Cuiaba, Brazil, June 22, 2019 - Seventeen points from Alan Souza and 16 by Yoandy Leal helped Brazil to a five set victory against Germany in Cuiaba on Saturday.
Pre-match stats:
Bulgaria - Russia (June 22, 2019)
Head-to-Head
- Bulgaria have won eight and lost 40 matches against Russia (including CIS and Soviet Union) in world level major competitions.
- World level major competitions are: FIVB Volleyball Nations League, Olympic Games, World Championship, World Cup, World League and Grand Champions Cup.
- Three of Bulgaria's eight world level wins against Russia have come in straight-sets. Russia claimed 26 straight-sets victories.
- Last year, these teams also met in the VNL with Russia winning in straight-sets.
Bulgaria
- Bulgaria have won three and lost seven matches in the 2019 Volleyball Nations League.
- Bulgaria have lost their last three VNL matches. They could equal their longest losing streak in the competition (4 matches), set earlier in their 2019 campaign.
- Bulgaria have equalled their 2018 VNL record after 10 matches (W3-L7). Last year, they won their 11th match in straight sets against Canada.
- With his 12 points against Brazil on Friday (3-1 defeat), Rozalin Penchev joined Nikolay Uchikov as Bulgaria's top scorer this VNL season, on 92 total points. Last year, Uchikov amassed a team-high total of 169 points in the preliminary round.
Russia
- Russia have won eight and lost two in the 2019 Volleyball Nations League. The defeats came against France in their tournament opener (3-1) and against Iran last weekend (3-0).
- Russia beat Germany 3-1 on Friday and conceded only 14 points in the fourth set (25-14). It was the third VNL match in which Russia conceded 14 points at most in a set, after their 3-0 wins versus Canada and Brazil (semi-final) in 2018 (excluding deciding sets).
- In 2018 and 2019 combined, Russia have won 15 of their 29 matches in straight sets.
- Egor Kliuka has landed 20 aces in the competition this year. Kliuka's ace average of 0.54 per set is a leading mark as well in the 2019 VNL.
- After his 19 points against Iran, Victor Poletaev (129) surpassed Egor Kliuka (116) as Russia's top scorer in this year's tournament.
Brazil - Germany (June 22, 2019)
Head-to-Head
- Brazil have won 21 world level major competition matches against Germany (including West Germany and East Germany), losing five.
- World level major competitions are: FIVB Volleyball Nations League, Olympic Games, World Championship, World Cup, World League and Grand Champions Cup.
- Brazil have won each of their last 17 world level major encounters with Germany, since a 3-2 loss at the 1993 World League.
- Brazil have won each of their last seven world level encounters with Germany in straight sets, including a 3-0 win at the 2018 VNL.
- Germany last won a set against Brazil at the 2003 World League, losing in five sets.
Brazil
- Brazil have won nine of their 10 Volleyball Nations League matches in 2019, with the only exception in this run their 3-2 defeat to Serbia on 14 June.
- Brazil could reach their 10th VNL win after 11 matches this year. In last year's campaign, Brazil needed 14 matches to reach the mark of 10 victories.
- Only Brazil and Iran have won nine matches in this year's VNL.
- After Friday's VNL matches, Ricardo Lucarelli Souza is the tournament's second-best attacker with a spike success rate of 57.32%, just behind tournament leader Amir Ghafour from Iran (57.36%).
- With his team leading 15 points against Bulgaria on Friday, Yoandy Leal Hidalgo improved to a team-high 124 total points in the 2019 VNL.
Germany
- Germany have won two and lost eight matches in the 2019 Volleyball Nations League.
- With their defeat against Russia on Friday (3-1), Germany have already equalled their total number of defeats in the 2018 VNL (W7-L8).
- Jan Zimmermann (4.32) is among a select group of setters averaging more than 4 per set in the 2019 VNL.
- Julian Zenger is the second-best receiver in the competition with an efficiency of 31.65%, trailing only Argentina's Santiago Danani (36.73%).
- Simon Hirsch leads Germany in scoring in this year's competition on 111 points. Last year he was their top scorer on 183 points.