Brasilia, Brazil, June 30, 2019 - The final matches in 2019 men's FIVB Volleyball Nations League Pool 18 featured a victory for France against Canada and for hosts Brazil against Italy.
Pre-match stats:
Canada - France (June 30, 2019)
Head-to-Head
- France have won 11 of their 13 major encounters with Canada at world level.
- Canada's two world level victories over France came in the 1991 World League (3-2) and at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games (3-0).
- France defeated Canada 3-2 at the 2018 Volleyball Nations League and 3-1 at the 2018 World Championship, their most recent world level encounters.
- Nicholas Hoag (23) and Jean Patry (20) were the only players totalling more than 18 points in last year's VNL match.
Canada
- Canada have won eight and lost six Volleyball Nations League matches this season. In the full 2018 VNL, they won eight and lost seven.
- Canada have won eight matches in the 2019 VNL. They have had only two world level major tournaments with more victories, the 2013 World League (9) and the 2016 World League (10).
- Graham Vigrass is the most prolific blocker in the 2019 VNL, with 29 stuff blocks. His average of 0.53 per set is also a leading mark.
- While Iran's Mir Saeid Marouflakrani (8.88) and Italy's Simone Giannelli (7.38) lead the setters category by a big margin, Brett James Walsh is best of the rest with an average of 5.91 sets per set.
- With his joint team-leading eight-point effort against Brazil, Stephen Timothy Maar (155) has come within four of Canada's 2019 VNL top scorer, Sharone Vernon-Evans (159).
France
- France have won 10 and lost four matches in the 2019 Volleyball Nations League.
- France have qualified for the final round, just like they did in the 2018 VNL. Last year, they won 12 preliminary round matches, in 2019 they could win 11.
- Kevin Tillie scored a team-high 15 points against Italy on Saturday. Tillie (89) is still behind Jean Patry (117) and Stephen Boyer (114) as France top scorers this VNL.
- Antoine Brizard is among the most reliable setters in the 2019 VNL, producing only four faults in 596 total attempts this season.
- Jenia Grebrennikov is among the best diggers in the competition, averaging 1.92 digs per set.
Brazil - Italy (June 30, 2019)
Head-to-Head
- Brazil and Italy have met 66 times in major world level competitions. Brazil won 39 of those matches and Italy 27.
- Italy have not lost more than 33 world level matches against any other nation (33 vs Russia, including its predecessors).
- Italy have won their last two world level meetings with Brazil, 3-2 wins at the 2017 Grand Champions Cup and 2018 Volleyball Nations League.
- Italy could win three successive world level matches against Brazil for the first time since a six-match winning run from 1995 to 1998.
- Brazil have won at least one set in each of their last 29 world level matches against Italy, since a 3-0 defeat in the World League on 21 June 2003.
Brazil
- Brazil have won 13 matches in the 2019 Volleyball Nations League, losing only against Serbia on 14 June (3-2).
- Brazil have equalled their longest winning streak in the VNL, set in 2018 (7 wins in a row). Their most recent world level major tournament with more successive victories was the 2018 World Championship (8).
- Brazil (13 wins) could win 14 matches in a single world level major tournament for the first time since the 2010 World League (15).
- Thales Hoss is the most efficient receiver in the 2019 VNL, with an efficiency rate of 26.05%.
- Ricardo Lucarelli Souza's spike success rate of 55.14 is among the highest in the 2019 VNL.
Italy
- Italy have won eight and lost six Volleyball Nations League matches in 2019. In the 2018 VNL, they won eight and lost seven eventually.
- Italy could lose five consecutive world level major tournament matches for the first time since five successive losses in the 2017 World League. This streak included a 3-1 defeat against Brazil.
- Italy could win nine matches in a single world level major tournament for the first time since winning 10 in the 2015 World Cup.
- Simone Giannelli's average of 0.31 is among the highest in the best servers category in the 2019 VNL.
- Simone Giannelli (7.38 per set) is second among setters in the 2019 VNL, behind only Iran's Mir Saeid Marouflakrani (8.88).