Fivb World Grand Prix Previews Week 4 – June 24 to 26
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FIVB WORLD GRAND PRIX PREVIEWS WEEK 4 – JUNE 24 TO 26 Pool G1: Italy v Brazil (24 June) Head-to-Head · Italy and Brazil will meet for the 26th time at the World Grand Prix. Brazil leads with 21 victories against Italy's four. · The 21 defeats against Brazil is Italy's highest number of losses against a single opponent at the World Grand Prix. They have lost 14 matches to Russia. · These teams most recently met earlier in this year's competition on 9 June. Brazil won 3-1 and are currently on their longest winning streak against Italy in the World Grand Prix (10). · Brazil outblocked Italy 17-8 in their meeting two weeks ago, with Natalia Pereira (5) and Fabiana Claudino (7) scoring most points from stuff blocks. · Italy's last win over Brazil at the World Grand Prix came on 8 August 2010 (3-1). Italy · Italy have lost their last three World Grand Prix matches - 3-1 against Netherlands and five-set defeats against Russia and Thailand. · Italy can lose three successive World Grand Prix matches in five sets for the first time since 2003 when they lost consecutively against Netherlands, Cuba and Japan. · Valentina Diouf leads her teammates in scoring with 76 points in total (58 spikes, 10 blocks, 8 aces). · Coming into this weekend of play, Paola Ogechi Egonu is the second-best spiker in Group 1 of the competition with a success rate of 44.8%. Only Lonneke Slöetjes (NED) has a better rate (45.9%). Brazil · Brazil suffered a second defeat in this year's competition when China proved too strong (3-0) on 19 June. · Brazil could lose successive World Grand Prix matches for the first time since a run of four defeats in 2007. That streak included a defeat against Italy. · Brazil have only once lost back-to-back World Grand Prix matches in straight sets: in 2002. · The last time Brazil suffered three defeats at a single edition of the World Grand Prix was in 2010, including a defeat against Italy. · Coming into this weekend of play, Danielle Lins is the best setter of Group 1 with an average of 5.23 per set. FIVB VOLLEYBALL WORLD GRAND PRIX 2016 Page 1 FIVB WORLD GRAND PRIX PREVIEWS WEEK 4 – JUNE 24 TO 26 Pool G1: Turkey v Belgium (24 June) Head-to-Head · Belgium are hoping to even the score against Turkey at the World Grand Prix as the Belgians won one of their previous three meetings in the competition. · Turkey won their most recent World Grand Prix meeting, two weeks ago on 10 June, in straight sets. · Turkey's Polen Uslupehlivan scored a staggering 19 of her team's 45 points from spikes in that match. Belgium's Freya Aelbrecht scored five points from blocks, three more than the whole team of Turkey combined. Turkey · Turkey lost their last World Grand Prix match 3-0 against United States. · They have never lost back-to-back World Grand Prix matches in straight sets. · Coming into this weekend of play, only Russia's Nataliya Goncharova (120) has scored more points in Group 1 than Polen Uslupehlivan (114). · Turkey have the best server of Group 1. Nursevil Aydinlar scored 11 aces from 88 attempts, an average of 0.48 per set. Belgium · Belgium are still waiting for their first win at the 2016 World Grand Prix. · Their last win in the competition came in their final match of 2015 against Russia (3-0). · Lise Van Hecke leads her teammates in scoring with 78 points (71 spikes, 7 blocks). · Coming into this weekend of play, only Russia's Irina Zaryazhko (24), Irina Fetisova (17) and China's Yunli Xu (16) have scored more points from stuff blocks in Group 1 than Laura Heyrman (15). FIVB VOLLEYBALL WORLD GRAND PRIX 2016 Page 1 FIVB WORLD GRAND PRIX PREVIEWS WEEK 4 – JUNE 24 TO 26 Pool G1: Brazil v Belgium (25 June) Head-to-Head · Brazil have won each of their previous four World Grand Prix meetings with Belgium. · Belgium won the first set against Brazil at the World Grand Prix in last week's meeting (3-1). · Juciely Cristina Barreto (13 spikes, 6 blocks) and Sheilla Castro De Paula Blassioli (17 spikes, 2 aces) both scored 19 points for Brazil in this match. Lise Van Hecke scored most points for Belgium (15 spikes, 1 block). · Their only other meeting at a major tournament came at the 1956 World Championship (3-0 Brazil win). Brazil · Brazil have won five of their seven matches at the 2016 World Grand Prix. · Brazil lost two matches in 2015 and the last World Grand Prix campaign in which they suffered more than two