a CEV side for the first time at the World League.

Greece

· Greece lost 3-0 to Qatar on Saturday, their first loss at the 2016 World League.

· Despite 28 attempts, Greece only managed to score one point from a block in that match (Georgios

Petreas).

· The loss ended a four-match winning streak for Greece at the World League. It was their first defeat

since losing to China on 21 June 2015.

· They can now lose back-to-back World League matches for the first time since 2005 (three in a row).

Slovenia

· Slovenia beat Puerto Rico 3-0 on Saturday, meaning they are still unbeaten in the World League (five

wins).

· They will now face a CEV team for the first time, after their wins against Qatar (2), Tunisia, Venezuela and

Puerto Rico

· Slovenia are yet to play a five-setter at the World League, having won all their matches with a 3-0 or 3-1

score line.

· Mitja Gasparini scored a match-high 12 points in their match against Puerto Rico.



Pool D3: Puerto Rico - Qatar (26 June)

Head-to-Head

· This will be the first ever meeting between Puerto Rico and Qatar.

· Puerto Rico lost their first three World League matches against AVC teams, but won their most recent

encounter with a side representing the AVC (Kazakhstan in 2016).

Puerto Rico

· Puerto Rico lost 3-0 to Slovenia on Saturday.

· No Puerto Rican player scored more than six points in that match.

· Puerto Rico have still won only one of their five World League matches in 2016, the 3-0 over Kazakhstan

on 19 June.

Qatar

· Qatar beat Greece 3-0 on Saturday.

· Ratmt Wadidie (14 points), Ibrahim Ibrahim (13) and John Chigbo (10) all broke the 10-points barrier.

· For Qatar it was their second ever win at the World League (five matches), after their 3-1 win over Tunisia

on 19 June.

· They can now record back-to-back World League victories for the first time in team victory.



Pool E3: Montenegro - Venezuela (24 June)

Head-to-Head

· This will be the first World League meeting between Montenegro and Venezuela.

· For Montenegro, it will also be the first encounter with a CSV side at the World League.

· Venezuela have lost their last 10 World League matches against CEV teams, since a 3-0 win over Finland

in 2009.

Montenegro

· Montenegro have won all of their three World League matches in 2016. Against Germany and Spain,

those victories came in five sits, while Montenegro defeated Mexico 3-1.

· They could win four consecutive World League matches for the second time, after they won their first

five World League matches in 2015.

· Montenegro, Greece and Slovenia are the only unbeaten teams in Group 3 of the World League.

· Only Spain's Andrés J.Villena (84) has scored more points in Group 3 than Marko Bojic (78).

Venezuela

· Venezuela started their 2016 World League campaign with victories over Tunisia (3-0) and Qatar (3-1), but

lost their last match against Slovenia (3-1).

· They could lose consecutive World League matches for the first time since their record losing streak of 16

matches in 2009-2015.

· Kervin Pinerua has scored 64 points in this year's World League, third most of all Group 3 players.



Pool E3: Tunisia - Mexico (24 June)

Head-to-Head

· Tunisia and Mexico have met twice at the World League, both in 2014. Mexico won the first match in

straight sets, but Tunisia won the second match 3-2. Both matches ended in a home victory.

· Mexico and Puerto Rico are the only teams that have lost a World League match against Tunisia.

· These teams already faced each other in 2016, at the World Olympic Qualification tournament in Mexico

City. Tunisia won 3-2, but Mexico eventually qualified for the Olympic Games in Rio.

Tunisia

· Tunisia are currently on their longest losing streak at the World League, as they have lost their last six

matches in the competition.

· In 2016, they were defeated by Venezuela (3-0), Slovenia (3-0) and Qatar (3-1).

· Tunisia have failed to win multiple sets in a single World League since their 3-1 win over Puerto Rico in

2015.

· Mohamed Ali Ben Othmen Miladi (26) and Hichem Kaabi (26) have scored most points for Tunisia in this

year's World League.

