Poland have six victories so far in the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, they have already doubled their wins from 2010
Lausanne, Switzerland, September 13, 2014 – Hosts Poland have achieved six victories in a total of seven matches so far in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, that have surpassed the number of victories they had in the 2010 edition of only three victories.
The Polish squad have doubled their victories from the last edition and can win more in their next matches, when they face Asian powerhouse Iran, who are also harnessing a winning streak in the competition. These teams will meet in Pool E, together with European neighbours Serbia and France, who will face-off in the first match in Lodz.
Argentina and Italy will make their remaining matches worthwhile to take a victory in the Pool E matches in Bydgoszcz. Australia are still looking for a win to end their losing streak at the expense of ending the winning streak of the USA squad.
In Pool F, Brazil and Russia are seeking to extend their victories in Katowice playing against Canada and Germany, respectively on Saturday; until they break their undefeated runs when they face each other on Sunday. Then in Wroclaw will be a Finland and China matchup, and a Cuba and Bulgaria face-off.
Serbia push for 200th set victory – Serbia will reach 200 set wins at the World Championships if they win the match against France. The 200 set wins includes victories of Serbia and Montenegro and Yugoslavia. Serbia have lost their first and their latest match in this edition, winning five matches in between. France, on the other hand, are on a winning streak of six for the first time.
Fight for a better finish – Argentina and Italy can no longer progress to the next round but both teams will surely fight for a better finish to their campaigns at the World Championship. Italy is another team that Argentina coach Julio Velasco has been affiliated with as he gave Italy two of its three World Championship gold medals in 1990 and 1994. Italy and Argentina are both avoiding further skids. Argentina can lose four matches in a row for the first time since 1998, while Italy can lose five matches in a row for the first time since five in 1986.
Poland double number of wins from 2010 – Poland have six wins so far in 2014 and have already doubled their number of wins from the 2010 edition. The last time they had more than six wins at a single World Championship was in 2006 with 10 victories. Their rivals Iran are also doing very well in the competition as they have achieved a team record of four consecutive wins. Like Poland, Iran have six wins in seven matches in this edition, surpassing their record of five wins in all 22 matches in previous editions.
USA capitalise peak form – After a tough stint in the first round, USA are on the rise and have won their last three matches. They can win four consecutive matches at the World Championship for the first time since eight in 1998-2002. They have also won their last three matches by a 3-1 scoreline. USA and Australia will have their first ever encounter at the World Championship. Australia are hoping that USA will be the team that they can stop to avoid a three-match skid for the second time in this edition.
Brazil and Canada take win-streak to another level – Brazil are undefeated in the competition, while Canada are enjoying their best ever winning streak at the World Championship. The Canadians only lost to Russia in straight sets in their match opener in this edition. In their third meeting in the World Championship, a win by Brazil can equal their team record of 12 consecutive wins that was previously set in 1956-1960 and 1994-1998; a win by Canada would further extend their win-streak and will be the first team to hand the world champions with a loss in the competition.
Finland and China first meeting after 32 years – Finland and China will meet for the second time at the World Championship. Their previous encounter was in the first round in 1982, when China prevailed 3-0. They also met four times in the 1993 World League with China winning all matches and losing only a single set. Finland and China won two of their opening matches in this edition.
Russia target three-city sweep – Russia will play in Katowice, their third city after Gdansk and Wroclaw. They have swept all their matches in the two cities and will look to sweeping their matches at Katowice. Germany, on the other hand, have played all of their seven matches so far in Katowice.
Cuba’s one set-win to hit 250th win – Cuba are one shy of winning their 250th set at the World Championship and become the eighth team to reach this mark. Cuba can no longer reach the podium like in 2010 when they won bronze, as they will not progress to the third round. Their opponents Bulgaria are likewise unable to qualify for the third round. The Bulgarians have lost their last three matches and can lose four in a row for the first time since 2002.
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