defeats was 2010: three. · Natalia Pereira has scored 87 points. · Fabiana Claudino has 18 stuff blocks and an average of 0.7 blocks per set. · Danielle Lins has an average of 4.8 setups per set. Belgium · Belgium clinched their first victory at the 2016 World Grand Prix with a 3-1 win against Turkey on Friday. · They can now win two matches in a row for the first time since a run of three wins in 2014, against Puerto Rico, Poland and Netherlands. · Lise Van Hecke has scored 98 points. · Freya Aelbrecht has 18 stuff blocks and an average of 0.7 blocks per set. FIVB VOLLEYBALL WORLD GRAND PRIX 2016 Page 1 FIVB WORLD GRAND PRIX PREVIEWS WEEK 4 – JUNE 24 TO 26 Pool G1: Turkey v Italy (25 June) Head-to-Head · Italy have won three of the previous four World Grand Prix meetings with Turkey. Turkey's only win came in the 2014 edition (3-1). · These teams most recently met at the European Olympic Qualification tournament in 2016. Italy won the match for third place in five sets and qualified for the World Olympic Qualification tournament. Turkey · Turkey's last six matches at the 2016 World Grand Prix have resulted in L-L-W-W-L-L and by that order they should win their next two matches. · They had a run of seven defeats from the start of the 2015 World Grand Prix. · Polen Uslupehlivan has scored 132 points. Only Russia's Nataliya Goncharova has more, 140. · Özge Nur Yurtdagülen has scored 14 points from blocks. · Nursevil Aydinlar leads all players with 11 aces. Italy · Italy could lose four matches in a row at this World Grand Prix. They suffered four successive defeats in 2015. · None of their seven matches at the 2016 World Grand Prix finished in straight sets. · Paola Ogechi Egonu has scored 96 points. Her 44.6% success rate with spikes is the second highest of all players behind Lonneke Slöetjes (NED, 44.9%) · Monica De Gennaro has an average of 2.5 digs per set (76 digs). FIVB VOLLEYBALL WORLD GRAND PRIX 2016 Page 1 FIVB WORLD GRAND PRIX PREVIEWS WEEK 4 – JUNE 24 TO 26 Pool G1: Italy v Belgium (26 June) Head-to-Head · Italy won both of their previous World Grand Prix meetings with Belgium (2015) without dropping a set. · Italy have only played more matches in the competition against Chinese Taipei without losing a single set (4 matches). · Their most recent meeting came at the 2016 European Olympic Qualification tournament. Italy beat Belgium 3-2. Italy · Italy beat Turkey 3-1, ending a four-match losing streak at the World Grand Prix. · Italy can claim back-to-back wins for the second time this season, after consecutive wins against Serbia and Japan on 10 and 12 June respectively. · None of Italy's last 12 matches ended in straight sets. Their last 3-0 was the loss to Russia on 22 July 2015. · Valentina Diouf scored a match-high 17 points for Italy in their match against Turkey. Serena Ortolani scored from a match-high five blocks. Belgium · Belgium are still searching for their second World Grand Prix in win 2016 as Brazil proved too strong (3- 1). · Last year Belgium managed to win two of their World Grand Prix matches. On their debut, in 2014, they won eight matches. · Dominika Sobolska (4) and Lise Van Hecke (3) scored seven of Belgium's nine points from stuff blocks against Brazil. · Lise Van Hecke is Belgium's top scorer in the competition with 114 points (97 spikes, 11 blocks, 6 aces). FIVB VOLLEYBALL WORLD GRAND PRIX 2016 Page 1 FIVB WORLD GRAND PRIX PREVIEWS WEEK 4 – JUNE 24 TO 26 Pool G1: Turkey v Brazil (26 June) Head-to-Head · These teams will meet for the fourth time at the World Grand Prix. Brazil won the first two - 3-0 in 2008 and 3-1 in 2012 - while Turkey managed to win their last encounter in 2014 (3-2). · Brazil only have a lower win percentage against United States (59%, W13-L9), Russia (59%, W17-L12) and Bulgaria (0%, W0-L1) than against Turkey (67%, W2-L1) at the World Grand Prix. · Brazil's loss against Turkey in 2014 is one of their five defeats in their last 43 World Grand Prix matches. Turkey · Turkey have lost three consecutive World Grand Prix matches for the first time in team history. · Their most recent match was the 3-1 defeat to Italy. Fatma Yildirim was Turkey's top scorer with 15 points. · Brazil will be the first NORCECA team Turkey face at the World Grand Prix. Brazil · Brazil have won six of their eight matches at the 2016 World Grand Prix. · Last year they lost two matches. The last World Grand Prix campaign in which they suffered more than two defeats was 2010 (3).