truebluefan

FIVB World Grand Prix gets underway in Japan, China, Italy: Turkey spring surprise over USA, Brazil beat Thailand in opening exchanges

The first weekend of the 2008 FIVB World Grand Prix is underway, with Preliminary Round matches being played in Japan, China and Italy from Friday to Sunday.

Turkey beat USA 3-1 in Kobe, Japan, in Pool A on Friday afternoon and Brazil downed Thailand 3-0 in Pool B in Ningbo, China.

Two-time winners USA, hosts Japan, Turkey and Kazakhstan play against each other at the Green Arena in Kobe in Pool A.

"We got the ticket for the Beijing Olympics at the OQT, and we will learn from this World Grand Prix just how we are going to play our games in Beijing. We will be able to pick up some useful tips by playing against strong teams in the World Grand Prix. The team is in very good condition and has high motivation," said Japan Head Coach Shoichi Yanagimoto.

Said Kazakhstan Head Coach Viktor Zhruravlev: "This is the second time for Kazakhstan to play in the World Grand Prix, and unfortunately we must come to Japan without two key players, Pavlova and Pyurova. They are injured and need to rest and rehabilitate with a specialist so they are ready for the Beijing Olympics. Pavlova has injured her right knee, and Pyurova has a muscle strain."

Turkey Head Coach Alessandro Chiappini said: "For my team it is an honour to play in such an important competition. We will play this tournament with a young team, and many of my team normally do not play in the national league, so it is important to get experience."

USA Head Coach Jenny Lang Ping said: "We got the team completed two weeks ago and we have four young players who are still in university and joined the team (Barboza, McGinnis, Richards, Akiradewo). We hope to use the World Grand Prix to evaluate them and hopefully we can make a decision for our roster of 12."

Six-time winners Brazil, hosts China, the 2003 champions, Thailand and Germany come together in Pool B in Ningbo at the Beilun Sports Centre, the scene of last year's Final Round.

"It is the last chance for us to play competitive matches before the Beijing Olympic Games, so it is very important for us. We have six experienced players that played in the Athens Games and six young players," said China Head Coach Chen Zhonghe.

Said Brazil Head Coach Jose Roberto Guimaraes: "I am happy to be here in Ningbo again. I hope we can play good Volleyball, it is important for our preparations for the Olympics."

Said Germany Head Coach Giovanni Guidetti: "I am happy to be here, and we have some young players, for them it is a great experence to play this tournament. We will show our best game as much as possible."

Said Thailand Head Coach Nataphon Srisamutnak: "Height might be a huge problem that my team have to face, but we will try to do the best."

In Pool C at the Palaravizza Hall in Alassio, hosts Italy, two-time winners Cuba, Poland and Dominican Republic face each other.

"We will face strong opponents that started a long time ago on the road to Beijing," said Italian Head Coach Massimo Barbolini. "Dominican Republic won the Panamerican Games, Poland had a strong playoff in order to clinch an Olympics place and Cuba is in great condition. But it is our aim to be competitive from the very beginning of our international season."

The 2008 edition involves the teams playing a total of 69 matches over four consecutive weekends in 10 cities. The Preliminary Rounds end the weekend of July 4-6, with each team playing nine matches over the first three weekends.

The Final Round in Yokohama will be contested between Japan as organizing country and the best five teams from the Preliminary Rounds in a round-robin format through July 9-13.

In 2007, the Netherlands won their first major trophy in FIVB competitions with a perfect record in the Final Round, becoming the sixth team to win the renowned title and snapping Brazil's run of three straight triumphs. They did not qualify for the 2008 edition.

Final Round press accreditation applications:

The Final Round is now open for press accreditation applications. Media wishing to cover the climax of the World Grand Prix are requested to contact the Japan Volleyball Association Press Accreditation Section no later than Friday, June 27.

