VolleyRuller96

Day 06 Japan 3-2 South Korea (27-29 / 25-19 / 16-25 /28-26 / 15-12)

We won the third set 25-20 Come on guys

South Korea won its first set in the tournament against rivals from Japan

Our coach Vital Heynen promised free beer for every fan in attendance if we will win 3 matches for 3 points this week too, guess he must secretky pray we lose as about ~ 11 000 people watched the previous games

Group Stage, LEG 5 out of 6 Day 2 out of 2 - 03 June 2018 - schedule all times are CEST GOLDEN LEAGUE GROUP A 17:30 Belgium - Estonia GROUP B 20:00 Slovenia - Ukraine GROUP C 18:00 Portugal - Finland 18:00 Spain - Czech Republic FREE STREAMING OF THE GOLDEN LEAGUE MATCHES IS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball-cev-golden-european-league-men SILVER LEAGUE GROUP A 20:15 : MAcedonia - Latvia FREE STREAMING OF THE SILVER LEAGUE MATCHES IS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball-cev-silver-european-league-maenner

Leg 5 day 1 Results GROUP A Sweden 3-0 Slovakia (27-25 / 32-20 / 25-21) GROUP B Netherlands 3-2 Turkey (24-26 / 25-21 / 25-22 / 23-25 / 15-9) GROUP A Austria 3-0 Kosovo ( 25-11 / 25-12 / 25-20) GROUP B Albania 2-3 Hungary (26-28 / 19-25 / 25-21 / 29-27 / 9-15) GROUP B Croatia 1-3 Belarus (25-18 / 17-25 / 16-25 / 21-25)

MEN'S Week 2, day 3 SCHEDULE (3 JUNE 2018) all times are CEST 15:00 South Korea - Japan 16:00 Serbia - Australia 16:00 Poland - Germany 17:40 Brazil - United States 19:00 Bulgaria - Russia 19:00 France- China 21:10 Iran - Canada 00:10 Argentina - Italy

PRELIMINARY ROUND STANDINGS after 5 played matches System: 1. FRANCE is automaticaly qualified as final 6 Host. 2. TOP 5 TEAMS after the preliminary round qualify for the final round. 3. If France is among the top 5 teams , THE 6-th RANKED TEAM also qualifies. 4. The 12 CORE TEAMS can not be relegated. 4. The WEAKEST PLACED CHALLENGER team may be relegated from the competition if they lose the relegation playoff against the FIVB Challenger Cup (to be played at a later date) winner. Tie-Break Criteria: 1.Matches Won/Lost Ratio (MW/ML) 2. Points Achieved (3 PTS = 3:0 or 3:1 win ; 2 PTS = 3:2 win ; 1PTS = 2:3 defeat ; 0PTS = 0:3 or 1:3 defeat) 3. Set Ratio. Nation MW ML PTS SET 1. 5 0 15 15:1 2. 5 0 13 15:5 3. 4 1 13 14:3 4. QUALIFIED 4 1 12 12:5 5. 4 1 11 13:6 6. 3 2 10 11:7 7. CHALLENGER 3 2 9 10:8 8. 3 2 7 9:11 9. 2 3 7 9:11 10. CHALLENGER 2 3 6 9:12 11. 2 3 5 8:11 12 1 4 4 6:12 13 CHALLENGER 1 4 3 5:12 14 1 4 3 5:13 15 0 5 2 6:15 16 CHALLENGER 0 5 0 0:15

