2018 FIVB MEN’S VOLLEYBALL NATIONS LEAGUE – WEEK 4/POOL 14
- June 15th-June 17th, 2018
- Ludwigsburg, Germany | Arena Ludwigsburg (Capacity: 5,325)
- Time Zone: Central European Summer Time (UTC +2)
- World Rankings: #4 Russia, #7 Argentina, #10 Germany, #12 Japan
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- Schedule/Results
| Date | Time | Score | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jun | 18:00 | Germany  |
2–3 |  Japan |
22–25 | 25–21 | 15–25 | 25–20 | 12–15 | 99–106 | |
| 15 Jun | 20:30 | Russia  |
3–0 |  Argentina |
25–20 | 25–20 | 26–24 | 76–64 | |||
| 16 Jun | 16:00 | Germany |
3–1 | Argentina |
25–19 | 25–19 | 20–25 | 25–22 | 95–85 | ||
| 16 Jun | 19:00 | Russia |
3–0 | Japan |
25–16 | 25–22 | 25–23 | 75–61 |
Germany def. Argentina 3-1
- Germany defeated Argentina 25-19, 25-19, 20-25, 25-22
- Germany moved to 5-6 (17 points), Argentina moved to 2-9 (8 points)
Simon Hirsch, Moritz Reichert and Tobias Krick starred in a four-set win over Argentina to snap a two-match skid.
Hirsch posted a match-high 17 points on 12 kills, a team-best four blocks and an ace. Reichert paced the offense with 14 putaways to go with a team-high two aces. Krick also put up four stuffs to go with his eight kills. Ruben Schott played a key supporting role with six points, all on kills, among nine players who scored at least three points in the match. Marcus Bohme played in just the fourth set, but scored five points (4 kills, 1 ace) and Moritz Karlitzek added five points in Set 3 alone. Christian Fromm came in as a substitute in each set, notching two kills and a block.
Four Argentine players managed double-digit scoring efforts, led by Cristian Poglajen and Martin Ramos, who tallied 12 points apiece, all on kills. Agustin Loser and Sebastian Sole followed with 10 points each. Loser downed eight kills and added two blocks, while Sole chipped in seven putaways and a team-best three stuffs. Facundo Conte did not play in the match.
The Germans boasted an advantage in every statistical category: kills (55-54), blocks (10-7) and aces (7-1). Both teams committed 23 miscues.
“We had a good feeling on the court, but lost our way in the 3rd set so are pleased to come back and win the fourth,” Reichert said.
Germany started strong and carried it through to a 25-19 win, which came on a Schott putaway.
In Set 2, Germany boasted a five-point lead at 16-11 and used three blocks in a row to up the margin even more. From there, the Germans stumbled a bit, especially from the service line, giving Argentina hope. Hirsch buoyed the team until an Argentine service miscue clinched the 25-19 win.
Argentina trailed 3-0 in Set 3, but rallied to build a 16-13 lead behind Ramos’ leadership. Sole put the Argentines on the hill for the set, then Krick hit a ball long to sew up the 25-20 victory and extend the match.
Down 4-1 in Set 4, Germany brought Bohme into the match and saw an immediate spark care of a kill and an ace. Lukas Kampa and Christian Fromm each had his number called in Set 4 as the team looked to overcome a mid-set deficit. Fromm supplied a block and two kills to bring the Germans a match-point try. A stuff sealed the match for the home side.
Russia def. Japan 3-0
- Russia defeated Japan 25-16, 25-22, 25-23
- Russia moved to 8-3 (25 points); Japan moved to 5-6 (13 points)
Russia owned the net both offensively and defensively in a sweep of Japan, marking its fourth straight win.
The Russians boasted a 46-39 advantage in kills and a 9-1 lead in blocks. Both teams served up three aces and Russia owned a slight 18-17 edge in points off errors.
Dmitriy Muserskiy was back in the starring role after taking the backseat to Ilia Vlasov and Dmitry Volkov on Friday, scoring 18 points on a match-high 16 kills and two blocks. Romanas Shkulyavichus (11) and Anton Karpukhov (10) followed, while three others, including Volkov and Vlasov also scored. Shkulyavichus and Karpukhov added eight kills apiece, while the former put up a team-high three blocks and the latter added two. Egor Kliuka chipped in a team-best three aces as part of his seven-point tally. Volkov scored six points, all in a substitution effort in Set 3 (5 kills, 1 block). Vlasov chipped in five kills.
Issei Otake was the lone Japanese player to score in double digits, posting 15 points, all on kills. The next highest scorer was Takuya Takamatsu (7), followed by Kentaro Takahashi (6), Hiroaki Asano (6) and Yamato Fushimi (5). Asano managed six kills, while Takahashi and Takamtsu added five apiece. Takamatsu served up two of the team’s three aces, while Fushimi notched the team’s lone block. Haku Ri, Masahiro Yanagida, Tatsuya Fukuzawa and Akihiro Yamauchi all played sparingly in the match. Yuji Nishida did not play.
Muserskiy made his presence felt early with a five of Russia’s first 12 points, and even went on to end the set at 25-16.
Japan boasted a slight 8-7 lead in Set 2 and stayed just ahead throughout the middle of the match, but Kliuka served up his third ace of the match to keep Russia in it. Japan was the first to 20 points in the set, but that sparked the Russian block to life, which sent the team to a 25-22 win.
The teams were tied up at 16 all in Set 3 and despite a Japanese rally, it was Russia who had the upper hand. A Volkov attack was stuffed on a set-point try, but Japan gave the point back on a service error to end the night.
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