Mexico

· Mexico lost their first two World League matches in 2016 against Spain (3-2) and Montenegro (3-1), but

won their most recent match against Germany (3-1).

· They ended a losing streak of 12 matches in the competition, which started in 2014.

· Mexico could win consecutive World League matches for the second time, after they won their first two

matches in the competition in 2014.

· Tomas Aguilera has scored 12 points from blocks, joint most in Group 3 together with Montenegro's Gojko

Cuk.



Pool E3: Mexico - Venezuela (25 June)

Head-to-Head

· Mexico and Venezuela will go head-to-head at the World League for the first time.

· These teams met at the World Championship of 1978 and 2010, with Mexico winning 3-1 in 1978 and 3-0

in 2010.

· Mexico and Venezuela met at the 2011 Pan American Games. Mexico won 3-1 in the group stage.

Mexico

· Mexico have won just one of their last 14 World League matches, the 3-1 win against Germany in this

year's competition.

· Mexico can claim two victories in a single edition of the World League for the second time after beating

Turkey and Tunisia in 2014.

· Jorge Barajas and Pedro Rangel both served up three aces in their last match against Tunisia.

· Barajas and Samuel Cordova lead their teammates in scoring (both 50 points). Daniel Vargas follows

with 47 points.

· Tomas Aguilera is currently among Group 3's best blockers in the competition with 15 points from stuff

blocks and an average of 0.88 per set.

Venezuela

· Having won three World League matches in 2016, Venezuela can claim at least four wins in a World

League campaign for the first time since a team record five wins in 2005.

· They have now won four five-setters and lost 11 matches in the decisive set in the World League.

· Kervin Pinerua has scored 81 points, including eight aces.

· Jhonlenn Cruz Barreto Pena (67.50%) and Héctor Mata (61.90%) are currently among the best receivers

in Group 3 of the 2016 World League.



Pool E3: Tunisia - Montenegro (25 June)

Head-to-Head

· Tunisia and Montenegro have faced each other twice in the World League, both times in 2015.

· Montenegro won both encounters in straight sets on their way to the Group 3 final.

· Tunisia have lost all of their seven World League matches against CEV sides and never won multiple sets

(4 times 3-0, 3 times 3-1).

· Besides their two victories over Tunisia, Montenegro lost their only other encounter with a CAVB team at

the World League as they lost against Egypt in last year's Group 3 final (3-2).

Tunisia

· Tunisia ended a six-match losing streak in the World League with a 3-1 win against Mexico.

· Tunisia could win successive World League matches for the first time.

· Tunisia outblocked Mexico 16 to eight with Omar Agrebi scoring half of his team's points from stuff

blocks (8).

· Agrebi is currently among the best blockers in Group 3 of the World League, scoring 17 points from stuff

blocks and averaging 1.21 per set.

· Mahdi Ben Cheikh is currently one of Group 3's best setters with an average per set of 9.57.

Montenegro

· Montenegro failed to beat Venezuela in their last match at the World League (3-2). They have now lost

three of their 12 World League matches.

· All three of their defeats in the competition came in five-setters.

· Montenegro have never suffered two consecutive defeats in the World League.

· Despite their defeat, Montenegro outblocked Venezuela 15 to six. Gojko Cuk and Vojin Cacic scored

respectively six and four points from stuff blocks.

· Marko Bojic is Montenegro's leading scorer with 88 points, including seven aces.

· Gojko Cuk is currently among Group 3's best blockers in the competition. He has scored 18 points from

stuff blocks, averaging 0.95 per set.



Pool F3: Kazakhstan - Germany (24 June)

Head-to-Head

· This will be the first encounter between Kazakhstan and Germany at a major tournament this century.

· Kazakhstan have lost all three World League matches against CEV sides.

· Germany have won 10 of their 18 matches against AVC teams at the World League, but lost their last

encounter with an AVC side in 2014: 3-2 against Japan. They could lose consecutive World League

matches against AVC teams for the second time, after a run of four defeats in 1993-1994.