The contact email address is press2008@worldvolleyball.jp

Applicants will be informed by Friday, July 4, on the status of their application. Phone applications are not accepted. Accredited media are asked to bring a printout copy of their "AD Card Permission Form" and their passport to the press information desk at the Final Round venue before the start of competition.

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UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

The first leg of the 2008 FIVB World Grand Prix saw China and Italy emerge as the best teams, both winning all three matches at home in Ningbo and Alassio, respectively. Pool A in Kobe, Japan, showcased Turkey's form on their debut in the FIVB's top Women's event.



Turkey made a sensational debut in the FIVB World Grand Prix by winning Pool A in Kobe, Japan. Only one loss in five sets against Japan blocked their way to a perfect leg, counting out a 3-1 win against USA and a 25-17, 26-24, 25-15 win over Kazakhstan. The Americans, World Grand Prix champions in 1995 and 2001, improved their win-loss record to 2-1, finishing on a high note by beating the hosts 3-2. In the most balanced Pool of the entire leg, Japan signed the same 2-1 win-loss record after an enduring 13-set challenge. Kazakhstan, making their second appearance in the World Grand Prix, were missing injured captain and ace spiker Yelena Pavlova and ended their Japanese experience with no wins.



China started at full throttle in Ningbo, China, where the last edition of the World Grand Prix ended. Pool B hosted Brazil, Germany and Thailand together with the Olympic champion coached by Chen Zhonghe. China compiled a 3-0 win-loss record after outlasting nemesis Brazil in a five-set epic. Brazil collected two wins to take second place in the group. A valiant Thai team battled hard but still slumped to their third straight loss in the group, defeated by Germany on Sunday to finish bottom. Germany, having lost to China and Brazil in previous matches, compiled a 1-2 record and finished third in the standings.



"It is not a job for every day to win 3-0 against Cuba. With three successes in a row, it is a splendid beginning for the Grand Prix," said Italy Head Coach Massimo Barbolini during the press conference held in Alassio, Italy, where Pool C was played. Italy beat Dominican Republic and Poland with the same result (3-1) ahead of the last win against the Caribbean team. Poland was the surprise of the weekend, with a triple loss which put Marco Bonitta's team at the lowest position in the standings. Poland's last defeat was a 2-3 loss against the Dominican Republic under the guidance of new Head Coach Marcos Kwiek.



The Final Round will be played in Yokohama, Japan, through July 9-13 between Japan as host country and the best five ranked teams after the Preliminary Rounds.

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UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

China and Italy are the only two unbeaten teams left in the 2008 FIVB World Grand Prix and one of those 100 percent records will definitely fall on the second weekend of action as the two teams face each other in Hong Kong.

Japan and Cuba are the other two teams that make up a very strong Group F in Hong Kong this weekend. Both have 2-1 win-loss records and so the Chinese and Italians, who each swept their three matches last weekend, have their work cut out in trying to preserve their unbeaten starts in FIVB's premier annual Women's competition. Italy did, however, beat Cuba in straight sets last weekend at home in Alassio.

In Group D, Brazil, Kazahkstan, Turkey and Germany will play each other at Vinh Phuc Hall in Vietnam through Friday to Sunday. Turkey made a storming start to the competition last weekend in Kobe, Japan, and have a 2-1 win-loss record so far, which includes a straight-sets win over Kazakhs. Brazil also have a 2-1 record after falling in an epic five-set match to the Chinese in Ningbo.

In Group E, host Poland, Dominican Republic, Thailand and USA face off against each other at Cetennial Hall in Wroclaw. The Polish had a disastrous start to the competition in Alassio last weekend, losing all three matches including a five-setter against the Dominicans. Thailand are also yet to get off the mark, while USA have a 2-1 record.

"We came here with hope to play much better than we did in Italy," said Poland assitant coach Grzegorz Kosatka, speaking instead of absent Head Coach Marco Bonitta, on Thursday at a press conference in Wroclaw. "This team, which is young and practically brand-new is being tested during the Grand Prix. The team is getting together and I think that we'll perform much better than in Alassio."

