2018 FIVB MEN’S VOLLEYBALL NATIONS LEAGUE – WEEK 1/POOL 1
- May 25-27, 2018
- Kindarena, Rouen, France
- Time Zone: GMT + 2 (US Eastern Time +6)
- World Rankings: #8 Iran, #9 France, #12 Japan, #16 Australia
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- Schedule/Results
| Date | Time | Score | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 May | 17:00 | Australia  |
1–3 |  Japan |
18–25 | 15–25 | 25–23 | 17–25 | 75–98 | P2 P3 | |
| 25 May | 20:00 | France  |
3–1 |  Iran |
25–20 | 24–26 | 25–20 | 25–17 | 99–83 | P2 P3 | |
| 26 May | 17:00 | Australia |
0–3 | Iran |
23–25 | 23–25 | 21–25 | 67–75 | P2 P3 | ||
| 26 May | 20:00 | France |
3–1 | Japan |
25–16 | 20–25 | 25–20 | 25–22 | 95–83 | P2 P3 | |
| 27 May | 15:00 | Iran |
1–3 | Japan |
22–25 | 28–30 | 25–23 | 23–25 | 98–103 | P2 P3 | |
| 27 May | 18:00 | France |
3–0 | Australia |
25–17 | 25–20 | 36–34 | 86–71 |
Japan def. Iran 3-1
- Japan defeated Iran 25-22, 30-28, 23-25, 25-23
- Japan moved to 2-1 (6 points); Iran moved to 1-2 (3 points)
Yuji Nishida downed 18 kills, part of a team-best 21 point effort, to lead five double-digit scorers in a 3-1 win for Japan and regional foe Iran.
Masahiro Yanagida (17), Haku Ri (15), Akihiro Yamauchi (12) and Tatsuya Fukuzawa (11) rounded out the group. Ri tallied 14 kills, while Yanagida notched 13 kills and added three of the team’s seven aces. Fukuzawa chipped in 10 putaways, while Yamauchi accounted for eight kills and a team-leading three blocks.
Amir Ghafour was the top scorer in the match with 22 points, including 18 kills and a match-high four blocks. Seyed Eraghi scored 12 points (9 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace), while Mojtaba Mirzanpour and Ali Shafiei posted 11 points apiece, including 10 and eight kills respectively.
Japan went up 6-1 in Set 1, but Iran rallied to within two at 12-10 and eventually tied things up at 16. A late charge, capped by a Ri putaway, grabbed Japan the 25-22 win.
Iran erased an early 9-6 deficit in Set 2, climbing within one at 15-14. The teams traded blows down the stretch as the set went to extra points, but in the end two Yanagida aces helped Japan steal away the 30-28 victory.
Japan led 18-16 late in Set 3, but Iran would not be denied, taking the lead at 19-18 and holding on for the 25-23 win thanks in part to its strong block.
After a tie at 8-all in Set 4, Japan outlasted its foes for the 25-23 win.
France def. Australia 3-0
- France defeated Australia 25-17, 25-20, 36-34
- France moved to 3-0 (9 points); Australia moved to 0-3 (0 points)
Stephen Boyer crushed 16 kills and led all scorers with 18 points as France overpowered Australia in a Sunday sweep.
Kevin Tillie chipped in 11 points, 10 on kills, while Earvin Ngapeth and Thibault Rossard turned in seven apiece, despite playing partial matches for France as coach Tillie Laurent went 12 deep on his 14-man roster.
Lincoln Williams mustered 10 points, all on kills for Australia, which utilized 12 players, with 10 notching at least one kill in the match. Thomas Hodges was next behind Williams with six putaways, while Nehemiah Mote and Jordan Richards accounted for five apiece. Beau Graham downed four kills and added a team-leading three blocks.
France was far from perfect in the win, committing 27 errors, but making up the eight point differential (19 errors for Australia) with a 50-36 lead in kills, 8-5 advantage in blocks and 5-4 edge in aces.
The French started the match with a 5-0 run and cruised to an 11-2 advantage, denying the Aussies until a late run, before hanging on for a 25-17 win.
Australia gained the early edge in Set 2, going up 6-4, but watched it evaporate into a 16-12 deficit. A 4-0 run put the set out of reach and a service error gave the French the two-set lead (25-20).
Roussard and Jonas Aguenier started Set 3 as Ngapeth and Nicolas LeGoff took a seat, and accounted for nine kills in their stead. The French trailed 16-14, but rallied to go up 21-19. It took nine match-point tries, however, before France wrapped up the win at 36-34 on a Boyer putaway.
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