DAY 05 SUMMARY Brazil 3-0 Japan Goiania, Brazil , June 2 , 2018 - Wallace shone for Brazil - despite the lights going out. The match was delayed for over 30 minutes at the start of the third set when the stadium lighting system failed mid-rally leaving the Brazilian fans packed into the arena - as well as the players - very much in the dark. Yet when power was restored , Brazil were reignited once again as they bagged another comprehensive straight sets 3-0 (26-24 25-19 24-20) win to keep pace with their rivals. Japan would have welcomed the unexpected break in play with the scoreboard showing the relentless hosts two sets up and cruising to a fourth VNL win (it was also their fourth clean sweep) from five with an impressive all round showing thanks to excellent displays from top scorer Wallace ( 10 spikes, two blocks and three aces) and healthy contributions from Lucas (nine points), Douglas (seven points) and Mauricio Souza.( four spikes, three blocks , three aces). It was just the type of bright show from Brazil who will need to deliver their A game tomorrow when they take on the USA in a battle of the two best teams in the world. Japan certainly came into the match full of confidence after pushing the Americans all the way yesterday in a thriller which saw them sensationally storm into a two set lead before eventually being felled by the second best team in the world. The performance of Issei Otake (13 points), who was superb from the service line as well as in front of the net, suggested confidence levels hadn’t been affected while Hiroaki Asano (nine points) and Kentaro Takahashi (nine points including three aces) also shone. Their efforts so far in Goiania have certainly merited a win and they will look to head off into week three on a high when they meet Korea tomorrow. For Brazil , however, the acid test against the US is now on their radar after securing another straight-sets win in the VNL. The Brazilians wiped the floor with Korea on Friday and with Japan next up in front of an adoring, excitable home crowd, the hope was for more of the same. Taking on the finest on the planet was always going to be a tall order - the Japanese haven’t beaten the South Americans for 25 years and last took a set off them 11 years ago. Add in the fact that top scorer Wallace, who was rested for the match against Korea, was reinstalled here, and it’s fair to say that Yuichi Nakagaichi’s men were up against it from the very start. That said, the Japanese were brilliant in the opener. Otake was blocking superbly and when, at 23-23, the opposite spiker’s thunderbolt was deflected wide by flailing Brazilian hands, the side currently sitting seventh in the VNL table had the chance to create a little slice of history and win a set against the men in yellow for the first time since the FIVB World Cup in 2007. Yet the adversity spurred the home side on. The first point was saved and then the momentum began to switch allowing Brazil to take the lead and a position of strength which they never gave up. It was another hammer blow for Nakagaichi’s energetic team and although Takahashi’s aces were keeping Japan alive, the combined power and poise of Douglas and Wallace was just too much to handle. Douglas was defending superbly and when an Otake spike was blocked, the second set was sealed. Just five points into the third, the power lines were down brining a temporary lull to proceedings. Fans looked on sightly bemused but used the time to dance, sing and pay homage to their heroes. And when the lights finally began to shine once more, so too did Renan Dal Zotto’s team who were rarely troubled as they eased through the gears to set themselves up superbly for that mega match against the Americans on Sunday. Poland 3-0 China Lodz, Poland, June 2, 2018 - Artur Szalpuk was the star of the show as Poland extended their perfect start to the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League with a comfortable 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-21) victory over China, to remain top of the men’s standings with five wins from five. Having already beaten Korea, Russia, Canada and France in their first four games, hosts Poland came into this one as the clear favourites, and the reigning world champions didn’t disappoint in front of a boisterous crowd at the Atlas Arena. Szalpuk is by no means a guaranteed starter for Poland, but the 23-year-old wing spiker did a superb job as coach Vital Heynen chose to rest several key players, including captain and top scorer Michal Kubiak. Szalpuk led the hosts with 16 points - including 10 in the first set alone - and he was ably assisted by Bartosz Kwolek (11 points) and Dawid Konarski (10 points) as the Poles claimed their fourth consecutive straight-sets win, for the first time since winning the world title on home soil in 2014. Of Szalpuk’s 16 points, 14 were spikes and two were aces, while the impressive Kwolek added eight spikes and three aces. Konarski - who starred off the bench in Friday’s 3-0 win over France - contributed six spikes, three blocks and another ace. As well as outscoring China 9-3 on serve, Poland were superb in defence, conjuring up 10 blocks compared to just two for the visitors. Their imposing middle blocker Jakub Kochanowski was responsible for half of those, and also added four spikes. Jiang Chuan was the tournament’s top scorer heading into this match with 80 points, and he was once again China’s star performer with a match-high 18 points - including 16 spikes - even if the visitors never looked in danger of troubling their hosts. Zhang Chen produced a fine block as China made a solid start to the opening set, but it wasn’t long before Poland began to slip through the gears, with back-to-back aces from Szalpuk giving them a 7-5 lead. The hosts served excellently throughout the opening set, racking up no fewer than five aces, while their superiority at the net soon had them into a 16-10 lead, despite a couple of fine spikes from Chuan and Rao Shuhan. Szalpuk continued to lead the Polish charge on his way to double figures in the opener, and though China briefly threatened to rally the hosts soon brought up six set points. Kwolek sent the first into the net, but Szalpuk, fittingly, squeezed an effort over to put Heynen’s side in the driving seat (25-19). The Belgian coach was seriously unimpressed with his team’s start to the second set, however, as China raced into a 5-1 lead thanks to fine work from Chuan and Miao Ruantong. The furious Heynen called a time-out, and some choice words helped to get his men back on track; Kochanowski produced a huge spike, before combining with Konarski to shut China out at the net. Konarski also added a spike as Poland took the lead for the first time in the set at 10-9. The hosts’ serving began to make the difference once again and they soon surged clear, with Kwolek sending over a rocket of an ace at 116 kilometres per hour. The gap was soon 20-13, and while Chuan did what he could, the visitors simply couldn’t handle Poland’s outstanding collective strength. Maciej Muzaj came off the bench to round out the second set (25-18). Fabian Drzyzga produced a neat flick early in the third set as Poland looked to put the hammer down from the off, but China appeared determined not to go out without a fight. It was nip-and-tuck throughout, with errors creeping in on both sides but Poland just about managing to keep their noses in front. Kochanowski produced a monster block to deny Chuan before Szalpuk whipped a spike right into the corner for 12-10. Chuan and Szalpuk were both vying to finish as the match’s top scorer - and while the Chinese star eventually triumphed in that particular battle, Poland held on to win by straight sets yet again, as a couple of late errors handed them both the set and the match (25-21). The world champions therefore moved back above Brazil to top the standings with a maximum 15 points from 15. They will now be gearing up for Sunday’s big clash with neighbours Germany - the team they beat in the semi-finals of the 2014 World Championship - while China will need something special to claim their second win of the campaign against France. United States 3-0 South Korea Goiania, Brazil, June 2, 2018 - Matthew Anderson helped the USA rise above the challenge of Korea and maintain their perfect 5-0 record in the VNL with a comprehensive straight-sets 3-0 win (25-23 25-21 25-11). The 6 foot eight opposite spiker was smashing the ball with his customary venom and racked up 10 spikes, two blocks and an ace as the Americans kept pace with leaders Poland as they bagged their fifth win on the spin to set them up perfectly for Sunday’s titanic clash with Brazil. Anderson wasn’t the only hero wearing Stars and Stripes - Jake Langlois (15 points) and Torey Defalco and David Smith (nine each) were also impressive in what a great, cohesive team display from the Olympic bronze medallists. This was another testing encounter for Korea who are now the only side in this inaugural tournament to have not won a single set. The Asian side are the lowest ranked side in the VNL and although it’s not for a lack of effort, the competition on show have just proved to be stronger in those decisive moments. They last beat the US at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and that record was in no danger of being broken here. Seung-Suk Kwak (seven points) and Sung-Min Moon (five points) were the liveliest Koreans on show although 23 errors (the US finished with 22) did little to help the plight faced by Kim Hochul’s side who managed just two blocks compared to eight from their opponents. While Anderson power was key, so too was the defensive play of captain David Smith who, once again, led from the front in style. Smith was also spiking ferociously in a first set which was very tight with the scores level at 16-16 . Korea were hanging in there but the US had a number of massive hitters to call upon. Wing spiker Langlois was on hand to unleash another rocket like finish to make it 21-19 and although the Koreans managed to scramble level at 22-22 it was left to the excellent Defalco to seal the deal when his spike couldn’t be kept out. Benjamin Patch, hero of Friday’s miraculous comeback from