Lausanne, Switzerland, June 23, 2018 - Serbia punched their ticket to the Final Six of the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League with their 3-1 win over Japan on Saturday - their fourth straight win in the VNL - and now take on pool hosts China in Jiangmen to wrap up their pool play obligations. But China have only beaten Serbia twice in 19 previous encounters - and last time was back in 2004 at the FIVB World League.
Head-to-Head
• China and Serbia (including Yugoslavia and Serbia & Montenegro) have met 19 times in world level major tournaments, with China winning two and Serbia 17.
• World level major competitions are: the VNL, Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, World League and Grand Champions Cup.
• China won the first world level major tournament encounter, 3-1 against Yugoslavia at the 1956 World Championship. Since then, China won only one of the next 18 matches, 3-2 at the 2004 World League.
• Serbia have won the last eight world level major tournament matches against China (2004-2011) and they could equal their longest winning streak against them (9, 1962-2003).
• The last world level major tournament match between these teams took place at the 2011 World Cup (3-1 Serbia win).
• China have won at least one set in each of their last four world level major tournament matches against Serbia. This is their longest such streak against this opponent.
China
• China lost 3-0 to Canada on Saturday, their 11th defeat this VNL and their seventh in straight sets.
• China have not recorded eight straight-sets defeats at a major world level tournament since the 2006 World League (9).
• Jiang Chuan (12) was the only player to score more than 10 points against Canada.
• Jiang Chuan is leading all players in terms of points scored at the VNL, on 255 points.
Serbia
• Serbia reached the final round at the VNL with a 3-1 win against Japan on Saturday.
• Serbia have won 10 of their 14 VNL matches, including each of their last four.
• Serbia can claim 11 wins at a single world level major tournament for the first time since the 2010 World League (also 11). They finished third in that tournament.
• Srecko Lisinac scored five points from stuff blocks against Japan, half of Serbia's total points from stuff blocks in that match.
• Lisinac was Serbia's leading points scorer versus Japan, on 17 points. Marko Ivovic (15), Aleksandar Atanasijevic (14) and Uros Kovacevic (11) also scored 10+ points.