2017 WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONS CUP – WOMEN’S
- September 5-9
- Nagoya and Osaka, Japan
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- VolleyMob Power Rankings
- Day 1 Recap
- Day 2 Preview
- Day 2 Recap
- Day 3 Preview
- Day 3 Recap
- Women – Schedule/Results
- WATCH LIVE
Team USA x Japan
Japan and USA, trailing close behind unbeaten China, with a 2-1 win-loss record each, will be looking to stay in contention for the title as they close the penultimate competition day in Nagoya with a face-to-face encounter.
Their most recent meeting came at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in which USA won in straight sets. Team USA will be riding behind Kimberly Hill, who is playing exceptionally. Statistics shows that she is the tournament’s third most efficient spiker, with a 44.8& success rate. She is also the tournament’s best server. Jordan Larson and Lauren Carlini are also doing very well, Larson being the tournament’s second best digger and fifth best receiver, Carlini being its second best setter.
Meanwhile, Japan is showing its ever consistent defensive game. Kotoe Inoue, Mami Uchiseto, and Koyomi Tominaga are the tournament’s number 1, 3, and 4 best diggers respectively, while Uchiseto and Risa Shinnabe are its best two receivers. To round of the list, Japanese setter Koyomi Tominaga is the tournament’s best setter up until now.
Brazil x Korea
After two consecutive defeats at the 2017 FIVB Women’s World Grand Champions Cup in Japan, Brazil will be looking for recovery against winless Korea on Saturday. Most recently, these teams met at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In the preliminary round, Brazil won in straight sets.
Brazil has never lost three matches in a row at the Grand Champions Cup. It won’t happen this time, though, as Korea’s squad is just too young to contend at this tournament. After all, they scored only 4 points in a set yesterday against China. Let’s not forget they were invited to it with a wild card spot, hence, have no real business fighting against its top dogs. They are well in their way, just as we predicted before the competition, to be the first team in WGCC history to lose all its sets in the competition.
Brazil stingy defense will be led by its two middle blockers, Ana Beatriz Correa and Ana Carolina da Silva who are leading the statistics one and two, respectively.
China x Russia
This will be the 100th match in the history of the women’s Grand Champions Cup, a nice mark indeed, and what better way to celebrate then with a consolidated rivalry? The squads’ most recent head to head table was at the 2017 World Grand Prix. In the first week, China prevailed in five sets, but in the third week Russia took revenge and won 3-1. However, in the WGCC, the Chinese are still unbeaten after three games.
We expect Russia to put a fight, as they never been swept in its 23 game WGCC history. The Chinese, however, is a a well oiled machine, as it conceded only 30 points versus Korea, fewest for a team in the tournament. They are also in a six game win streak, if you consider 2013’s competition.
The game will be an offensive showcase. Nataliya Goncharova and Tatiana Kosheleva are number 1 and 5, respectively, in scoring for the tournament. Goncharova is also its second most efficient spiker. Chinese superstar Zhu Ting is the second highest scorer and most efficient spiker up until now.
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