Said USA Head Coach "Jenny" Lang Ping: "We're very happy to come to Poland again - Poland qualified to the Olympic Games as the second team. Of course all teams here are well-qualified and this tournament will be tough. We want to use the start in this tournament to improve our teamwork."

Said Dominican Head Coach Marcos Kwiek: "We're coming here after a very tough tournament in Italy. This week we'd like to play much better. We're a very young team and I hope that our girls got some experience from the last matches."

Said Thailand Head Coach Nataphon Srisamutnak: "We're very pleased that we can be a part of this world-class competition. We'll do our best here."

Best Scorer of the competition so far is Turkey's Seda Tokatlioglu with 68 points and she has been supported by Esra Gumus who has fired home 49 points. Japan's Miyuki Takahashi is second-highest scorer with 55 points and Ruirui Zhao of China third with 50 points.

The 2008 edition involves the teams playing a total of 69 matches over four consecutive weekends in 10 cities. The Preliminary Rounds end the weekend of July 4-6, with each team playing nine matches over the first three weekends.

The Final Round in Yokohama will be contested between Japan as organizing country and the best five teams from the Preliminary Rounds in a round-robin format through July 9-13.

Final Round press accreditation applications:

The Final Round is now open for press accreditation applications. Media wishing to cover the climax of the World Grand Prix are requested to contact the Japan Volleyball Association Press Accreditation Section no later than Friday, June 27.

The contact email address is press2008@worldvolleyball.jp

Applicants will be informed by Friday, July 4, on the status of their application. Phone applications are not accepted. Accredited media are asked to bring a printout copy of their "AD Card Permission Form" and their passport to the press information desk at the Final Round venue before the start of competition.

__________________
UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

FIVB World Grand Prix champions of 2003 China are blazing a trail at the top of the standings in this year's competition with a 100 percent record after the first two weekends of competition. China won Group F in Hong Kong, while six-time champions Brazil won Group D in Vinh Phuc, Vietnam and two-time winners USA were triumphant in Wroclaw, Poland.

The Chinese and Italy came together in a clash of the remaining unbeaten sides in Hong Kong on Sunday and China prevailed in an epic five-setter, 18-25, 25-20, 21-25, 27-25, 15-8.

"I would like to thank the team for their effort during difficult times today, they were able to perform to their standard, but still some opportunities were not seized well enough," China Head Coach Chen Zhonghe said after the match against the Italians. "Zhao Ruirui has missed Volleyball matches for three years due to injury. This tournament gave her a chance to re-build confidence.

"We are going to face many strong teams in the Olympics, including six to seven teams that are of world standard. We have to strive very hard and the results will depend much on their performance in court."

Said Italy Captain Eleonora Lo Bianco: "Today, we have lost to China, which is a very strong team with outstanding players ... we realized our shortcomings through this match. We have made many mistakes and we understand that we need to perform to 100 percent in order to win. We will correct today's mistakes for the upcoming matches."

On the second weekend of the premier annual Women's competition featuring the world's best players, Japan had a bad time of it in Group F in the Hong Kong Coliseum as their archrivals China made merry. Japan lost in straight sets to Italy and China and only got one set off Cuba. Italy beat Cuba in five sets and have a 5-1 win-loss record overall to sit in fourth place in the overall standings.

In Group D in Vinh Phuc, Vietnam, Brazil won all three matches against Kazakhstan, Turkey and Germany in straight sets to win the group and sit in third place overall with a 5-1 win-loss record. On the other hand, the Kazakhs couldn't win even one set and sit in last place with no victories to their name.

"We started the game very well with hard serve and block," said Brazil Head Coach Jose Roberto Guimaraes after their 3-0 win over Germany on Sunday. "However, the second set was not good until the last moment. In the last set, we grew up and got a good result."

