2017 FIVB BOYS’ U19 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- August 18th-28th
- Riffa and Isa Town, Bahrain
- Schedule
- Teams
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Day 3
- Day 4
- Day 5
- Round of 16
- Quarterfinals
- Semifinals
- Finals and Bronze Medal
- Event page
Joel Schneidmiller had a perfect game as Team USA debuted against hosts Bahrain, much for the dismay of the home crowd. While current World Champions Poland were downed by Brazil, last tournament’s silver medalists Argentina and bronze medalist Iran were able to come up with important wins in the second day of competitions. Here are the pools and recaps from the day’s games.
Pool A
| Matches | Pts | Sets | Points | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | W | L | W | L | Ratio | W | L | Ratio | |
| 1 |  United States |
1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3.000 | 98 | 93 | 1.054 |
| 2 |  Bahrain |
1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1.000 | 187 | 180 | 1.039 |
| 3 |  Egypt |
1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1.000 | 184 | 183 | 1.005 |
| 4 |  Puerto Rico |
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0.800 | 206 | 214 | 0.963 |
| 5 |  Tunisia |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.667 | 112 | 117 | 0.957 |
Pool B
| Matches | Pts | Sets | Points | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | W | L | W | L | Ratio | W | L | Ratio | |
| 1 |  France |
2 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3.000 | 185 | 155 | 1.194 |
| 2 |  Brazil |
1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1.250 | 196 | 188 | 1.043 |
| 3 |  Japan |
1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | MAX | 75 | 51 | 1.471 |
| 4 |  Poland |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.333 | 78 | 97 | 0.804 |
| 5 |  Cuba |
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 | 107 | 150 | 0.713 |
Pool C
| Matches | Pts | Sets | Points | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | W | L | W | L | Ratio | W | L | Ratio | |
| 1 |  South Korea |
1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | MAX | 75 | 54 | 1.389 |
| 2 |  Argentina |
1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3.000 | 96 | 85 | 1.129 |
| 3 |  Russia |
1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1.333 | 160 | 138 | 1.159 |
| 4 |  Turkey |
1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1.000 | 117 | 127 | 0.921 |
| 5 |  Chile |
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 | 106 | 150 | 0.707 |
Pool D
| Matches | Pts | Sets | Points | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | W | L | W | L | Ratio | W | L | Ratio | |
| 1 |  Italy |
1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1.250 | 196 | 204 | 0.961 |
| 2 |  China |
1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | MAX | 75 | 55 | 1.364 |
| 3 |  Czech Republic |
1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1.333 | 171 | 158 | 1.082 |
| 4 |  Iran |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1.500 | 111 | 97 | 1.144 |
| 5 |  Mexico |
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 | 114 | 153 | 0.745 |
FIVB Recaps:
USA x Bahrain
Joel Schneidmiller helped Team USA open their campaign with a 3-1 (28-26, 25-19, 20-25, 25-23) win over hosts Bahrain. Schneidmiller built his 23 points from 21 attacks, and two blocks, then Jaylen Jasper also helped USA’s winning cause with 19 points. Hasan Mohamed topped all scorers with 24, but was the lone double-digit scorer from the hosts’ side. USA showed some muscle with 54 attack hits and 14 stuff blocks.
The USA prevailed 28-26 in the opening set after they struggled to make a full run as Bahrain challenged them in every play. The hosts continued to fight in the second set, but USA used their height advantage to take another set win. Bahrain had better team effort that helped them win in the third, but fell short in the fourth as USA reached the end with a two-point edge.
Here are the post match reactions:
USA captain Joel Schneidmiller: We were pretty nervous heading into this game, especially since we are playing the hosts. We knew there was going to be a big crowd, so it really helps a lot for us to come out and get this win. It helps us relax a little bit since we knew this would be the most hyped game. We can now be more composed.