two sets down against Japan, was watching on from the sidelines, coach John Speraw opting to rest him ahead of the Brazil test, and the wing spiker would have been enjoying the view. It wasn’t long before the Americans extended their lead in the second, moving easily into an 11-4 lead which helped them double their advantage and move into the third knowing more of the same would seal their second straight-sets win in the VNL. The set stats illustrated in the gulf in power between the two sides - the USA spiked 18 winners compared to 11 from Korea and even a higher error tally from the no2 ranked side in the world (7-4) wasn’t enough to allow their opponents grab a foothold in the game. The decider was one way traffic with Smith and Defalco keeping the pressure right on until the very end. Yet make no mistake, it won’t be the same against the Olympic champions on Sunday. Serbia 3-2 Russia Sofia, Bulgaria, June 2, 2018 - Serbia squeezed through another five set encounter as they downed Russia 25-20, 23-25, 23-25, 25-22, 12-15. Drazen Luburic starred again with 29 points, 28 of which were attack winners. That takes him to 75 for the competition, and fourth position in the best scorers table. The Balkan side trailed Russia 13-27 in the head-to-head at world level prior to the match – but have now won the last four encounters. Supporting the main man Luburic was middle-blocker Srecko Lisinac and outside hitter Marko Ivovic – both with 13 points – who stepped up at crucial times to steer the victory the way of their team. While Russia’s coach Sergei Shliapnikov stuck largely with the same team for the duration, Nikola Grbić of Serbia mixed things up a lot more making full use of his 14 man squad. Russia have now lost to both Poland and Serbia in the Volleyball Nations League, despite the best efforts of Dmitriy Muserskiy who scored 23 points from the position of middle blocker (17 spikes, 5 blocks, 1 serve). Three others reached double figures against Serbia, namely: Egor Kliuka (18), Konstantin Bakun (17) and Ilia Vlasov (10). Serbia may have taken the win, but Russia did outscore the Balkan side 108-107 points across the match. However Volleyball is a game of sets and Serbia took the three they needed to bring their third win in the Volleyball National League and now sit in 7th position with 3 wins and 2 loses. Russia has an identical record, but as they have won two of their matches in straight sets they are 4th in the table. Both will be looking to improve of their positions further tomorrow when Serbia faces Australia and Russia takes on Bulgaria. The game started, as it would eventually continue, with a big contest in the middle of the net. Both teams knew that if they could win that battle it would go a long way to winning the match. The score stayed close throughout the first set with Dmitriy Muserskiy making the difference towards the end both in attack and defence to extend a lead 23-19. From here Russia never looked back and took the set to twenty points. The second was similar to the first, however Serbia were able to stay with the 2012 Olympic Champions untill the end. At 23-23 it was the Balkan middle star Srecko Lisinac who attacked first tempo and brought up set point for his team. Serving it himself, he then defended the Russian attack before the Serbian captain Marko Ivovic hammered it down the line past Igor Kobzar. In a clear difference from the first set, Serbia were putting nearly 50% of their serves down to position 5 and it made the difference. Buoyed after levelling the match, Serbia attacked the third set and established a considerable lead by the half way point, but back came Russia to within two with Egor Kliuka scoring points from seemingly impossible positions. Serbia rallied again and just managed to keep the two point lead required to take the set. On set point it was an attack by Drazen Luburic that resulted in the ball coming back but leaving Russia completely out of system, so when the Serbian block got their hands on the ball there was no-one around to bring the ball up again. The fourth was another close affair with both teams knowing the match was on the line, however back to the form of the first set it was Russia who pulled ahead when it mattered winning the set off a hammer attack from Anton Karpukhov. Having gone to five sets the day before with Bulgaria, Serbia started the more confident and fantastic defence by libero Neven Majstorovic brought a continuation hit for Konstantin Bakun where he overcooked it and Serbia led 8-6 at the turn around. A monster block by Petar Krsmanovic straight out of the interval started to bring the finish line into view for Serbia, however Russia bounced back again to lead at 12-11 but when Muserskiy over passed a free ball it all changed again. At 12-12 Drazen Luburic served an ace, and it was his powerful serve that forced a mistake in the Russian attack of Karpukhov to bring up match point. Another big serve by Luburic swung the rally the way of Serbia and in the end Srecko Lisinac hit a winner in transition to snatch the match for his team. France 3-0 Germany Lodz, Poland, June 2, 2018 - Thibault Rossard and Barthélémy Chinenyeze both produced fine individual performances as France recovered from Friday’s straight-sets defeat to Poland by beating Germany 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-23) on Saturday. France - winners of the now defunct FIVB World League in 2015 and 2017 - are already guaranteed a place in next month’s Final Six as hosts, but coach Laurent Tillie will nevertheless have been expecting a reaction after his previously unbeaten side went down 3-0 to current Volleyball Nations League leaders Poland in Lodz on Friday. Rossard and Chinenyeze spearheaded the revolt against the Germans, in a repeat of the bronze medal match which France lost 3-0 at the 2014 FIVB World Championship. Wing spiker Rossard led the way with 10 points (eight spikes, one block and one ace), while 20-year-old middle blocker Chinenyeze contributed seven spikes and two blocks as France moved back up to fourth in the standings. It was a solid team performance all around from Tillie’s men, with the coach even enjoying the luxury of resting his son - star wing spiker Kevin Tillie - ahead of their next match against China. Similarly, there was no sign of Germany’s top scorer Christian Fromm, as Andrea Giani’s men gear up for a crunch encounter with neighbours Poland on Sunday. France’s top scorer Stephen Boyer also added seven spikes, while the towering Kevin Le Roux had six spikes and a block and 21-year-old Jean Patry came off the bench to add five spikes and an ace. Simon Hirsch led the Germans with nine points - eight spikes and an ace - while highly rated youngster Linus Weber grabbed five spikes, two blocks and an ace despite only coming off the bench in the second set. Germany’s Ruben Schott came up with a big block to shut down Boyer from the off, but Le Roux and Chinenyeze responded with huge spikes in a balanced opening to the match. Rossard whipped over a 126 kilometre-per-hour ace as the French opened up a four-point lead, before Boyer grabbed his first spike of the match to make it 10-5. Another fine serve from Antoine Brizard helped Tillie’s side remain in control, with the Germans let down by some poor serving. France never looked likely to let the first set slip after going in 16-9 at the second technical time out, and more excellent work from Boyer and Chinenyeze soon brought up five set points. Germany saved two, but Julien Lyneel soon saw the French over the line (25-21). Germany made a better start to the second set - David Sossenheimer setting the tone with a thunderous spike - but a couple of serves into the net helped France get back on level terms. Rossard made it 4-4 after libero Jérémie Mouiel dived low to somehow keep a spectacular rally going, although a couple of storming efforts from Hirsch and Sossenheimer got the Germans back in front by the technical time out. It was incredibly tight throughout the middle part of the set, with the two sides matching each other blow-for-blow - a delicate touch from Chinenyeze here, a rocket from Hirsch there - but the French then embarked on a run of eight unanswered points to take a commanding 21-13 lead. Germany pulled it back to 21-16, but Yacine Louati and Le Roux edged France closer to a two-set advantage before Boyer rounded it out in style following a sensational rally (25-18). France were able to take their foot off the gas somewhat early in the third, with coach Tillie entertaining the Polish crowd at the Atlas Arena while his men continued to keep Germany at arm’s length on the court. Patry responded to Jakob Günthör, while Le Roux grabbed another two points to make it 8-5 by the technical time out. Germany’s attempts to draw level were undermined by a number of serving errors, although the up-and-coming Weber, just 18, put in an impressive turn, scoring the majority of his eight points in the final set. Patry also did a fine job after coming off the bench as France closed in on victory, with Tillie even withdrawing Boyer in the closing stages. Germany managed to pull within two points, but some more wayward serves and a big spike from Louati brought up three match points, as Le Roux eventually saw it out for France (25-23). Germany now face the arduous task of taking on top dogs Poland on home soil, as they seek only a second victory in six Volleyball Nations League outings. France should have it somewhat easier as they go up against China, who have also claimed just one win from five. Australia 3-0 Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria, June 2, 2018 - A straight sets win for Australia (25-23, 25-23, 26-24) sees them make history as Lincoln Williams top scores again with 15 points. Speaking after the game the big opposite hitter explained that the VolleyRoos “always have the belief that we can win” and that their “fighting spirit made the difference today”. With the error count on a similar number for both teams and each set being decided by just two points it is fair to assume that the Australians won the important points when it mattered in each set. The travelling side also fared much better in the spiking department