In Group E in Wroclaw, Poland, things went from bad to worse for the hosts, as they lost to Dominican Republic, Thailand and USA at Cetennial Hall. They now sit in second-to-last place with no wins. USA won the group, dropping just one set against Thailand.

"Today we played against one of the strongest teams in the world," said Poland Head Coach Marco Bonitta after their match against USA. "I'm not satisfied with the result but one or two players from my team showed me something good and this is important in the context of the Olympic Games."

Said USA Head Coach "Jenny" Lang Ping: "I know Poland didn't have their best team here. We knew that they wanted and tried to win, so I think we did well. Hopefully with each coming tournament we'll be getting stronger."

The third weekend of Preliminary Round matches are in Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Macau. The 2008 edition involves the teams playing a total of 69 matches over four consecutive weekends in 10 cities. The Preliminary Rounds end the weekend of July 4-6, with each team playing nine matches over the first three weekends.

The Final Round will be played in Yokohama, Japan, through July 9-13 between Japan as host country and the best five ranked teams after the Preliminary Rounds.

__________________
UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

Thailand, replete with some standout performances in the World Grand Prix, will be out to prove their expertise against Cuba, Germany and Kazakhstan in the home battle when they will stage the third leg Group G contest at The Mall Bangkapi’s MCC Hall between July 4 and 6.

Despite the height disadvantage, the Thai girls had rocked many much stronger teams with some thundering attacks and powerful jump serves notably from Onuma Sittirak, Pleumjit Thinkaow and Amporn Hyapha in the first two weekends of Group B in Ningbo, China and Group E in Wroclaw, Poland.

In Ningbo, the Thai side had an uphill task, but still played a good match against world number one and former six-time winners Brazil, took one set from Germany and found the Athens Olympic champions China too strong to go down in disappointing three sets.

However, Thailand came much stronger with greater determination in the second weekend battle in Wroclaw, frustrating the former two-time champions USA with well-worked combinations and exceptional come-from-behind spikes to win one set from the fully-fledged Americans, the similar fashion they made at the last year’s World Cup.

The Thai girls continued their remarkable form, stunning hosts and world number 9 Beijing-bound Poland, the team they lost twice including the 1-3 sets in the Tokyo-hosted World Olympic Qualification Tournament in May.

Thailand ended the second weekend on an impressive note after forcing the Pan Am Cup champions Dominican Republic to play a hard-fought four-setter. Despite the loss, they captured all hearts of the Polish fans with their gutsy display.

On their chances on home soil, Thai head coach Nataphon Srisamutnak is very upbeat that his girls will make the most of the home crowd advantage to pack good matches against visiting rivals.

“Among the three matches against visitors, I expect my girls to win at least two matches on home soil. Cuba might be too strong for us and I think even one- or two-set win over the Cubans can be regarded as a great success,” Nataphon commented.

“Germany is also a strong team. However, we met them before in Ningbo and I’m confident we can beat them here. Kazakhstan, which have yet won a single set after two legs, is now at the bottom in the overall standing.

“I think Kazakhstan is the only team we can beat without much effort. However, I told my girls not to underestimate them. All teams participating in the World Grand Prix are strong and cannot be underestimated,” he added.

After two weekends, Thailand finished 10th overall ahead of Poland and Kazakhstan.

Meanwhile, Cuba, former three consecutive Olympic gold medalists and former two-time winners, had daunting tasks in the first two Group C and Group F legs in Alassio, Italy and in Hong Kong.

The Caribbean queens finished second in Alassio after losing a hard-fought three-set thriller to hosts Italy. In Hong Kong, the Cubans, playing in Group of Death against China, Italy and Japan, slumped to the third place following the letdown in Clashes of Titans against China and Italy, both in grueling five sets.

Cuban head coach Antonio Perdomo Estrella hopes high that to enhance their chances of finishing top six to advance for the grand finals in Yogohama, Japan between July 9 and 13, his girls will have to make a clean sweep in the Bangkok leg.

