Lausanne, Switzerland, June 19, 2018 - Russia are one win away from a ticket to the Final Six of the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League, when they open the last week of pool play Sunday in Modena against Italy. But the home side are also playing their last card in a bid to just make it through into the qualifying zone. The two sides meet for the 57th time in a world competition, with Russia leading the way 30-26.
Head-to-Head
• Russia won the most recent encounter against Italy at world level major tournaments, 3-2 at the World League in 2017.
• World level major competitions are: the VNL, Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, World League and Grand Champions Cup.
• Italy had won the two matches prior to that defeat in 2017. They won 3-0 at the 2015 World Cup and 3-1 at the Grand Champions Cup in 2013.
• In total Italy have a W26-L30 record against Russia (including the Soviet Union and CIS) at major world tournaments.
• Italy have only lost more matches at world major level competitions against Brazil (39) than against Russia (and predecessors), 30.
Italy
• Italy could lose back-to-back matches at the VNL for the second time, after losses against Argentina and Poland.
• Italy have already played four matches at this VNL that needed a deciding set. The last time they played five matches at world level that needed five sets was at the 2015 World League (5).
• Italy have won seven matches at the VNL and they can win at least eight matches at a major world tournament for the first time since 10 at the 2015 World Cup.
• Ivan Zaytsev is Italy's top scorer on 121 points. Zaytsev has a Russian mother and father, but was born in Italy in 1988, when his father, the legendary USSR setter Vyatcheslav Zaytsev, was playing there at the time.
• Simone Anzani has registered 23 stuff blocks.
Russia
• Russia have won five matches in a row at the VNL.
• Russia last won more consecutive matches at a world level major tournament at the 2015 World Cup (then 6).
• The Russians have lost only one set in their last last five matches, in the 3-1 win against Iran. Since then they have claimed three wins in straight sets.
• Russia last had a streak of four successive wins in straight sets at the World Cup in 2015.
• Dmitriy Muserskiy is Russia's top scorer on 173 points. His 67.33% success rate in spikes is the highest of all players.
• Muserskiy (25), Ilia Vlasov (22) and Anton Karpukhov (22) have scored 20+ stuff blocks.