Ankara, Turkey, June 18, 2019 – Brazil defeated Italy in three sets on Tuesday to claim leadership of the 2019 Women's FIVB Volleyball Nations League ranking.
Brazil – Italy (June 18, 2019)
Head-to-Head
• Brazil and Italy will meet for the 39th time in world level major competitions. Brazil won 30 of the previous 38 encounters (W30-L8).
• These teams most recently met at world level on 14 June 2018, when Italy came twice from behind to beat Brazil in five sets in the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League preliminary round.
• Their 3-2 win at last year's VNL ended Italy's 10-match losing streak against Brazil at world level major tournaments.
• Italy can claim consecutive wins over Brazil in world level major competitions for the first time since 2009-2010, when they followed a straight-set win at the 2009 Grand Champions Cup with a 3-1 victory at the 2010 World Grand Prix.
Brazil
• Brazil have won their last five Volleyball Nations League matches. Once before Brazil recorded a longer winning run in the competition: nine consecutive victories from 16 May to 5 June 2018.
• Brazil have won at least one set in each of their 12 matches at the 2019 VNL.
• Brazil could record three successive 3-0 victories at major world level for the first time since the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, when they won all five of their group matches in straight sets before losing 3-2 to China in the quarter-finals.
• Gabriela Braga Guimaraes (198) is two points shy of reaching 200 points at this year's VNL. In 2018, only Tandara Caixeta (231) won 200+ points for Brazil inthe preliminary round.
• Ana Beatriz Correa (37 points, 0.82 average) is the second-best blocker in the competition after four weeks of play, behind Serbia's Maja Aleksic (37 points, 0.88 average).
• Correa's 37 points from stuff blocks are at least 18 more than any of her teammates managed this VNL campaign.
Italy
• Italy are one of three teams already qualified for the 2019 Volleyball Nations League final round, alongside Turkey and hosts China.
• Italy have won 10 VNL matches in 2019 (10-L2), already as many as they managed in last year's edition (W10-L5).
• Italy (W10-L2) could equal their team record for most wins at a single world level tournament, set at the 2007 World Cup (W11-L0) and equalled at the 2018 World Championship (W11-L2).
• Italy have won multiple sets in each of their last 23 VNL matches (W20-L3). The defeats in this run came in five sets against Japan (29 May 2018), United States (29 May 2019) and China (6 June 2019).
• Indre Sorokaite (179) is Italy's leading scorer this VNL campaign. Last year, Paola Ogechi Egonu (180) scored the most points for Italy.
• Sorokaite has 22 aces at this year's VNL, only second to Belgium's Marlies Janssens (24) after four weeks of play.
Turkey – Belgium (June 18, 2019)
Head-to-Head
• Turkey have won four of their six major world level meetings with Belgium.
• Turkey won their last two world level matches against Belgium, 3-1 at the 2017 World Grand Prix and 3-0 in the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League.
• Meryem Boz won 26 points in last year's encounter in the VNL, at least 15 more than any other player in that match (11 by Marlies Janssens).
• Belgium's last world level victory over Turkey was a 3-1 at the 2016 World Grand Prix.
• At the European Championship, Turkey won both of their games against Belgium, 3-0 in 1967 and 3-0 in 2015.
Turkey
• Turkey are one of three teams already qualified for the 2019 Volleyball Nations League final round, alongside Italy and hosts China.
• Turkey have won 10 of their 12 matches in this year's VNL, with the only exceptions a 3-0 defeat against Japan on 28 May and a 3-0 loss versus China on 12 June.
• Turkey could win 11 matches at a major world level tournament for the second time after 13 wins at the 2018 VNL.
• Ebrar Karakurt (176) is Turkey's leading points scorer in this year's VNL. In last year's preliminary round, only Meryem Boz (197) and Eda Erdem Dündar (179) won more points for Turkey.
• After four weeks of play, Karakurt is the second-best attacker (49.32%) and second-best server (0.50) in the competition.
• Karakurt has 20 aces in the competition this year. Eda Erdem Dündar (22) had the most aces for Turkey in last year's preliminary round.
Belgium
• Belgium have lost their last two Volleyball Nations League matches, 3-1 against Germany and 3-2 against Dominican Republic.
• Belgium have won at least one set in each of their last seven VNL matches, their longest set-winning streak in the competition.
• Britt Herbots (182) is Belgium's leading points scorer in this VNL. In last year's preliminary round she won 213 points.
• After four weeks of play, Marlies Janssens has recorded the most aces (24) and the highest ace average per set (0.53) of all players.
Quick links - Volleyball:
FIVB.com - Volleyball Nations League
FIVB.com - Volleyball
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram