2017 WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONS CUP
- Women – September 5-9
- Men – September 12-17
- Nagoya and Osaka, Japan
- Women – Schedule/Results
- Men – Schedule
- Power Rankings
France has had a less than expected start at the World Grand Champions Cup, with a 1-2 record and currently sitting in fifth place. They will need a win over Italy on night four to increase their chances of earning a medal in their debut season. Italy, on the other hand, sits at a 2-1 record and third place overall, needing the win as well to keep their medal hopes alive.
The last time the two teams met was in the 2017 World League, where Italy fought back from behind twice to take down the Frenchmen.
France is without their star player, Earvin Ngapeth at the competition, as he is looking to recover from an injury in time for the club volleyball season. Leading the French has been Thibault Rossard with 30 points followed by Stephen Boyer with 28. Rossard has also accomplished a 62% reception percentage, entering in 30 excellent passes.
Italy has had a dominant front line, Filippo Lanza lead the scoring with 58 points while Luca Vettori is not far behind with 57. Oleg Antonov creeps into the top-five in scoring with 45 points including eight aces.
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