Kazakhstan

· All of Kazakhstan's three matches at the 2016 World League were played in three sets: they defeated

Chinese Taipei in straight sets, but lost 3-0 against both Greece and Puerto Rico.

· Kazakhstan could lose consecutive matches in the competition by straight sets for the first time.

· Vitaliy Vorivodin has scored a team-high 38 points in this year's World League.

Germany

· Germany lost their first three matches at the 2016 World League against Montenegro (3-2), Spain (3-1)

and Mexico (3-1).

· In total they are on a four-match losing streak, as they also lost their final match in 2014. The last time they

lost more consecutive World League matches was in 2003: six.

· Daniel Malescha has scored most points for the German team at this World League edition: 33.



Pool F3: Spain - Chinese Taipei (24 June)

Head-to-Head

· This will be the first meeting between Spain and Chinese Taipei at the World League.

· Their only previous meeting this century came at the 2008 World Olympic Qualification tournament in

Düsseldorf (Germany). Spain won 3-1, but both teams failed to qualify for the Olympic Games in Beijing.

· Spain have won 10 of their 16 World League matches against AVC sides, including the last two (both in

2015 against Kazakhstan).

Spain

· Spain started their 2016 World League campaign with two wins over Mexico (3-2) and Germany (3-1),

but lost their last match against Montenegro (3-2).

· Spain could lose consecutive World League matches for the first time since 2014.

· Only in 2015, Spain lost fewer than four World League matches in one edition as they won five of their

six matches. Still, it was not enough to qualify for the Final Four.

· Andrés J. Villena is the top scorer in Group 3 with 84 points, including 78 spikes which is also most of all

players.

Chinese Taipei

· Chinese Taipei won their first ever World League match against Puerto Rico in straight sets, but lost their

two most recent matches in the competition against Kazakhstan (3-0) and Greece (3-1).

· Only in the second set against Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei failed to win 20+ points in a single World

League set (25-18 defeat).

· Chen Chien-Chen is Chinese Taipei's top scorer at the World League with 32 points.



Pool F3: Kazakhstan - Spain (25 June)

Head-to-Head

· The only two World League matches between Kazakhstan and Spain came in the 2015 edition. Spain won

3-1 on 14 June and 3-0 on 20 June.

· Kazakhstan are the only team with multiple World League encounters against Spain without winning one.

· Their only other encounter at a major tournament this century came at the 2002 World Championship,

which was also won by Spain (3-1).

· Kazakhstan won the first set in both of Spain's 3-1 victories over them.

Kazakhstan

· After winning their first ever WL encounter on 12 June 2015, Kazakhstan have now lost eight of their last

nine in the competition.

· All four WL meetings in 2016 involving Kazakhstan have resulted in a straight sets victory (3 wins for

opponents, 1 win for Kazakhstan).

· Vitaliy Vorivodin is Kazakhstan's leading scorer with 48 points, four more than Maxim Mamedov.

· Sergey Kuznetsov has an average of 7.6 setups per set.

Spain

· Spain lost their last match against Chinese Taipei 3-1. They have now lost two in a row in the 2016 World

League.

· The last time Spain lost three consecutive matches in a single campaign came in 2008 when they lost

seven in a row.

· Andrés J. Villena is Spain's top scorer this tournament with 89 points including a team-high 83 spikes.

· Jorge Fernández Valcarcel has scored 11 points with blocks.

http://worldleague.2016.fivb.com/en/group3/teams/kaz-kazakhstan/players/vitaliy-vorivodin?id=51890

http://worldleague.2016.fivb.com/en/group3/teams/esp-spain/players/jorge-fern%c3%a1ndez-valcarcel?id=50503



Pool F3: Chinese Taipei - Germany (25 June)

Head-to-Head

· Chinese Taipei and Germany will face each other for the first time at the World League.

· Their only encounter this century came at the 2008 World Olympic Qualification tournament in Düsseldorf,

which Germany won in straight sets. The German team eventually qualified for the Olympic Games in

Beijing.

· Germany have won 7 of their last 9 against AVC opposition and also 5 of their last 6.