USA coach Sam Shweisky: We prepared our players the best we could for this game. It took a while to get comfortable and react to such great energy from the crowd. Once we got more comfortable, we relaxed and did a really great job. We have only been training together in the past two weeks. We started off with 23 guys, made a few cuts and then we’ve been training with this 12 only for less than a week. We are excited by the prospects of improving as we go.
Bahrain coach Yusuf Khalifa: We lost today but I am very proud of my players. USA are a very strong team. They are always among the best-ranked teams in the world at any level of volleyball. I am satisfied but the result was not for us. We now look forward to our next match against Puerto Rico. We will prepare hard for that match.
Bahrain captain Saif Yusuf: I am very proud of the way we played against such a strong opponent. We played very well and we are very exhausted. We will work hard for the next match.
Poland x Brazil
Guilherme Santos and Wellington Oppenkoski headed a solid Brazilian squad that posted an upset on defending champions Poland 3-1 (22-25, 25-13, 25-18, 25-22). They recorded 16 and 15 points, respectively, outscoring their Polish counterparts Remigiusz Kapica and Bartosz Firszt, who scored 14 and 13 points. Poland outscored Brazil in attacks 54-38, but the European side also had 43 errors that cost them the match. Poland hitters scored relentlessly from the wings to edge Brazil in the first set. However, their errors in the second set allowed the Brazilians to easily take the second set. Brazil kept their momentum, while Poland suffered from their errors in the third set. The South Americans showed solid defense that enabled them to run powerful combinations to finish the match in four sets.
Here are the post match reactions:
Brazil coach Leonardo Carvalho: This win absolutely feels better than our loss yesterday. We were a little bit anxious in the first set and we knew that this was a difficult mission and that we had to win today. Our mental balance was not so good in the first set, but we played better. I expect the team to improve day by day. I think the players will continue to perform better as we go along. My players are determined, but great determination requires good control. We must be calm. We need to rest a little bit and think about our next match against Cuba. They have two losses and they will probably bounce back, so we have to be ready.
Brazil captain Joãoo Franck: We had a good performance today. Our middle blocker Guilherme Santos was amazing today. He played excellently in attack. Arthur Nath changed the tempo of the game when he went inside the court. These two players helped us a lot in this victory.
Poland coach Maciej Zendel: We are disappointed with our game today. We committed too many mistakes. However, it’s only the first match and we will try and play much better tomorrow. We can win if we play better tomorrow and the next day. I think we need to do something to inspire our play.
Poland captain Szymon Jezierski: This is our first match in this tournament and we are very disappointed with the loss, but we will never give up. We will keep going and do our best. We are a completely new team compared to the one that won the World Championship in 2015. This is a new adventure for us and we want to play each match and get better and better. We hope to win our next match.
Argentina x Russia
Argentina survived their opening set loss to overcome Russia 3-1 (20-25, 25-13, 25-23, 26-24) and show why will be a team to reckon with in the future. Argentina’s Juan Barrera (13 points) and Luciano Palonsky (12 points) provided the firepower for the South American side. Ivan Kuznetcov and Stanislav Antonov scored with the same number of points for the Russian side. Russia played a solid game at the start but crashed in the succeeding sets to their share of errors in attack. They were setting up their offence with good tempo, but the hitters ended up with misfires. They also gave away much points from the service line. Meanwhile, Argentina played good defense. They stood by the net convert with 12 block points, and they persisted with good floor defense to address the opponents’ powerful spikes.
Here are the post game reactions:
Argentina coach Luis Testa: I think we played an excellent match. We did everything to prepare for this, and the boys followed the game plan. We want to commend our opponents Russia as they played well. Most of the sets were quite close but we are happy to win in the end.
Argentina captain Federico Jose Seia: We are very happy to win today. We did not play so well in the first set but we recovered as we played with a lot of heart.
Russia coach Andrey Nozdrin: Argentina is a very fast team with perfect defense, while we had some problems with our attack today. It is only our second match and so we can play better and faster in the next matches.
