2018 FIVB VOLLEYBALL MEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
- 9–30 September
- Schedule
- Teams
- Power Rankings
One of the saddest things that fans will have to adapt to as the WCH shifts into its second phase is that they will miss some great volleyball players’ actions after some teams were departed home. Here is a list of performers who dazzled fans with their play, but unfortunately ended up going home early:
Opposite Hitter: China’s Chuan Jiang
Just as he did in the VNL, Jiang headlines our Eliminated Squads Dream Team. He led the first phase of the WCH in scoring, with 87 points in 18 sets (4.83/set), and while he wasn’t as dominant as he was in the VNL in the game’s other fundamentals, he still put up very solid numbers all-around, such as 0.40 aces per set, good enough for 14th place overall. Jiang is still only 24 years old and currently plays for Beijing.
Chuan Jiang – FIVB
Outside Hitters: Japan’s Yuki Ishikawa and Tatsuya Fukuwaza
Ishikawa really shined in the tournament, finishing it as the competition’s 4th most efficient hitter, with a dazzling 58% performance. He also scored close to 3 points per set while finishing at the 25 in scoring and top 20 in passing. Ishikawa is only 23 years and and plays for Italy’s Siena. If he is able to reproduce these numbers in Italy’s mighty A1 season, we can expect him to break out into stardom.
Another player that was featured in our VNL’s eliminated squads’ Dream Team, Fukuzawa had himself a very solid tournament, hitting close to 50%. His biggest contribution though, came at the reception game, as he finished the competition as its 7th best receiver at 37% efficiency. He currently plays for Japan’s Panasonic Panthers.
Yuki Ishikawa – FIVB
Tatsuya Fukuwaza – FIVB
Middle Blockers: Cuba’s Roamy Arce and China’s Longhai Chen
Cuba’s Arce finished the competition as its 2nd best blocker, stuffing 0.74 balls a game, while also hitting 53% from the court. Arce is currently 21 years and and plays for Cuba’s Matanzas. Does he have the potential to become the next RobertLandy Simon?
Complimenting Arce, we have another Asian player. Chen is not much of a scorer, although he did hit the ball at a 70% clip when called into action. Regardless, he left the competition as its 9th best blocker with 0.61 stuffs per set, proving to be a very good defensive asset for the upcoming Chinese squad. He currently plays for Shanghai.
Roamy Arce – FIVB
Longhai Chen – FIVB
Setter: Tunisia’s Khaled Ben Slimene
Slimene finished the competition as its 5th best setter at 7.35 running sets/set. He is only 24 years old and plays for his home-country’s Tunis. This was his second WCH participation, and with that kind of solid performance, he should get an opportunity abroad soon.
Khaled Slimene – FIVB
Libero: Dominican Republic’s Enger Feliz
Feliz finished the competition as its 6th best digger at 1.81 digs/set. He is still only 22 years of age and plays for his home country’s Santo Domingo. Just like his compatriot Brenda Castillo, if Feliz keeps this up, he should have no problem becoming one of the best liberos in the world.
Enger Feliz – FIVB
Leave a Reply