Chinese Taipei

· Chinese Taipei won 3-1 against Spain which ended their two match losing streak.

· Chinese Taipei have now won twice in the World League as they defeated Puerto Rico in straight sets in

the opener

· They can win consecutive matches for the first time in the World League.

· Chien-Chen Chen is Chinese Taipei's leading scorer with 49 points. He scored a team-high 17 points

against Spain.

Germany

· By defeating Kazakhstan 3-0 on Friday, Germany snapped a four-match losing streak in the World

League.

· The four consecutive defeats already constituted Germany's longest losing streak in the competition since

2003.

· Against Kazakhstan, four Germany players ended the match in double figures for Germany: Christian

Fromm (14), Ruben Schott (11), Georg Klein (11) and Philipp Collin (10).

· Daniel Malescha is their leading scorer with 33 points.



Pool F3: Germany - Spain (26 June)

Head-to-Head

· Germany and Spain met for the first time at the World League on 18 June 2016. Spain won 3-1.

· Miguel Angel Fornes scored four points from stuff blocks in that match, as many as the whole team of

Germany combined.

· Their most recent meeting in any other major tournament came in 2009, at the European Championship.

Germany won 3-1.

Germany

· Germany suffered their fourth defeat at the 2016 World League, the 3-1 loss against Chinese Taipei.

· Despite their loss, Germany outblocked Chinese Taipei 10 to five and made fewer errors (19 to 29).

· Daniel Malescha was Germany's top scorer against Chinese Taipei with 23 points (18 spikes, 4 blocks, 1

ace).

· Malescha is currently Germany's most prolific scorer in the competition with 56 points.

Spain

· Spain claimed their third win at the 2016 World League with a 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan.

· Spain can record successive straight set wins for the third time in the competition. They previously did so

in 2015 (Venezuela, Kazakhstan) and 2002 (Venezuela twice, China)

· Alejandro Vigil scored seven of Spain's 11 points from stuff blocks against Kazakhstan.

· Daniel Rocamora Blazquez was Spain's top scorer against Kazakhstan with 19 points (17 spikes).

· Andrés J. Villena is currently among the best scorers in Group 3 of the World League with 89 points.



Pool F3: Kazakhstan - Chinese Taipei (26 June)

Head-to-Head

· On 18 June 2016, Kazakhstan and Chinese Taipei faced each other for the first time at the World League.

Kazakhstan won in straight sets.

· Anton Kuznetsov scored seven points from blocks that match, no other player had more than three.

· Prior that match, Chinese Taipei had a winning streak of four matches against Kazakhstan (at the Asian

Championships and Asian Games).

· The last victory of Kazakhstan over Chinese Taipei in any other competition than the World League came

at the 2011 Asian Championships (3-0).

Kazakhstan

· Kazakhstan lost their most recent match in the World League: 3-0 to Spain.

· Kazakhstan have won only two of their 11 World League matches, but one of those wins came against

Chinese Taipei (3-0).

· They have won just three sets in this year's competition, their 3-0 win against Chinese Taipei.

· Alexandr Stolnikov (11) scored most points for Kazakhstan against Spain.

· Vitaliy Vorivodin is Kazakhstan top scorer in the competition so far with 54 points.

Chinese Taipei

· Chinese Taipei claimed back-to-back wins for the first time in the World League after following up a 3-1

win against Spain with a 3-1 win over Germany.

· Chien-Chen Chen scored 23 points against Germany (20 spikes). He has now combined for a total of 72

points, currently placing him among the best scorers in Group 3.

· Chen also has a place among the best servers of Group 3 with seven aces and an average per set of

0.39.

· Tsung-Hsuan Wu is currently among the best spikers in Group 3 of the World League with a success rate

of 56.32%.

Documents

FIVB WORLD LEAGUE PREVIEWS WEEK 2 JUNE 23-26, 2016€¦ · WEEK 2 – JUNE 23-26, 2016 Pool D3: Slovenia - Qatar (24 June) Head-to-Head · Slovenia and Qatar played their first ever