than their opponents (38-28), largely due to the conversion rate of Williams through two. Other key performers were Paul Sanderson (10 points) and Luke Smith (9 points), while the Libero-Setter combination of Harrison Peacock and Luke Perry were consistently brilliant through-out the match. Bulgaria will look at the match and conclude that they under performed, but in the blocking department they actually doubled the number achieved by the victors. In total seven players scored with at least one block over the three sets. Nikolay Uchikov top scored for the home side with 11 points, closely followed by Nikolay Penchev with 10, but it is the loss of setter Bratoev which will hurt them the most. Prior to their meeting in Sofia, the closest Australia had got to beating Bulgaria was a 2-3 loss in the 2016 World League and as they were yet to take a win in the inaugural Volleyball National League many of the fans in the Bulgarian capital would have been expecting a different outcome. This match also broke a pattern for Bulgaria who have alternated between winning and losing over their last 10 world level matches. To conclude the weekend, Australia will face Serbia tomorrow while Bulgaria will take on Russia. Set one started with both teams exchanging spikes along with the lead, but neither team able to establish a considerable gap. That was until they reached the twenties when the away side took a firm grasp on the direction of the set, led by their setter Harrison Peacock. Bulgaria successfully challenged a touch at 23-18 to avoid facing set point and came back with some strong blocking through Iliya Petkov, but a service error by the same player led to a first chance for the Australians. Their big opposite Lincoln Williams then had a swing through two for the set but was put down by a big Bulgarian block, then up stepped Luke Smith to pass and hit a winner from the pipe position and the team in gold took the first set 25-23. Tensions rose at the start of the second set leading to an Australia yellow card for Sanderson at 5-5, but they soon composed themselves to lead by one at the first technical. With both teams fighting hard the crowd enjoyed a monster block on Williams as the set reached double figures. They also rose to their feet when Svetoslav Gotsev produced a moment of magic to tip from position 4 to position 4 to tie the game again for Bulgaria at 14 all. This seemed to inspire the home side, who knew that the Australian side were yet to win more than a single set in any Volleyball Nations League match to date, as Bulgaria led 20-18. From here their plan seemed to come undone as errors crept into their game. With the Australians ahead the Bulgarian blocking came to the fore again to level 23-23, however a Bulgarian attack onto the net band gave Australian Sanderson a chance to serve for the set, which he did with an ace to the floor, redeeming himself for the earlier card. Bulgaria’s situation went from bad to worse early in the third set when their setter Georgi Bratoev landed on an Australian blockers foot and turned his ankle at 7-6 to his side. It is yet to be seen how long he will be out for, but in came Georgi Seganov as the crowd clapped off their departing number 1. Allso in for the third was Bulgarian number 8 Todor Skrimov who took control of proceedings with a couple of aces to take a 16-13 lead at the second technical. At 19-17 the crowd were treated to a mega rally as Bulgaria threw everything they had at their attack, with Australian libero Perry producing a couple of moments of magic to keep the ball in play before the team in Gold could no longer find the answer. In the twenties, Bulgaria thought they had the set under control at 24-22, but control was what they were missing as the pressure mounted on the home side and errors ended up gifting the set to Australia for their first Volleyball National League victory. Italy 3-1 Iran San Juan, Argentina, June 2, 2018 - Ivan Zaytsev surged back to top form as Italy rebounded from their first Volleyball Nations League defeat to sink Iran 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-20) on Saturday.Zaytsev, the prolific and hard-hitting Italian wing spiker, had struggled in his team’s loss to Canada a day earlier but was back to his best in racking up 14 attacking points to comfortably see off Iran’s challenge.Osmany Juantorena was strong and consistent again and contributed 11 points of his own to ensured Italy’s cruised to their fourth win after five games of VNL action.Milad Ebadipour was firing again for Iran and came up with 11 total points, yet the team was unable to conjure another positive result to follow on from its previous victory over host nation Argentina.There was a whole different level of energy about Italy as the fourth-ranked team in the world was clearly on a mission to show they can be a serious threat in the competition and the intensity was too much for their opponents to handle.The opening set was tight and tense but the Italians seemed to relish the struggle. Juantorena’s elbow problems from earlier in the tournament seemed to be behind him as he led the way early, combining fierce offense with fine court-positioning to open up a small gap.Iran, ranked eight, fought hard and when Ali Shafiei blocked Juantorena to make it 23-24 it looked as they might sneak out of trouble. However, a Seyed Eraghi fault on set point let Italy off the hook, and set the tone for the rest of the match.Momentum was now firmly in the Italian camp and Gianlorenzo Blengini’s side was suddenly full of confidence, and unafraid to show off its swagger. Luigi Randazzo produced one of the serves of the tournament with a swirling, dipping effort for an ace to make it 20-14 and Simone Anzani followed up an imposing block at the net with a scream of delight to send Italy on its way.Iran was suffering, and though Igor Kolakovic called a clever challenge with no timeouts left to give his squad a breather, it ultimately made little difference as his team slumped to a seven-point reversal. After winning its last six five-setters in a row Iran would have liked its chances in a decider, but getting to that point was always going to be a major obstacle. Italy’s repeated its habit of making solid starts to each set, and while Ebadipour put up a fight and got things close at 16-14 with an ace, the all-round game of the European side was the telling difference.Zaytsev is near-impossible to stop when he is in full flow and his huge smash to establish a late four-point lead seemed to knock the last bit of fight out of Iran. Libero Massimo Colaci finished things off on the final point and just like that, all seemed well in the Italian camp once more. Blengini’s team will cap things off in San Juan by taking on Argentina, while Iran will meet Canada in their final encounter of the round.Italy’s win took them to 11 points and fifth place in the VNL table - and well in contention for a finals slot as things stand. Iran’s tally of five points is good enough for 11th place after five matches. Canada 3-1 Argentina San Juan, Argentina, June 2, 2018 - Stephen Maar delivered an intense performance as Canada gave their finals push a major boost with a hard-fought victory (25-22, 25-18, 24-26, 25-23) over Argentina in the Volleyball Nations League.Maar blasted 16 points on offense and contributed further with two key blocks, but his role as the main source of his team’s spirit and fire was even more significant.Midway through the third set the towering wing spiker was involved in an angry exchange with Argentina star Facundo Conte, after Maar glared through the net at his rival following a thundering winner. Conte reacted angrily and Cameron Bann got between them to help things eventually calm down.The San Juan crowd naturally sided with the hometown player, but Maar was happy to play the villain as long as the final outcome was the one he wanted - namely Canada’s second straight win of the round.He was assisted by Jason Derocco, whose offense pulled in 13 points as Canada continued its impressive form to climb to seventh in the VNL table.Conte, with 23 total points, was the best performer for Argentina, who were unable to collect their long awaited first win of the campaign. Agustin Loser was an all-round threat and scored 15 but the home side could not find the consistency needed to get over the line.It was entertaining stuff throughout, with plenty of desire on both sides. The opening set was punctuated with a number of extraordinary rallies, highlighted by one that saw Bann dive headlong from outside the end line before Bruno Lima tipped a neat winner.Some fine serving from Loser closed Canada’s lead to 22-20 but then Marr stepped up, teeing up set point with a sensational block then finishing the frame with a powerful spike.Argentina got ragged in the second, throwing away an early 6-2 lead with a spate of attacking errors, and Canada’s smooth control was paying dividends. Ryan Sclater’s defense and serving was a factor as Canada pulled clear, and it was Schlater’s booming spike that put his team 2-0 up.The third set had everything, with the most unforgettable moment being the spicy confrontation between Maar and Conte. It happened at 10-10, and while the conflict was swiftly resolved it was not forgotten, as evidenced by Maar drilling a spike directly at Conte two points later.By then Canada looked headed for a straight sets win, especially after Cristian Poglajen blasted one long to put his team 23-20 behind. But then it was Conte’s turn to show off his ability, closing the deficit with two precise strikes before a team blocking effort pushed Argentina ahead - with Loser closing the set to complete the comeback.The fourth could have been a similar story. From 23-19 behind, Loser and Conte spearheaded another revival to 23-23, with Maximiliano Savanna’s accurate serving also making a big contribution. However, after a timely sideout, Canada converted their first match point as a return error undid Argentina’s good work, and condemned the team to a fifth straight loss.Argentina’s final chance to get something out of their home stretch comes against Italy on Sunday, while Canada will seek to continue their victorious run against Iran.

