2017 FIVB VOLLEYBALL WORLD GRAND PRIX
- Group 1
- July 7th – August 6th
- FIVB World Grand Prix Round 1
- Schedule/Results
- Pool H1
- Indoor Stadium Huamark, Bangkok, Thailand
This week, teams are striving to secure a top 6 standing to qualify for the final rounds of the World Grand Prix. China as the host nation automatically qualifies for a spot in the finals, leaving the rest of the field to duke it out. Out of pool H1, Italy is most in control of their fate, currently standing at #4 in the tournament. With a couple wins this week, the Dominican Republic could sneak in the finals, however Thailand and Turkey will need some losses at the top as well as winning their own matches in sweeps to gain entry to the final group.
Current Tournament Standings:
- #4 Italy
- #8 Dominican Republic
- #10 Thailand
- #11 Turkey
| DATE | TIME | MATCH-UPS | |
| July 21 | 8:00 | Italy | Turkey |
| July 21 | 11:00 | Thailand | Dominican Republic |
| July 22 | 8:00 | Italy | Dominican Republic |
| July 22 | 11:00 | Thailand | Turkey |
| July 23 | 8:00 | Dominican Republic | Turkey |
| July 23 | 11:00 | Thailand | Italy |
- Times are in UTC +8:00
- Games are at 11:00 and 14:00 for Turkish fans
- Games are at 7:00 and 10:00 for Italian fans
- Games are at 4:00 and 7:00 for Dominican Republic fans
- Games are at 15:00 and 18:00 for Thai fans
Over the past four matches, Italy has been led by their young superstar Paola Ogechi Egonu. She tallied 39 points in their game against Russia and earned the Best Scorer award in Group 1. Coming into this week, Italy boasts an impressive record taking down traditional powerhouses like Russia, Turkey, China and the USA, earning them a fourth place ranking.
The Dominican Republic has had a solid showing this tournament with wins over Japan, Thailand and Belgium, however they’ve struggled against the top teams, losing to the Netherlands and Russia. The Dominican Republic has been led by pin hitters Brayelin Elizabeth Martinez and Bethania De La Cruz. After a fainting spell last week, Martinez rebounded with a 21 point performance vs Thailand and is reported to be healthy heading into this week’s matches.
Coming into this week, Thailand has lost almost all of their matches, however, they were able to sweep Brazil last week. This upward trend indicates that Thailand is on the rise. Recently, some players for Thailand have retired, but the future looks bright with up and comers like Kongyot Ajcharaporn, the leading scorer with 18 points in the showdown with Brazil.
As with many other teams, Turkey has brought young players to this year’s version of the World Grand Prix. Currently standing at #11 in the tournament, Turkey has yet to secure wins against any of the top teams, coming in to this week with only one victory against Belgium. The team has talent to do well in future tournaments, but based on their record so far, getting into the finals of this year’s Grand Prix is most likely out of their reach.
Below are Group 1 standings, with Pool H1 teams having asterisks (*).
| Matches | Pts | Sets | Points | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | W | L | W | L | Ratio | W | L | Ratio | |
| 1 |  Serbia |
5 | 1 | 15 | 15 | 4 | 3.750 | 461 | 377 | 1.223 |
| 2 |  Netherlands |
5 | 1 | 15 | 17 | 5 | 3.400 | 510 | 445 | 1.146 |
| 3 |  United States |
4 | 2 | 13 | 16 | 9 | 1.778 | 574 | 516 | 1.112 |
| 4 |  Italy* |
4 | 2 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 1.300 | 517 | 495 | 1.044 |
| 5 |  China |
4 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 1.000 | 537 | 550 | 0.976 |
| 6 |  Japan |
4 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 1.000 | 560 | 561 | 0.998 |
| 7 |  Brazil |
3 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 1.000 | 501 | 486 | 1.031 |
| 8 |  Dominican Republic* |
3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 0.923 | 551 | 550 | 1.002 |
| 9 |  Russia |
2 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 0.923 | 542 | 555 | 0.977 |
| 10 |  Thailand* |
1 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 0.533 | 476 | 538 | 0.885 |
| 11 |  Turkey* |
1 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 0.438 | 467 | 535 | 0.873 |
| 12 |  Belgium |
0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 0.167 | 415 | 503 | 0.825 |
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