Lausanne, Switzerland, June 9, 2018 - Poland will be looking at extneding their winning streak to five matches when they host Japan Tuesday in the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League. At the same time they could close in in the head-to-head, which Japan currently lead 14-6. Japan, who are on a two-match winning streak, have not won three in a row in a world competition since 2015.
Head-to-Head
• Poland and Japan have met 20 times in world level major competitions, with Japan winning 14 of those matches.
• The women's world level major competitions are: the VNL, Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, World Grand Prix and Grand Champions Cup.
• Japan could win three consecutive world level major competition matches against Poland for the first time since winning all of their first six confrontations (1960-2003).
• These teams will meet in Poland for the third time. At the 2009 World Grand Prix, Poland won 3-0 in Kielce, while at the 2013 World Grand Prix, Japan won 3-0 in Plock.
Poland
• Poland have won four consecutive VNL matches, directly following a run of four defeats. Their overall record in the competition is even with six wins and six defeats.
• Poland could win five world level major tournament matches in a row for the first time since five straight at the start of the 2017 World Grand Prix.
• Poland could lose more than six matches in a single world level major tournament for the first time since the 2013 World Grand Prix (7 defeats).
• Poland have won 10 of their last 14 world level major tournament matches on home soil, including all three in the VNL.
• Malwina Smarzek (286) is the leading VNL scorer after 12 matchrounds. She holds a 50-point lead over Serbia's Tijana Boskovic (236).
• Agnieszka Kakolewska has scored most VNL points from stuff blocks (44).
Japan
• Japan have won six and lost six matches in the 2018 VNL.
• Japan could win three consecutive matches within a single world level major competition for the first time since the 2015 World Cup (5 wins in a row).
• Three of Japan's six VNL wins have come by a 3-0 scoreline. The last time Japan won (at least) four straight-set matches in a single edition of a major world level competition was at the 2015 World Cup (6).
• Four of Japan's six VNL losses also have come by a 3-0 scoreline. The last time Japan suffered (at least) five straight-set defeats in a single edition of a major world level competition was at the 2015 World Grand Prix (6).
• Japan have won eight of their last nine five-setters in world level major competitions, with a 3-2 defeat against United States at the 2017 Grand Champions Cup as the only exception in that run. They have won both of their five-setters in the 2018 VNL (against Italy and Thailand).
• Yuki Ishii is Japan's top scorer in the VNL on 134 points.