Day 05 Canada 3-1 Argentina (25-22 / 25-18 /24-26 /25-23)

Day 05 Italy 3-1 Iran (25-23 / 25-18 / 25-20)

Day 05 Australia 3-0 Bulgaria (25-23 / 25-23 / 26-24)

Day 05 France 3-0 Germany (21-25 / 18-25 / 23-25)

Germany is terrible this year..,

Day 05 Serbia 3-2 Russia (20-25 / 25-23 / 25-23 / 22-25 /15-12)

Day 05 United States 3-0 South Korea (25-23 / 25-21 / 25-11)

Another win but against a much weaker team, now time for

Day 05 Poland 3-0 China (25-19 / 25-18 / 25-22)

Well, they are not as good as they were in for example 2006-2010 where they got bronze in World Championship, World Cup or Euro Championship, but they are still a very good team, definitely better than Japan or China. The distribution of teams is awful, but the Bulgarian Federation probably simply could not afford to buy their spot, unlike Japanese or Chinese federations.

Day 05 Brazil 3-0 (26-24 / 25-19 / 25-20)

Group Stage, LEG 5 out of 6 Day 1 out of 2 - 02 June 2018 - schedule all times are CEST GOLDEN LEAGUE GROUP A 19:00 Sweden - Slovakia GROUP B 17:00 Netherlands - Turkey FREE STREAMING OF THE GOLDEN LEAGUE MATCHES IS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball-cev-golden-european-league-men SILVER LEAGUE GROUP A 20:15 Austria - Kosovo GROUP B 19:00- Albania - Hungary 20:00 Croatia - Belarus FREE STREAMING OF THE SILVER LEAGUE MATCHES IS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball-cev-silver-european-league-maenner

Group Stage, LEG 5 out of 6 Day 1 out of 2 - 2 june - schedule all times are CEST GOLDEN LEAGUE GROUP A 18:00 Ukraine - Bulgaria 18:00 Portugal - Azerbeijan GROUP B 17:00 Croatia - Hungary 20:00 France - Finland GROUP C 18:00 Czech Republic - Belarus 19:00 Spain - Slovakia FREE STREAMING OF THE GOLDEN LEAGUE MATCHES IS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball-cev-golden-european-league-women SILVER LEAGUE GROUP A 16:00 Sweden - Kosovo GROUP B 17:45 Austria - Albania 20:00 Georgia - Israel FREE STREAMING OF THE SILVER LEAGUE MATCHES IS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball-cev-silver-european-league-frauen

MEN'S Week 2, day 2 SCHEDULE (2 JUNE 2018) all times are CEST 13:30 Brazil - Japan 16:00 Serbia - Russia 16:00 Poland - China 16:10 South Korea - United States 19:00 Bulgaria - Australia 19:00 France- Germany 23:10 Iran - Italy 02:10 Argentina - Canada

PRELIMINARY ROUND STANDINGS after 4 played matches System: 1. FRANCE is automaticaly qualified as final 6 Host. 2. TOP 5 TEAMS after the preliminary round qualify for the final round. 3. If France is among the top 5 teams , THE 6-th RANKED TEAM also qualifies. 4. The 12 CORE TEAMS can not be relegated. 4. The WEAKEST PLACED CHALLENGER team may be relegated from the competition if they lose the relegation playoff against the FIVB Challenger Cup (to be played at a later date) winner. Tie-Break Criteria: 1.Matches Won/Lost Ratio (MW/ML) 2. Points Achieved (3 PTS = 3:0 or 3:1 win ; 2 PTS = 3:2 win ; 1PTS = 2:3 defeat ; 0PTS = 0:3 or 1:3 defeat) 3. Set Ratio. Nation MW ML PTS SET 1. 4 0 12 12:1 2. 4 0 10 12:5 3. 3 1 10 11:3 4. 3 1 9 9:4 5. QUALIFIED 3 1 9 9:5 6. 3 1 8 10:6 7. 2 2 7 9:8 8. CHALLENGER 2 2 6 9:9 9. CHALLENGER 2 2 6 7:7 10. 2 2 5 8:8 11. 2 2 5 6:9 12 1 3 4 6:9 13 1 3 3 5:10 14 0 4 2 5:12 15 CHALLENGER 0 4 0 2:12 16 CHALLENGER 0 4 0 0:12