Cuba is trailing in sixth place overall after the completion of the first two weekends.

On the other hand, Germany, coming back from the two-year absence in the World Grand Prix, is in critical moments as they have to beat every team in the Bangkok leg to make sure they will get enough points to make it to the last six in Yogohama.

The Germans are now trailing at the eighth position ahead of Japan in the overall standing.

A lacklustrous Kazakstan is yet to get off the mark. Head coach Viktor Zhuravlev confessed that the absence of two key players Helena Pavlova, injuring her right knee, and Tatyana Pyurova, sustaining a muscle strain, affect his team’s performance.

Kazakhstan clinched the last Olympic ticket after coming back from the first set down to beat Thailand in the recent World Olympic Qualification Tournament .

The curtain-raiser of the Group G contest against home side on July 4 will be a determined challenge for the Kazakhs, while the second encounter between Cuba and Germany is also expected to entertain Thai crowd with the superb form of both sides.

__________________
UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

With their final assault in the World Grand Prix just one day ahead of the start of the third leg Group G contest in Bangkok, Cuban head coach Antonio Perdomo Estrella said that his girls have to make a clean sweep in the remaining three matches to make sure his side will make it to the grand final in Japan from July 9 to 13.

Shortly after the teams’ briefing chaired by Control Committee Chairman Katsumi Wakao at Radisson Hotel on Wednesday was over, the press interview took place, with a large number of Thai reporters from televisions and newspapers attending.

Following were interview contents given by head coaches of teams participating in Group G in Bangkok.



ANTONIO PERDOMO ESTRELLA, HEAD COACH OF CUBA

“I would like to greet everyone attending the press interview here. On our chances, we have to make a clean sweep by beating every team in Bangkok to make sure that Cuba will be the top five advancing to the grand final in Yogohama, Japan.

“Despite the fact that we really had tough matches in Hong Kong since we had to play Italy, China and Japan and lost to the first two teams, I’m still confident that we can make it to the final. We are now in the sixth position of the overall standing. To accomplish that goal, we have to beat every team here.”



VIKTOR ZHURAVLEV, HEAD COACH OF KAZAKHSTAN

“After the first two weekends in Kobe, Japan and in Vinh Phuc, Vietnam, we had tough matches. We had yet won a single set here which resulted in the bottom place we finished in the overall standing. I hope that my girls can improve their fortune here. However, Win or loss, we will bring valuable experience for future use, especially to improve our tactics and techniques ahead of the Olympic Games in Beijing.”



GIOVANNI GUIDETTI, HEAD COACH OF GERMANY

“It’s very difficult to make it to the final in Japan. Every team is strong and came up with great form. Like Cuba, if we want to make sure we will claim a place in the final round, we have to beat every team here. It’s a tough mission.

“In the first weekend in Ningbo, China, we beat only Thailand and in Vinh Phuc, we had only one win over Kazakhstan against two losses. It’s not easy to beat Cuba, while we already took on Thailand. I hope my team will beat Thailand and Kazakhstan and make a good encounter against Cuba. I’m convinced my girls will try their best.”



NATAPHON SRISAMUTNAK, HEAD COACH OF THAILAND

“From the first weekend to the third one, I think we had tough matches. Every team is very strong. It’s good to play much stronger teams in order that we can improve our tactics and form from those matches.

“As many teams have been preparing for the Olympic Games, my girls find it rather difficult to beat those teams. Also, the return trip from Poland to Thailand, my girls were very tired of the long journey. They need more times to acclimatize to the Thai conditions presently apart from the time difference. However, I believe that my girls will make good matches against visiting rivals. We, as the home team, will do our best and won’t let our fans down.

“Against Kazakhstan in the curtain-raisers on Friday, I think we have a chance of beating them. They will play without their highly-skilled captain Helena Pavlova. I think our chance to beat them this time is not that difficult.”



