It’s on to the 3rd round of the 2018 FIVB Women’s World Championship for 7th-ranked Italy (9-0, 27 points), top-ranked China (8-1, 24 points) and the 2nd-ranked United States (7-2, 19 points). The Italians bested the Americans, who squeaked in after the Chinese knocked off the Russians Thursday night.
2018 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Championships
- October 7-11, 2018
- Schedule
- Teams
- Pool F: Italy, China, United States, Russia, Turkey, Thailand, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan
- Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium (Osaka, Japan)
Pool F Final Standings and Results:
| Matches | Pts | Sets | Points | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | W | L | W | L | Ratio | W | L | Ratio | |
| 1 |  Italy |
9 | 0 | 27 | 27 | 3 | 9.000 | 738 | 538 | 1.372 |
| 2 |  China |
8 | 1 | 24 | 25 | 5 | 5.000 | 732 | 605 | 1.210 |
| 3 |  United States |
7 | 2 | 19 | 22 | 11 | 2.000 | 743 | 658 | 1.129 |
| 4 |  Russia |
6 | 3 | 18 | 22 | 12 | 1.833 | 776 | 682 | 1.138 |
| 5 |  Turkey |
5 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 1.000 | 663 | 633 | 1.047 |
| 6 |  Bulgaria |
4 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 0.778 | 674 | 722 | 0.934 |
| 7 |  Thailand |
3 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 22 | 0.727 | 776 | 826 | 0.939 |
| 8 |  Azerbaijan |
2 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 22 | 0.364 | 630 | 706 | 0.892 |
| Date | Time | Score | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Oct | 10:40 | Turkey |
0–3 | Russia |
15–25 | 17–25 | 16–25 | 48–75 | P2 Report | ||
| 7 Oct | 13:25 | Bulgaria |
0–3 | United States |
16–25 | 17–25 | 11–25 | 44–75 | P2 Report | ||
| 7 Oct | 16:10 | Italy |
3–0 | Azerbaijan |
25–12 | 25–19 | 25–10 | 75–41 | P2 Report | ||
| 7 Oct | 19:20 | China |
3–0 | Thailand |
28–26 | 25–20 | 25–23 | 78–69 | P2 Report | ||
| 8 Oct | 10:40 | Bulgaria |
1–3 | Russia |
21–25 | 20–25 | 25–23 | 19–25 | 85–98 | P2 Report | |
| 8 Oct | 13:25 | Turkey |
0–3 | United States |
21–25 | 17–25 | 18–25 | 56–75 | P2 Report | ||
| 8 Oct | 16:10 | China |
3–0 | Azerbaijan |
25–17 | 25–16 | 25–17 | 75–50 | P2 Report | ||
| 8 Oct | 19:20 | Italy |
3–0 | Thailand |
25–15 | 25–12 | 25–15 | 75–42 | P2 Report | ||
| 10 Oct | 10:40 | Turkey |
3–1 | Azerbaijan |
26–24 | 25–17 | 22–25 | 25–21 | 98–87 | P2 Report | |
| 10 Oct | 13:25 | Bulgaria |
3–2 | Thailand |
25–18 | 22–25 | 18–25 | 25–22 | 19–17 | 109–107 | P2 Report |
| 10 Oct | 16:10 | Italy |
3–1 | Russia |
22–25 | 25–20 | 25–18 | 25–22 | 97–85 | P2 Report | |
| 10 Oct | 19:20 | China |
3–0 | United States |
25–17 | 26–24 | 25–18 | 76–59 | P2 Report | ||
| 11 Oct | 10:40 | Bulgaria |
3–0 | Azerbaijan |
25–19 | 25–20 | 25–20 | 75–59 | P2 Report | ||
| 11 Oct | 13:25 | Turkey |
3–1 | Thailand |
22–25 | 25–20 | 25–22 | 25–20 | 97–87 | P2 Report | |
| 11 Oct | 16:10 | Italy |
3–1 | United States |
25–16 | 25–23 | 20–25 | 25–16 | 95–80 | P2 Report | |
| 11 Oct | 19:20 | China |
3–1 | Russia |
25–22 | 21–25 | 25–23 | 25–15 | 96–85 | P2 Report |
#7 Italy def. #2 United States 3-1 (25-16, 25-23, 20-25, 25-16)
- Italy moves to 9-0 (27 points); United States falls to 7-2 (19 points)
- Attendance: 480
- Match Stats
Behind another impressive performance by Paola Ogechi Egonu, 7th-ranked Italy stayed perfect (9-0) with a 4-set upset victory over the 2nd-ranked United States. The Italians used a 15 to 7 blocking advantage and 6 to 2 serving edge to secure the win.
Egonu could not be stopped, as she tallied 33 points on the night with 25 kills, 5 blocks and 3 service aces. Miryam Fatime Sylla also had a strong performance for Italy, contributing 22 points on 16 kills, 4 blocks and 2 service aces.
