Serbia Tops Japan to Make Final Six; Canada Sweeps China
Serbia put up 10 blocks and had help from four double-digit scoring efforts in a four-set win over Japan to secure its spot in the VNL Final Six. Stephen Maar was back on his game for Canada with 16 points to lift his team to a sweep of China.
Brazil Edges Poland, Claims Final Six Spot; Argentina Wins in 4
Five of the six Argentine starters scored in double digits as the team garnered its third win of VNL play against home-standing Australia. Brazil secure its spot in the VNL Final Six with a four-set win over fellow contender Poland with help from a 19-kill effort by Evandro Guerra.
Top 4 Men, Top 3 Women Left Among AVP Seattle Winner’s Bracket
Action began at the Seattle Open with qualifiers on Thursday and four teams of each gender moving on to Friday’s main draw. At the end of Friday, the top four men’s seeds and top three women’s remain in the winner’s bracket.
Hughes/Ross, Stockman/Larsen Advance to Ostrava Round of 16
The table is set for Saturday’s Round of 16 with pool play and the first elimination round in the books for both genders, with eight of the Top 10 men’s seeds and nine of the Top 10 women’s moving on.
Standings Update: France, Russia, USA Are Set for #VNL Final Six
Coming into Friday’s action, the United States needed one point to secure its spot in the VNL Final Six and the Americans got just that with a five-set loss to top seeded France. Russia also earned the right to plan its trip to Lille, France, with a sweep of Italy.
Russia Clinches Final Six Spot with Sweep of Italy
Dmitry Muserskiy came off the bench to rack up 12 points and lead Russia in a sweep of Italy to grab a spot in the VNL Final Six.
USA Moves Into VNL Final Six Despite 44 Errors in 5-Set Loss to France
The United States gave away 44 points on errors in a five-set loss to France on Friday, but clinched its spot in the Final Six regardless of the defeat.
Germany Edges Bulgaria in 5; Iran Tops Korea in 4 in Pride Matches
Both teams scored 109 points in the match, but it was Germany that rallied from down 2-1 in the match to steal away the five-set win over Bulgaria. Thirty-five errors were too much for South Korea to overcome in a four-set loss to Iran on Friday.
Serbia, China End Final Six Hope for Canada, Japan with Victories
A sweep at the hands of Serbia eliminated Canada from its outside shot at Final Six contention. Japan also was knocked out of the race as Chuan Jiang carried China to a four-set win over Japan with a 26-point effort.
Poland, Brazil Bounce Back with Sweeps to Open #VNL Week 5
Even with top scorers Artur Szalpuk and Bartosz Kwolek on the bench for most of the match, Poland snapped its three-match losing skid with a sweep of Argentina. Wallace DeSouza scored a match-high 16 points and had help from Lucas Loh and Lucas Saatkamp in leading Brazil to a sweep of Australia, ending a three-match skid.