Iran x Italy
Iran forced a tie break on Italy to win their first match (25-16, 23-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-12) and show the world why the future looks bright for the senior squad. Iran’s Porya Yali led all scorers with 28 points from 24 attacks, two blocks and two aces. Amirhossein Esfandiar also stood out with 21 points, to annex Iran’s offensive armory. Iran showed their offensive prowess in the first set with Yali and Esfandiar’s unyielding attacks from the flank. Italy could not find their tempo but vindicated themselves in the succeeding sets by posting a formidable presence at the net. The European side’s persistent blocking effort blanked the opponents’ hitters, posting a total of 15 points from blocks. Italy gained good momentum into the second and third sets, but Iran earned back their offensive rhythm to force the decider. By the fifth set, Iran stood by with their attacks that broke through Italy’s defenders. The Asian side maintained their momentum to seal victory in the tie-break.
Here are the post match reactions:
Iran coach Reza Vakili Farjad: It is my job to make this team strong, to make the key to open the door of opportunity to win. This level of this team can sometimes go up or go down. But Italy is a very good team with such a high level of skill.
Iran captain Amirhossein Esfandiar: We know Italy as a strong team, but every team plays to win, including our team. We tried to help one another to raise their level of play during the match. I am very happy to play the first match in the competition with victory in the end.
Italy captain Daniele Lavia: In the first set, we did not play well, as we had problems in service. In some moments, we really tried to play well as a team, but Iran played so much better than we did. We just made too many mistakes.
France x Cuba
Celestin Cardin top scored with 16 points to lead France in their 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-14) win over Cuba. He had 14 attacks, a block and an ace to lead all scorers. Remi Bassereau also had a productive day with 15 points to outscore Cuban top scorer Rey Isaac Flores Quesada, who tallied 11 markers. France had a big advantage with 42 attacks and six aces, but Cuba played better defense at the net with nine blocks. France had lesser errors than Cuba to win 25-19 in the power-packed first set. After trailing the Cubans, the Frenchmen started another strong run led by Bassereau to level the score and complete the second set win at 25-23. France made a 5-0 run headed by Celestin Cardin after the tied score of 5-all. The European side mounted an even bigger lead, which helped them reach set and match victory easily.
Here are the post match reacions:
France coach Belmadi Slimane: A lot of teams are in the same level, so in the end we need to focus on every point to make a difference. We played at the same speed as Cuba and we need to play faster when we face Japan. Japan play very fast and if we do not do the same, it will be hard for us to win. It will be a very hard match tomorrow against Japan. We need to play better that is why I always tell my players to play better every day. We must be more focused and we have to fight more.
France captain Lucas Soldner: We need to show more fight, more respect to the technical plan of the game. We need to have more speed in the game. The team spirit is good right now and we hope we can continue playing like this.
Cuba coach Jesus Lopez: We lost our first two matches, so we have no other options but to win the next two to qualify to the next round. We are in a difficult situation right now. My players were a little better than yesterday, but it was still not enough to win the game. We have to play much better in the next match.
Cuba captain Rey Quesada: We need to keep fighting and playing to win tomorrow. Our next two opponents are Poland and Brazil and they are very tough competitors.
Turkey x Chile
Turkey triumphed in straight sets (25-14, 25-19, 25-19) against Chile behind Adis Lagumdzija‘s scoring output of 15 points, while Batuhan Avci contributed nine points to their effort. Turkey capitalized on aggressive service, making Chile struggle and scramble for the first ball. The European side scored off a total of four aces in the match. Chile showed in the second set that they could play along for rallies and make good decisions in transition. But consistent play remained a challenge for the South American side. Meanwhile, Turkey showed good distribution of offence from setter Onur Cukur, enabling a nearly complete armory of hitters from every possible attack point.