“Today’s match was very important to preserve the No. 1 ranking through the second round,” Italy head coach Davide Mazzanti said. “It was also important for our confidence going into the next round. I am very proud of my team because we researched the play of the American team to know about their style and we were able to beat this strong team.”
Team captain Jordan Larson led the Americans with 14 points on 14 kills. Kimberly Hill followed with 12 points on 11 kills.
Despite the loss, the United States were able to qualify for the 3rd round after China topped Russia.
#1 China def. #5 Russia 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-23, 25-15)
- China moves to 8-1 (24 points); Russia falls to 6-3 (18 points)
- Attendance: 950
- Match Stats
Top-ranked China ended 5th-ranked Russia’s hopes of advancement with a 3-1 victory Thursday night. The Chinese limited errors to 13 and outperformed their opponent on the block (14 to 3) and at the service line (12 to 7) to send the Russians packing.
“I think today’s game was very hard, very difficult, especially the first three sets,” China head coach Jenny Lang Ping said. “Russia is traditionally a very strong team above the net, so it was very important for us to keep a good level ready for the next round.”
China used a balanced attack to earn the win, as 4 players contributed double figure point totals. Ni Yan led the way with 16 points, followed by Xinyue Yuan (15 points), Xiangyu Gong (14 points) and Yingying Li (14 points).
The Russians had 2 25-point scorers in Irina Voronkova and Kseniia Parubets.
China, which secured its 3rd round berth on Wednesday, moves on with an 8-1 record and 24 points. Russia, which won World Championships in 2006 and 2010, exits the tournament with a 6-3 mark and 13 points.
#12 Turkey def. #16 Thailand 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-20)
- Turkey moves to 5-4 (15 points); Thailand falls to 3-6 (11 points)
- Attendance: 360
- Match Stats
12th-ranked Turkey rattled off 3-straight wins after dropping the opening set to overcome 16th-ranked Thailand in 4 sets. The Turks outperformed the Thais on the block (17 to 5) and at the service line (8 to 5) to cap their FIVB Women’s World Championships appearance with a win.
“Today it was important for us to finish this tournament with a win,” Turkey team captain Eda Erdem said. “Thailand is a great team. In Asian volleyball they play with too much variation and too much combination and their side-out is so strong. We knew they would push us with a strong serve and a strong attack and they always fight so hard in defense; they never let one ball fall down. I have to congratulate them. They are a really great team. For us, I think we started good in the first set but they (Thailand) served really good and attacked really good and we could not find our rhythm. In the second set we started to serve better and started to attack better and make our block and defense. In the end we won 3-1 and we are happy to finish this tournament with a win. It is good to finish with a winning 5-4 record and this game was also important for our world ranking. I hope next time it will be 9-0 and always winning for us.”
Turkey was led offensively by Meryem Boz, who contributed 24 points on 19 kills and 4 blocks. Joining her in double figures were Erdem (16 points, 10 kills), Zehra Gunes (16 points, 5 blocks) and Meliha Ismailoglu (13 points, 10 kills, 3 service aces).
Sittirack Onuma (16 points), Apinyapong Wilavan (13 points), Kanthong Malika (11 points) and Nuekjang Thatdao (10 points) led the way for Thailand, which continued to miss injured starters Kokram Pimpichaya (knee) and Kongyot Ajcharaporn (ankle). Moksri Catchu-On (ankle) appeared just once in the 4th set.
#17 Bulgaria def. #24 Azerbaijan 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-20)
- Bulgaria moves to 4-5 (11 points); Azerbaijan falls to 2-7 (6 points)
- Attendance: 160
- Match Stats
In its final match of the 2nd round, 17th-ranked Bulgaria secured a sweep of 24th-ranked Azerbaijan Thursday night. The Bulgarians played low error volleyball (11), served up 10 aces and posted a 10 to 9 edge on the block to earn the victory.
“I am really happy that we finished this World Championship with a win,” Bulgaria team captain Hristina Ruseva said. “Yesterday we had a really big fight against Thailand and they made us more tired, and also we have had a lot of games. I am happy we could continue to focus on this match and we can win.”
A trio of Bulgarians registered double-digit point totals to close out the tournament with a win, including Miroslava Paskova (13), Ruseva (12) and Nasya Dimitrova (11).
Polina Rahimova of Azerbaijan led the way with 16 points, followed by Odina Aliyeva, who notched 7.
Bulgaria closes the tournament with a 4-5 mark, while Azerbaijan finishes with a 2-7 record.
“For our young players, it was a really important tournament for them to grow up and we had many discussions about what we need to do better,” Bulgaria head coach Ivan Petkov said. “We saw too many mistakes during the games, but also we saw a lot of positive moments in the organization of the game. This year for me it has been a great pleasure to work with these girls and I wish them all success and good health for the season with their clubs.”
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