DAY 04 SUMMARY Poland 3-0 France odz, Poland, June 1, 2018 – Poland kept their perfect record into the fourth leg of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League. At a sold-out Atlas Arena in Lodz, the home side delivered an impressive 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-22) shutout of the other team on full nine points after the first week, France, and substitute Dawid Konarski had something to do with it. He came in to replace star starter Bartosz Kurek when Poland were stumbling halfway through the second set and with a few fantastic performances at the net became instrumental to a spectacular turnaround that put the team back on track towards the straight-set victory. Playing their big part in this key moment of the match were also young middle blocker Jakub Kochanowski, as well as Mateusz Bieniek from the serving line. 20-year-old Kochanowski became the leading scorer for Poland’s victory with 11 points, followed by captain Michal Kubiak with 10. France’s Stephen Boyer was the top scorer of the match with 13 points. His teammate Kevin Tillie also went into the double digits with 11. It was a great overall team effort on Poland’s side to reach their fourth consecutive three-point win, masterminded by the clever moves of coach Vital Heynen and inspired by the unabated support from the stands. Poland were trying to recover from a six-point deficit in the second set. After 13-17 Konarski attacked successfully twice to set his squad off on an amazing nine-point rally, which changed the course of the set and the match. Bienek went next with a 108.3 km/h ace. Konarski again, this time with a kill block, added another point to the series. Bienek did one even better, scoring from the serving line with a speed of 112.6 km/h. It was Konarski’s turn again – a spike off the opponents’ block pulled Poland further away. Kochanowski joined in on the fun, winning a joust and mastering a stuff block to register the next two points. Finally Konarski again shaped up the incredible comeback with a kill block for 22-17 Poland’s way... Other than that, the host team were in control pretty much throughout the other two sets, with experienced Kubiak and Kurek setting the example and leading the way to this so important Polish victory. Russia 3-1 Australia Sofia, Bulgaria, June 1, 2018 - Egor Kliuka inspired Russia to their 3rd FIVB men's Nations League victory in 4 games as they saw off Australia in 4 sets (25-18, 25-19, 18-25, 25-22) in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. Kliuka is a maverick talent for Russia, capable of producing shots akin to French stalwart Earvin Ngapeth, and he was sumptuous in Sofia with 17 points, including 14 spikes from 26 attempts, as Russia stumbled to victory in this opening Pool 5 clash against a determined Australia outfit. Mark Lebedew's Australian underdogs gave it their all throughout the contest, and had the game's top scorer Lincoln Williams (23 points) and Jordan Richards (13 points) as their sharp shooters, but they didn't quite have the artistry or the power to force a deciding set against the Russians, who were a long way from their best. Russia, who began week 2 just inside the top 6, looked in cruise control when they took the opening 2 sets, but they dropped off in the 3rd set to allow the Volleyroos back into the match, before recovering their poise to win the 4th. Russia win but fail to impress This Pool 5 contest, with Australia 12 places below Russia at 16th in the world rankings, wasn't expected to pose an obstacle for the European champions, but it was much tougher than anticipated. Russia, who were beaten 3-0 by another title contender Poland last week which was sandwiched between 3-0 victories against Canada and South Korea, cruised through the opening 2 sets - thanks in part to a 6-point burst after being level at 12-12 in the opener - but it wasn't plain sailing after that. Sergey Shlyapnikov's men, who were without 8 key players, went to sleep in the 3rd set and paid the price. Leading 8-7 at the first technical timeout, Russia then lost control of the match with Richards and Williams beginning to boss things from spike range, and the exemplary duo eventually grabbed the set to halve the deficit for Australia. Russia also trailed 8-2 at the first technical timeout in the 4th with a decider suddenly looking probable, but the likes of Kliuka, Muserskiy, Konstantin Bakun and Anton Karpukhov - who produced a magnificent block to drag Russia back to within a point at 11-10 - inspired them to a brilliant comeback as they won in 4 sets to breathe a huge sigh of relief. Shlyapnikov's men also face Serbia and Bulgaria in Pool 5 and will be expected to record a clean sweep in Sofia, but they'll have to improve on this performance. Kliuka stars as Russian blockers dominate Russia have a formidable-looking team, with Kliuka providing the stardust from out wide, while Dmitriy Muserskiy - who had the highest block average per set and the best spike success rate in the Nations League prior to this match - has considerable aura in the middle of the court. Kliuka was electric. A wonderful block from the spike specialist to put Russia 12-8 in front in the 2nd set reminded everyone of his defensive qualities, he then pounced late on to make it 23-19 before another Kliuka block sealed the set. But it was an outrageous left-handed spike to put his side 3-2 in front in the 3rd set that got pulses racing - a trick few players can pull off. The Russian blockers - with Muserskiy contributing - also dominated. Ilia Vlasov (4 from 9 attempts) and Igor Philippov (3 from 6 attempts) made up the giant Russian wall that will surely keep more teams at bay in this Nations League. Australian revival falls short The Volleyroos had a dreadful record against Russia in men's world-level volleyball meetings heading into this match having lost all 10 of their encounters, but they will be buoyed by their 3rd set dominance. Williams' serves were unreturnable in the 3rd and Richards was landing spikes from all angles, but it was the introduction of Arshdeep Dosanjh by Australia coach Lebedew that changed the course of dominance at the net. Dosanjh disrupted Russia's blockers and grabbed 2 blocks from 2 attempts to steer Australia to the set. But despite a fantastic effort, Australia are now winless in 4 VNL matches and without a single point. Star man Egor Kliuka may have been outscored by a commendable performance from Australia's Lincoln Williams, but he played the big points when his country needed him most. 17 points, including 14 spikes and 2 blocks, from one of the most talented players in the men's game. United States 3-2 Japan Goiania, Brazil, June 1 - Benjamin Patch produced a powerhouse performance as the United States pulled off another escape act to eventually see off Japan in a five set thriller 3-2 (23-25 13-25 25-18 25-20 15-10). The Americans found themselves two sets down in their opening match against Argentina last week and after an astonishing opening to this encounter, Japan were in a similar position and smelling a first win over the side ranked no2 in the world since 1993. But thanks to the power of opposite spiker Patch - 14 spikes, one block - and Thomas Jaeschke - seven spikes - that record remains intact as does their unbeaten start in the VNL. You couldn’t help but feel for the Japanese who slumped to their second defeat of the tournament but none will be more heartbreaking than this. It was a wonderful start by Japan who stormed ahead thanks to a mix of errors from their opponents and brilliance from skipper Masahiro Yanagida and the excellent Tatsuya Fukuzawa who both ended up with 14 points. “It takes a team effort to win a game, “ said Patch. “ This was a big moment for us.” The United States endured a long journey from China to South America for this latest round of VNL matches aiming to extend a 25 year hold over Japan and keep their unbeaten start to the tournament alive. Three wins from three have put the US in a great position and skipper David Smith was looking to lead his country to four triumphs on the spin at a world level tournament for the first time since 2015. Japan, with two wins and a defeat, arrived from their first week matches in France knowing with Brazil also on the horizon tomorrow, things aren’t going to get any easier yet with their own captain fantastic Yanagida scoring 31 points last week - Yuji Nishida was the top marksman with an impressive 51 including 45 spikes - they have enough in their locker to trouble any