Here are the post match reactions:
Turkey coach Umit Hizal: After our loss in the first match of this championship, we had a long discussion. My players learned from the match we lost. I think now, they know better on what to do in specific situations, and I hope we can just play better and better each day.
Turkey captain Adis Lagumdzija: Our first match in the competition was catastrophic, we played really bad, like never before. Today, we played a bit better, but there are still a lot of things to improve on. We hope to be able to perform better in the coming matches.
Chile coach Ivan Villareal: This experience is useful for us to improve. We just have to keep learning in this World Championship, as this is a big experience for our players. If we want to improve our level of play then we have to expose ourselves to play against difficult opponents.
Chile captain Joaquin Leon: This is a difficult match. Turkey is a difficult opponent and I think we played so bad today. We were nervous. It will be a hard competition, but for sure, we want to fight and play better.
Czech Republic x Mexico
The Czech Republic charted their first victory by winning 3-0 (28-26, 25-16, 25-17) against Mexico. Czech hitter Marek Sotola led all scorers on the field with 13 points scored off purely on attacks, while Jan Svoboda helped out with 10 more points. Mexico captain Raymond Gerald Stephens scored 12 points. The Mexican side put up a great effort in the first set, executing their brand of offence with much precision, and playing good defense as well. They failed to close out the first set, and later suffered from unforced errors. Czech Republic played steadily through the match, leading on all fronts, with 32 attacks, eight blocks, and seven service aces.
Here are the post match reactions:
Czech Republic coach Jiri Zach: In the first set, the Mexicans played really well, much better than we expected. We were lucky in the end of the first set. We then tried to improve our play in the next sets. I know this is a very tough competition with a lot of good teams from different parts of the world. It’s just very interesting and exciting for us that we can compete here.
Czech Republic captain Ondrej Piskacek: I feel really happy because it was an interesting match for us, and we want to celebrate this victory. In the first set, we were very nervous, but after, we tried to improve on our service and over-all tactics.
Mexico coach Gabriela Isela: This year, we have a lot of great teams to face in the World Championship, and I can say that Mexico is doing well year by year. We were in fourteenth place in the last edition and our objective is to be able to improve our standings.
Mexico captain Raymond Gerald Stephens: In our first match, we made a lot of mistakes, but I think today, we did less errors. We have to keep training to get better.
Egypt x Puerto Rico
Youssef Hamdy Awad led Egypt to a 3-1 (29-27, 25-20, 23-25, 25-17) win over Puerto Rico by scoring 17 of his 19 points from the attack line. His teammate Yousef Hafez Elsirgany contributed 15 points. Pedro Molina recorded 16 points, as Egypt silenced Puerto Rican top scorer Gabriel Garcia, who only recorded 11 markers in the match. The opening set went down to the wire, with Egypt getting the break to gain the two-point edge at 29-27. After a series of deadlocks, Egypt tightened their floor defense to set-up their offence until they gained a 2-0 set edge. Puerto Rico endured Egypt’s late run and extended the match to a fourth set. Y. Elsafy starred in some key plays to ensure Egypt’s win in the fourth set.
Here are the post match reactions:
Egypt coach Nehad Shehata: I think our game is coming back to normal. We were under a lot of pressure yesterday against Bahrain and it was our first match in the World Championship, but today we bounced back. Puerto Rico have a lot of good potential players, but my players played well to beat them today.
Egypt captain George Bakhit: We had fan support today and we played very well. We still have a better level than this. We hope to play better against Tunisia tomorrow. We must win this next match in order to advance in this tournament.
Puerto Rico coach Juan Albarran: It was very difficult to win when the other team sets the ball high and we do not block. We have to make some little adjustments. We must focus on tomorrow’s game and see what we can do against USA. We also have to improve on our hitting.
Puerto Rico captain Gabriel Garcia: I didn’t have a good game. We didn’t have a good level of concentration. I think we can focus some more on what the tasks are. We know we have to be positive despite this loss.
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