Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament Recap - Day 3: Things get more interesting!
The Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament resumes after the day off and fans at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium and all over the world watching via live stream were treated again with nerve-wracking action. After four matches on Day 3, only one team remained undefeated in the tournament. The race is still tight and results are still unpredictable, and the ranking is now more interesting. With four match days left, the WOQT is getting hotter, more intense, and more dramatic!
See WOQT Day 3 ranking here.
Let’s look back at what happened in the WOQT Day 3 action.
Canada finally breaks tiebreak curse
Third time’s the charm for Canada as they finally scored their first WOQT victory at the expense of Australia. In their third straight 5-set marathon, the Canadians—down 1-2 in sets count—fought back to force a tiebreak and win, 25-19, 24-26, 20-25, 29-27, 15-11.
Canada almost had it at the 2nd set after reaching set point first, 24-22. The Volleyroos, hanging tough, ties it at 24-all with an ace from Paul Carroll until a block from Nehemiah Mote put them at set point, 24-25 and eventually closed it, 24-26. It was a marathon 4th set as Canada, with their backs against the walls, kept it close and even pushed it to an extended set. It took them 5 set points before eventually closing it at 29-27, to force a fifth set.
Taking the momentum from set 4 to the decider, Canada started strong with a 4-1 run, putting pressure on the Volleyroos with their serves. After executing their plays well and after a string of error from the Australians, Canada eventually sealed the deal at 15-10.
Gordon Perrin led the show with 25 markers off 23 attacks and two stuff blocks. Nicholas Hoag and veteran Gavin Schmitt both chipped in 23 points. Canada’s serving was scorching hot as they doubled the Australians’ effort with 12 aces, 7 coming from Schmitt and 4 from Hoag.
Edgar had a solo 33-point performance (31 attacks, 1 block, 1 ace) and had no help from his teammates. Nathan Roberts, who came off the bench, added 16 markers but still not enough to aid the still-recovering captain.
Despite Canada’s whopping 31 unforced errors, the Volleyroos simply could not find an antidote to the lethal Canadian attacks. Canada finished the match with 71 attacks while Australia only had 58.
Canada’s next assignment is the only winless team in the tournament—Venezuela—while Australia will face France next.
China shows no mercy to Venezuela
Going back to their solid defense at the net that towed them to victory over Japan, China was able to make all their units work to crush Venezuela in straight sets, 25-16, 25-18, 25-15.
It was a total team effort for the Chinese team as they fired from all cylinders. From the defensive to the offensive end, the Asian team was simply relentless. Venezuelan attacks were nowhere to go to with China, yet again, putting up monstrous blocks at the net. China was able to stop 10 Venezuelan attacks while the latter only tallied 3 stuff blocks.
The Chinese team was also digging way better with 39% efficiency rate compared to Venezuela’s 17%.
Qingyo Dai led the Chinese parade with 17 points, 13 coming from attacks, 3 from stuff blocks, and one coming from the service line. Weijun Zhong and Xin Geng teamed up for a total of 18 points. Geng led all the blockers with a team-high 4 stuff blocks.
In their third defeat in the WOQT, Kevin Urbina was yet again all by himself as he scored 14 points in their loss to China (12 attacks, a block, and an ace). Edson Gonzalez and Willner Quijada contributed a total of 11 but still not enough to stop the surging Chinese team.
China will try to continue their streak against Poland, now the only undefeated team in the WOQT. Venezuela, meanwhile, will try to upset Canada to score their first win.
French blockers to repeat-seeking Iran: ‘Not today!’
Up two sets to none, the French team suddenly found themselves in a familiar territoy as Iran tried to pull away and force a decider. Luckily, the World League and European champions were able to salvage themselves.
After a heartbreaking defeat to Poland on Sunday where they were already leading 2-0 in sets, France this time made sure there will be no repeat of that nightmare. Coincidentally, Iran was coming off a come-from-behind win over Canada after being down 0-2 in sets. Towering over the Iranian attackers at the net, Team Yavbou denies Iran’s bid to stay undefeated in the WOQT as they trounced the Asian favorites in straight sets, 25-20, 25-18, 25-22.
European championship MVP Antonin Rouzier top-scored for Les Bleus with 18 points from 16 attacks and 2 stuff blocks. Two-time NCAA champion Kevin Tillie was able to add 13 markers, scoring from all departments.
Shahram Mahmoudi—who started for Iran for the first time—was the lone bright spot for the Asian team, tallying 19 markers, all coming from attacks. The top scorer for Iran in their comeback win against Canada, Milad Ebadipour, was limited to just 14.
After a sloppy performance in the first two sets, Iran threatened to repeat their comeback as they lead in the 3rd set by as much as 3 points. France, with their solid net and floor defense, was able to tie it at 19-all and eventually pulled away to win in straight sets.
The tandem of middle blockers Kevin LeRoux and Nicholas LeGoff did wonders for the French team, tallying 3 stuff blocks apiece. France scored a total of 11 blocks. Surprisingly, Iran—who has the 2015 World Cup 1st Best Middle Blocker Seyed Mousavi—tallied only two block points, all just on the third frame.
Today also marks French captain and 2015 World League Best Setter Benjamin Toniutti’s rise to the no. 1 spot in the Best Setter race, taking the place of Japanese ace setter Hideomi Fukatsi. After the Day 3 of WOQT, Toniutti is averaging 9.33 excellent sets per set.
See individual player stats here.
France’s next assignment will be their tormentors in the 2014 World League group 2 finals, Australia, while Iran will try to go back to their winning ways as they face their own tormentors Japan, who defeated them in the 2015 Asian Championship.
Poland protects immaculate record
It was a repeat of a nightmare for Japan as the opponents’ good blocking, yet again, denied their chances of winning.
At the expense of the host team, Poland, fresh from a come-from-behind win over favorites France, remains undefeated in the WOQT after routing Japan in straight sets, 25-22, 25-16, 25-23.
The 31-year old middle blocker Marcin Możdżonek is the star of the match, tallying 4 stuff blocks in the match. He finished the match with 13 points. Polish star Bartosz Kurek, meanwhile, is back to his form after getting benched in their win against France. He contributed 12 points (9 attacks, 3 stuff blocks).
On the Japanese side, it was a solo performance for the young Japanese star Yuki Ishikawa. He was the lone player in double digits with 17 points off 14 attacks and 3 service aces. Poland limited the Asian Championship MVP and captain Kunihiro Shimizu to only 7 points.
Japan was leading by as much as 3 in the 2nd set when Poland’s effort at the net and loaded serves levelled it at 10-all. From there, they took the momentum and started pulling away, 16-10, giving the hosts no chance of a comeback. In the latter part of the 3rd set, Japan made a mini run to be back within 1 (21-22), but the Polish attacks were simply too hot to handle for the Asian team known for good floor defense.
The Asian champions were simply powerless against the Polish block as the reigning World champions sent 11 Japanese attacks back on their side. The host team tallied only two stuff blocks. Hideomi Fukatsi, the now-no. 2 setter of the tournament so far, was even sidelined to give way to reserve setter Masahiro Sekita.
Top-seed Poland, the only undefeated team in the WOQT now, is looking to extend their streak as they face China, while Japan will be up against their Asian Championship rivals Iran.
Missed all the action? Full match replays are available on FIVB’s official YouTube channel. Click here.