The World Grand Prix third leg in Bangkok will take place from July 4 to 6 at The Mall Bangkapi’s MCC Hall. On Friday, hosts Thailand play Kazakhstan at 2pm, with Cuba taking on Germany at 5pm.

__________________
UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

The third and final Preliminary Round of the 2008 FIVB World Grand Prix is hosted in Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Macau this weekend, with the currently undefeated China hoping to preserve their record against Brazil in Group I, while USA and Italy come together in Group H as the top four teams try to hold onto their places and book a spot in the Final Round.

Turkey, currently in the fifth and final qualifying spot, are also in Group H in Taipei along with Poland, Dominican Republic and Japan fill out Group I in Macau, while Thailand, Kazakhstan, Cuba and Germany compete in Group G in Bangkok. USA, Brazil and Italy all have 5-1 win-loss records, while Turkey is at 4-2. Cuba and Dominican Republic are the other two teams who haven't got a negative win-loss record and stand at 3-3.

The Final Round in Yokohama will be contested between Japan as organizing country and the best five teams from the Preliminary Rounds in a round-robin format through July 9-13.

In Group G at Huamark Stadium, Thai head coach Nataphon Srisamutnak is upbeat that his girls will make the most of the home crowd advantage at The Mall Bangkapi's MCC Hall. "Among the three matches against visitors, I expect my girls to win at least two matches on home soil. Cuba might be too strong for us and I think even a one- or two-set win over the Cubans can be regarded as a great success," said Srisamutnak. "Germany is also a strong team. However, we met them before in Ningbo and I'm confident we can beat them here."

Said Cuba Head Coach Antonio Perdomo Estrella: "Despite the fact that we really had tough matches in Hong Kong since we had to play Italy, China and Japan and lost to the first two teams, I'm still confident that we can make it to the final. We are now in the sixth position of the overall standing. To accomplish that goal, we have to beat every team here."

Said Kazakhstan Head Coach Viktor Zhuravlev: "After the first two weekends in Kobe, Japan and in Vinh Phuc, Vietnam, we have had tough matches. We have yet to win a single set which has resulted in the bottom place in the overall standings. I hope that my girls can improve their fortune here."

Said Germany Head Coach Giovanni Guidetti: "It's very difficult to make it to the final in Japan. Every team is strong and came up with great form. Like Cuba, if we want to make sure we will claim a place in the Final Round, we have to beat every team here. It's a tough mission."

In Group H in Hsinchuang Gym, four very strong teams come together, although the Polish have been having a tough time of it, losing all six of their matches so far. They face Italy again after losing to them in Group C in Alassio, while Italy play USA in a big match on Sunday, July 6. Turkey could well spring a surprise after winning Group A in Kobe, Japan, ahead of USA, Kazakhstan and Japan. That time, they shocked USA 3-1 in the opening match.

In Group I at Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion, the Macau event has been attracting local attention and extensive media coverage in Macau. The Head Coaches came together in a press conference ahead of the event:

"We are happy to come again to Macau for the event," said China Head Coach Chen Zhonghe. "In the last two weeks, we have had exciting and tense competition and it is the only event before the Olympic Games. Through this event, we are able to train and raise the team level and the competitors, like Brazil and Japan are very strong, hence, we can take this opportunity to get prepared for the Olympic Games. The team is going well, and we are well prepared. Every match is important and we will take them seriously."

China beat Brazil 3-2 on home soil in Ningbo in Group A earlier in the competition.

Said Brazil Head Coach Jose Roberto Guimaraes: "The Macau leg is important for us, we hope that the team can play good Volleyball in Macau and we will do our best."

Said Dominican Republic Head Coach Marcos Kwiek: "We are happy to be in Macau and we are excited for the competition. We are here with a young team, and we are here to learn. We will learn to play better as we are having matches against three of the top teams in the world."

Said Japan Head Coach Shoichi Yanagimoto: "We are glad to come and we will do our best in the competition."

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UFC 112: Invincible