Ufa, Russia, June 8, 2019 - Defending champions Russia walked all over USA Saturday 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-15) evening as the 2019 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League continued across the globe, with Victor Poletaev leading the scoring and Igor Philippov dealing with the blocking as the Europeans claimed their fourth win in five matches.
Poletaev, Russia's 23-year-old opposite, scored 19 points, attacking for 62,5% (15/24) as the hosts dominated play on the net both in attacking efficiency and in blocking.
It was exactly there that 28-year-old middle blocker Philippov excelled, stopping the American attack five times out of a total 12 Russian blocks.
The closest USA came to becoming a threat for Russia was in the first set when they led 19-21 ad 21-22, before allowing Russia a four-point run to bring it home.
Benjamin Patch emerged USA's best scorer on 13- points - the only American to go into double digits.
USA are still after their second win this season, having beaten only Australia on the opening weekend, and now stand at 1-4. However, regardless of their ranking in pool play, they're assured of a spot in the Final Six as hosts of the event in Chicago, 10-14 July.
Quick links - Volleyball:
FIVB.com - Volleyball Nations League
FIVB.com - Volleyball
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