Lausanne, Switzerland, May 26, 2018 - Winless after the opening week of the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League, Italy scored their first two victories in Week 2 and are now seeking their third when they face Japan Tuesday in Hong Kong. Italy have won seven of their last eight matches against Japan.
Head-to-Head
• Italy have won seven of the last eight matches versus Japan at world level major tournaments, including the last five.
• The women's world level major competitions are: the VNL, Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, World Grand Prix and Grand Champions Cup.
• Four of Italy's last five world major level wins against Japan took five sets, including the last three.
• Japan's last two world major level victories were 3-0 wins at the 2011 World Grand Prix in China and the World Grand Prix in 2013 in Japan.
Japan
• Japan have a W2-L4 record after Week 2 of the VNL, alternating a 3-0 loss against United States with a 3-0 win versus Belgium and another straight-set defeat against Netherlands in their last three matches.
• Japan also won two matches at the previous world level they featured in, the Grand Champions Cup in 2017. The last tournament in which they won more matches was the World Grand Prix in 2017, when they won six matches of their nine matches.
• Yuki Ishii has recorded 2.35 dig per match on average in the tournament so far, third-most of all players behind Maret Balkestein-Grothues (NED) and Suelen Pinto (BRA).
• Sarina Koga is Japan's top scorer on 70 points, including 65 spikes.
Italy
• Italy began the VNL with four defeats, before winning their last two matches, both in straight sets.
• They last had a run of at least three wins in a row at world level at the World Grand Prix in 2017, when they won six successive matches.
• Italy can win three consecutive major world level matches in straight sets for the first time since the 2014 World Championships (also three wins).
• Serena Ortolani is Italy's top scorer on 70 points, including eight stuff blocks. Marina Lubian and Miryam Sylla both have recorded nine blocks.