team. And certainly in the early exchanges, the Americans were left in no doubt this was to be a testing afternoon, - a rally at 2-2 was spellbinding stuff - though a lot of their problems were of their own doing. Midway through the first with Japan leading 13-10, 10 of their points had come by the way of USA errors. Nevertheless, it was a lively, energetic contest enjoyed by the Brazilian fans who were making their way into the arena ahead of the hosts’ clash with Korea. Japan were looking dangerous and when their first set point arrived, Nishida rose brilliantly to hammer down a spike. There were 14 USA errors in all - a tally which was simply far too high and double what their opponents racked up - while it was the opposite spiker who was top scorer with just four points! The Americans needed to improve. But with Japan riding the crest of a wave, they were 11-4 up and coasting. Wing spiker Fukuzawa was making his mark and taking advantage of a creaking US defense. The no 12 team in the world were on fire. The errors from the second best on the planet, however, were continuing to appear. US coach John Speraw called a time out with the score at 20-9 and discussed with his coaching team the changes needed to kickstart his side into gear. Something drastic was required because the Japanese onslaught showed no signs of slowing. Their rearguard was as impressive as their attacking intent - and that came to the fore on set point in the second when Fukuzawa ’s showed brilliant tenacity to keep the ball alive before Yanagida helped seal the deal. Japan needed to keep their intensity alive if one of the greatest ever wins was to be completed yet as the third set began to take shape, it was clear that the US had finally awoken. Speraw’s side were nowhere near their best but had managed to creep 16-13 ahead thanks to some excellent work at the net from Taylor Averill while Patch’s fearsome power was beginning to make inroads into the Asian’s lead. Two set points went begging but Aaron Russell pounced to put the US on the scoreboard and begin to send doubts thundering through Japanese ranks. Could Yuichi Nakagaichi’s men hold firm? At 9-9 in the fourth, the answer was very much in the balance. The American errors were creeping back in but Patch was keeping them afloat along with some brilliant work at the net which helped the US establish a two point lead and force a deciding set. Suddenly the momentum was with the US who were able to stay strong and win another thrilling five set match and leave their opponents, who will at least gain confidence from this as they build towards the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but saw their charge here fell apart after ending up with 39 errors compared to 29, utterly crestfallen. Germany 3-1 China Lodz, Poland, June 1, 2018 – With a continuously improving performance by Christian Fromm, Germany beat China 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-21) in Lodz on Friday to register their first victory in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League. Fromm delivered as many as 19 points to top the charts for Germany. Simon Hirsch kept him good company on the scoreboard with 13 points, including four stuff blocks, one ace and the successful hit that ended it all in the fourth set. Two more German players went into the double digits. Marcus Boehme and Tobias Krick finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively. China’s Chuan Jiang was the best scorer of the match. He added 24 points to his tally, but his efforts alone were not enough for winning more than one set. With many Polish fans enjoying themselves on the stands at the Atlas Arena, China came from behind to win the first set, but Germany reacted by winning the next three and the match, putting both teams at a 1-3 win-loss record in the bottom half of the current VNL standings. Hammering the ball at 120 km/h, Jiang got a four-point Chinese run underway in the first set. Libin Liu chipped in with a couple of aces, sandwitching in between another Jiang hit that squeezed the ball between the block and the net, to give China a 12-10 lead and never look back through the end of the set. But Fromm had just warmed up with a couple of points in this first set and was ready to explode in the next three. He started the second set with a fantastic back row hit to give Germany the early lead and finished the set with a brilliant cross-court spike to level the match. Hammering one point after another, Fromm really took the leading role on the squad from the third set on. At 9-9 in the fourth, he scored from the serving line to reverse a short-lived Chinese lead, and followed soon after with a 101.7 km/h pipe shot. Moments later, he showed his gentle side, elegantly tipping the ball over the block for the next German break point. China never recovered from this blow, while Germany celebrated victorious. Brazil 3-0 South Korea Goiania, Brazil, June 1 - Eder Carbonera helped lead the way for Brazil as Korea were crushed in straight sets (25-21 25-19 25-19) to keep their VNL charge firmly on track. It was a wonderful homecoming for the Brazilians who delighted an energetic, packed Goiania Arena crowd with a devastating display which saw a superbly encouraging all round performance from Renan Dal Zoto’s side who take on Japan tomorrow aiming for more of the same. Top scorer Wallace wasn’t even needed so it was left for the excellent Carbonera who ended with 12 points (eight spikes, two blocks and two aces) and Evandro notched 10 points to cap a super show which will need to be replicated when the box office match-up with the USA rolls around on Sunday. Isac Santos (12 points) displayed his immense power as he spiked with unstoppable force while libero Murilo Endres kept things ticking over nicely. Korea, as always , battled hard and produced some quality- Jae-Duck Seo (seven points) and Kwang-In Jeon (seven points) were the standout performers yet matching Brazil’s power, panache and athleticism was a bridge too far. Minsu Jeong also produced some fearless defensive play but it wasn’t enough. It was always going to be a massive ask for Korea side who arrived in South America off the back of three defeats at the start of this VNL tournament so a meeting with the highest ranked team on the planet was never going to be easy. You have to go all the way back to 1992 to find the last Korean win over Brazil and after a blistering display from the hosts in the first two sets, the wait was going to ensue. There were stellar performances from a number of men in yellow - as they closed in on the second set Evandro and Luis Felipe had 15 points between them as the Asian side were simply blown away. The power of their attacking play in the second - 16 spikes compared to 12 - showed the difference between the teams. The serving quality of Carbonera, eanwhile, helped fire the home side forward with four aces. Korea, ranked 21 in the world, were refusing to wilt in the third and were hanging in with Kim producing some great blocks to bring his side into an 9-8 lead. Tha, however, was quickly eradicated and although the Koreans continued to have their moments, the tide was always with Brazil who sealed the win when Leonardo blocked superbly to leave their opponents rock bottom in the VNL and with the USA up tomorrow, it’s not getting any easier. Serbia 3-2 Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria, June 1, 2018 - Drazen Luburic's superb display helped Serbia come from match-point down to snatch a stunning 5-set victory (25-17, 23-25, 23-25, 25-21, 16-14) over hosts Bulgaria in a thrilling FIVB men's Nations League match at the Arena Armeec. Luburic was absolutely vital to his side's cause as a poacher as he finished with 19 points, including a fierce spike to give Serbia match point, while Srecko Lisinac (14 points) was also instrumental as the visitors came from 2 sets to 1 behind to win a sensational match as they just about evaded the clutches of Bulgaria to record their 2nd victory in 4 VNL games. Bulgaria played their part in an unforgettable, high quality contest and looked increasingly stronger as the match wore on as they deservedly took a 2-sets-to-1 lead, with Todor Skrimov the game's top-scorer on 21 points and Nikolay Uchikov weighing in with 18. But, leading 10-5 in the 5th set, they crumbled when the going got tough as Serbia stepped up to win the match thanks to Petar Krsmanovic's ace. This was a thoroughly entertaining encounter with Serbia settling down early on to quieten a vociferous