2018 FIVB MEN’S VOLLEYBALL NATIONS LEAGUE – WEEK 5/POOL 18
- June 22nd-June 23rd, 2018
- Jiangmen Sports Hall, Jiangmen, China (seats 8,500)
- Time Zone: China Standard Time, UTC+8 (U.S. Eastern Time +12)
- World Rankings: #6 Canada, #11 Serbia, #12 Japan, #20 China
- Preview
- Schedule/Results
| Date | Time | Score | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jun | 16:00 | Canada  |
0–3 |  Serbia |
21–25 | 18–25 | 17–25 | 56–75 | |||
| 22 Jun | 19:30 | China  |
3–1 |  Japan |
25–16 | 25–21 | 18–25 | 25–22 | 93–84 |
Serbia def. Canada 3-0
- Serbia defeated Canada 25-21, 25-19, 25-17
- Serbia moved to 9-4 (23 points); Canada moved to 6-7 (18 points)
A sweep at the hands of Serbia eliminated Canada from its outside shot at Final Six contention as at 6-7 with just two matches remaining, the Canadians cannot reach the nine win milestone, already occupied by six squads.
Ten blocks were key in lifting Serbia past to the victory. The Serbians boasted a 10-1 lead in blocks, a 7-3 advantage in aces and a 36-35 edge in kills. The victors also were credited 22 points by way of Canadian miscues, while limiting their own errors to 17.
Srecko Lisinac led a trio of Serbian players with double-digit scoring efforts, tallying 16 points on eight kills, a team-best five aces and three blocks. Uros Kovacevic (13) and Aleksandar Atanasijevic (12) followed, with Kovacevic tacking on nine kills, two block and two aces and Atanasijevic added 12 putaways. Marko Podrascanin chipped in three kills and a team-leading three blocks. Top scorer Drazen Luburic did not play in the match.
Gavin Schmitt was the lone Canadian to reach double digits, notching 17 points on 16 kills and an ace. Jason Derocco added eight points (7 kills, 1 block) after entering the match in Set 2, while Nicholas Hoag racked up seven points (6 kills, 1 block). Graham Vigrass managed just three points, while Steven Maar was 2-for-11 in kill attempts before exiting after Set 2.
China def. Japan 3-1
- China defeated Japan 25-16, 25-21, 19-25, 25-22
- China moved to 3-10 (9 points); Japan moved to 6-7 (15 points)
Chuan Jiang carried China to a four-set win over Japan with a 26-point effort, including a match-high 19 kills and five aces.
Jiang also tacked on two blocks in the victory, while Shuhan Rao chipped in 11 points on seven kills and a team-best four stuffs. Jingyin Zhang and Libin Liu notched nine points apiece on eight kills and a block each.
Yuji Nishida (17) and Masahiro Yanagida (10) led the way for Japan, each scoring all of their points on kills. Akihiro Yamauchi (7), Hiroaki Asano (6) and Haku Ri (5) followed. Ri put up a team-best four blocks and added an ace, while Yamauchi added two stuffs. Masahiro Sekita was one of five players with an ace, serving up two.
China won the match at the net with a 15-6 lead in blocks. The Chinese also led 47-41 in kills, but that advantage was nullified by 31 errors (to 26 for Japan) and a 6-5 deficit in aces.
After losing its last six VNL matches, the Chinese ended their their longest skid since losing nine in the 2006 World League tournament.
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