home crowd with some sensational volleyball as they cantered to the opening set. But Bulgaria came out firing with setter Georgi Seganov pulling the strings, while Skrimov and Uchikov acted as the attacking weaponry to haul Plamen Konstantinov's men in front. But Serbia forced a decider and then saved 2 match points in the 5th before taking victory in 2 hours and 37 minutes. Sizzling Serbia march on Serbia played with real verve and tempo with Luburic and Marko Ivovic providing the spikes, while Lisinac - who won 5 points from blocks - was a constant menace at the net. Krsmanovic served beautifully and setter Uros Kovacevic also had a fine game for a Serbian side that looked exquisite when at their free-flowing best. And after falling 2 sets to 1 behind, Nikola Grbic's men showed togetherness and defensive resilience to somehow snatch an unlikely victory and 2 precious points when it looked like they'd have to settle for 1 when trailing by 5 points in the 5th set. Bullish Bulgarians fight back Bulgaria went into this match in form having beaten China and Argentina in Week 1, but they looked overawed as the host nation early on as they were completely outplayed by a fluid and powerful Serbian side. But to their credit, Konstantinov's men, led by the excellent setter Seganov and flanked by the highly dangerous Skrimov and Uchikov, grabbed the game by the scruff of the net. The exceptional blocking duo of Svetoslav Gotsev (5 blocks from 22 attempts) and Viktor Yosifov (3 blocks from 9) were suddenly stopping Serbia at source and they took sets 2 and 3 (both 25-23) to take charge of the match. Bulgaria - with Uchikov and the captain Yosifov outstanding in the 5th set - looked like taking victory, but Valentin Bratoev had a meltdown by missing crucial spikes with the hosts on match point as Serbia came back to spoil the party. Star man Drazen Luburic was far from flawless and looked off at times defensively, but his 19 points - including a crucial spike to bring up match point - and incredible power proved the difference. Canada 3-1 Italy San Juan, Argentina, June 1, 2018 - Graham Vigrass produced a rock-solid performance as Canada brought Italy’s winning start in the Volleyball Nations League to a crashing halt with a 3-1 victory (22-25, 27-25, 25-23, 25-16) on Friday.Vigrass led the way with power and precision and racked up 14 attacking points as the Canadians bounced back from losing the opening set to blunt their opponent’s fierce attacking options and clinch their second win of the tournament.Stephen Maar joined Vigrass and offered a two-way threat, smashing down 11 winners while also chiming in with four crucial blocks. Maar was involved in what ultimately proved to be the turning point of the match, the final rally of the second set, that ended when captain Tyler Sanders tipped the ball downwards for a winner and leveled things at 1-1.Osmany Juantorena struggled with an elbow injury throughout but fought hard for the Italians, who struggled for the kind of consistency that had seen it defeat Germany, Brazil and Serbia in the opening week of matches. Juantorena collected 14 total points, with Ivan Zaytsev blasting 15 in attack, but it simply wasn’t enough.While the crowd in San Juan was mainly in attendance to see the host nation Argentina in later action against Iran, it appreciated a tense and entertaining affair that was decided by Canada’s resiliency.Canada had looked determined from the start despite a 2-15 historical record against Italy and settled quickly in the first set. However, Italy came back into it thanks to Oleg Antonov, who swung things around with a dipping ace and a run of forceful serves. Juantorena secured the set with a block on the final point and Italy looked to be on its way.Yet it was during the second that Italy began to wobble. Juantorena was visibly nursing his elbow and Zaytsev, who crushed 69 points in the opening three matches, was misfiring too often, both on serve and attack.Indeed, the entire Italian service game was off kilter, with five straight faults late in the set. Italy kept responding with sideouts before its luck was extinguished as Sanders got the magical touch to take the set by the narrowest of margins.With the match evenly poised, Canada seemed to want it more and was chasing down everything. Sanders cut his hand sprinting into the boards, necessitating a slight delay while his cut was treated, but it merely served to fire up his team further.Canada maintained their slight advantage, Juantorena kept things tight with some heavy serving, but the last rally summed up the confusion in the Italian camp. After libero Massimo Colaci came up with a desperate dig from a Jason Derocco spike, no one responded in time and the ball was allowed to drift into the net.The fourth set was one-way traffic, with Canada jumping out strongly and never looking back. Zaytsev rammed home another handful of winners but by now Italy was going for broke and committing far too many errors.Canada cruised to the victory that has injected life into their VNL campaign after mixed results in the opening round.The Italians will try to regroup when they take on Iran during day two of action in San Juan while Canada will take on the hosts Argentina. Canada now has six points from its four matches in the inaugural VNL, with Italy remaining on eight. Iran 3-2 Argentina San Juan, Argentina, June 1, 2018 - Milad Ebadipour’s stunning attacking display helped Iran secure a nail-biting 3-2 victory (21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 24-26, 15-9) over Argentina in the Volleyball Nations League on Friday.Ebadipour was the focus of his team’s offense and his consistent power proved crucial as host Argentina put up a stirring fight but were unable to capitalize on home court advantage and narrowly failed to grab their first VNL win.The combination of Ebadipour (16 attacking points) and Amir Ghafour, who collected 10 winners, was critical as Iran piled on the pressure in the decisive fifth set to show nerves of steel once more. Head coach Igor Kolakovic’s team have now won their last six five-setters and were grateful for this, their second triumph of the tournament.Argentina’s firepower came from the skillful strikes of Facundo Conte, who was instrumental in putting his side off to a strong start, then later spearheading a spirited fightback to pull things level. Ultimately, however, the home squad was left to rue a high error count that saw them rack up 40 mistakes over the course of the contest.When the San Juan crowd shared their team’s disappointment at the eventual outcome, they were quick to pay tribute to Argentina’s effort, showering the players with a rousing standing ovation at the end of the game.If not for a few key moments, things might have turned out differently. Argentina came out full of positive intent and rode the fine play of Cristian Poglajen to a first set victory, in which Poglajen got on the board five times before Agustin Loser clinched the frame with an imposing block on set point. Iran had no intention of going away quietly and with Kolakevic demanding improvement, tightened up their game in impressive fashion. An inspired run of serving from Ebadipour was key in both opening up a late advantage and quieting the crowd, giving the visitors a lead they would not surrender. Supported ably by the persistent efforts of Mojtaba Mirzajanpour and Seyed Mohammad Mousavi Eraghi, Ebadipour continued his streak of form in the third. After Italy started strongly and moved ahead through Conte and Bruno Lima’s attacking prowess, Iran chipped away at the deficit and saved their best play for the end. Two huge spikes from Ghafour secured set point, and Ebadipour blow to win the set was even more emphatic. Argentina was not finished yet, and when Iran captain Saeid Marouf became frustrated as a couple of disputed decisions went the other way, the hosts opened up a five-point gap. Iran ground away and eventually came close to finishing the clash in four sets, before Sebastian Sole and Martin Ramos held firm when it mattered. But Iran are the masters of five-set play and show exactly why in the decider. With relentless consistency and flawless sideouts, Iran got to the change of ends at 8-6 and never looked back from there. Appropriately, Ebadipour and Ghafour were the biggest contributors once more, before Farhad Salafzoon made the most of an Argentina error to seal the win. Argentina’s schedule does not get any easier with in-form Canada next up, while Iran faces Italy on Saturday.