Youth World Championships - Argentina 2011

  • Holy crap, how about Gonzalo Quiroga scoring 30 points in 3 sets against USA? Maybe these argentinian generation isn't as talented as the last two (time should tell), but if they can a scorer like this to play in high level and help Facundo and co., I think that's already great news.


    By the way, who expected Bulgaria would lose to Egypt after they beated USA and Argentina?

    They let the reserves to play after the first set which they won. Egypt wanted more the victory

  • Serbia’s Kovacevic leads the scoring department
    Serbia’s Uros Kovacevic leads the scoring department after the conclusion of the first phase of the 2011 FIVB Boy’s Youth Volleyball World Championship.


    The left-handed Serbian, who is a member of the senior national team of his country, registered 70 points in the three matches played thus far for an average of 23.3 points per game.


    Kovacevic is closely followed by Cuba’s Yordan Bisset with 63 points and Argentina’s Gonzalo Quiroga who has recorded 63.


    The top-ten list of the best scorers is completed by Gonzalo Lapera (56) of Argentina, Stanislav Masliev (55) of Russia, Islam Abdelkader (54) of Egypt, Joao Ferreira (53) of Brazil, Thibault Rossard (52) of France, Cody Caldwell (49) of United States and Geun-Myung Song (49) of Korea.


    Pourya Fayazi of Iran is the best spiker with 50.00 percentage of success, next to Masliev (49.54), Luka Medic (49.30) of Serbia, Kovacevic (48.09) and Rossard (47.31).


    Spain’s Alejandro Vigil is the best blocker with an average of 1.40 by set followed by Zheija Zhang (1.23) of China, Shahab Ahmadi (1.10) of Iran, Petar Nenkov (1.00) of Bulgaria and Mohamed Masoud (0.92).


    Iran’s Milad Ebadipour currently ranks as the best server with 0.70 by set. Then continue Bisset (0.64), Kasandros Stingas (0.56) of Greece, Thiago Veloso (0.53) of Brazil and Gerardo Osorio (0.50) of Spain.


    The best diggers after three days of action are: Kwang-Hyon Baek of Korea with 4.46 by set, Ivo Dramov (3.85) of Bulgaria, Quentin Richard (3.58 ) of France, Abolfazi Gholipour (3.50) of Iran and Rogerio Carvalho (3.47) of Brazil.


    The top five setters are Antoine Brizard (9.50) of France, Angel Trinidad (7.60) of Spain, Veloso (7.33), Fernando Arpajou (7.09) and Seung-Won Lee (6.38 ) of Korea.


    Argentina’s Ramiro Nuñez and Quiroga are the best receivers with an effectiveness of 72.00 and 62.26 respectively. Then follow Richard (60.29), Caldwell (55.88 ) and Trevor Clevenot (55.17) of France.


    The best liberos are: Richard (62.41), Baek (56.55), Victor Manuel Cabrera (55.46), Gholipour (54.37) and Carvalho (53.75).
    FIVB

  • Pool E
    Cuba - China 3-2 (25-18 20-25 25-14 23-25 17-15) stats
    Argentina - Serbia 2-3 (25-23 21-25 22-25 25-22 9-15) stats



    Cuba edge China to continue winning five-setters
    Lazaro Fundora and Yordan Bisset combined for 45 points as Cuba won its third consecutive five-setter this time downing China 25-18, 20-25, 25-14, 23-25, 17-15 in the first match of Pool E in the 2011 FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship on Wednesday evening.


    Fundora registered 24 points, all but three in attacks, while Bisset totaled 21, including four serving aces. The winners also had the offensive contributions from Nelson Loyola and Danger Quintana with 12 apiece. China’s Zhimin Leng finished with 17 points and Kunyu Du added 14. Other Chinese in double figures were Zhejia Zhang and Zhen Qin each with 12 and Chao Tang who charted 10.


    In the well balanced match, Cuba held the lead in blocks 12-11 and in aces 10-8.


    Cuba had a fast start in the first set leading 8-4 and 16-8 at the technical time outs carried by the powerful offense of Yordan Bisset and Lazaro Fundora. The Chinese game was erratic for most part of the opening frame and they were soon out of the picture. The set finished 25-18 when China netted a serve attempt.


    China recovered in the second set with a 5-0 rally to start. When the first technical time out arrived, the Asian team was in front 8-2. The spikes of Leng and Du proved to be the big difference as they were ahead 16-12 at the second TTO. Cuba reacted with some good offense of Loyola and Osoria but it was too late and the set closed 25-20 after a Cuban mistake.


    It was a start to finish for Cuba in the third set when the Caribbean side improved their defense at the net scoring with five blocks including three by captain Lamadrid. Fundora continued to land accurate spikes. The Cubans led 8-4 and 16-9 and kept the same pace until the end with Quintana closing the frame 25-14 with a mighty spike.


    It was a close affair in the fourth set won by China to force a tie-breaker. The Asian team was in front by slight margin at both technical pauses 8-7 and 16-14. The trio of Tang, Leng and Du led China in eclipsing the eight points, all in attacks, by Cuba’s Fundora. China prevailed 25-23.


    Fundora stayed hot during the tie-breaker leading Cuba to an 8-4 advantage when teams traded sides. However, China came back to tie the score at 10-all behind two splendid blocks by Qin. Cuba saw a 13-10 lead to be erased and the sides tied again at 14-all. Finally the NORCECA team claimed the set and the victory 17-15 with Fundora accounting for five points.




    Serbia prevails in a duel with hosts Argentina
    Defending champions Serbia scored a thrilling victory over hosts Argentina in five sets played in front of a packed house in Gimnasio Osvaldo Casanova of Bahia Blanca. The score was 23-25, 25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 15-9 on Wednesday.


    Uros Kovacevic’s 27 points led Serbia while Argentina’s Gonzalo Quiroga topped all the scorers with 32. Luka Medic contributed 10 points to the Serbian victory while Aleksa Brdjovic recorded five of the 14 blocks scored by the winners. Mauro Llanos and Gonzalo Lapera each finished with 10 points for the losers.


    The first set was a very even match-up between the two sides. The two teams were really focused with Serbia relying on big star Kovacevic who totaled 7 points. The defending champions then were affected by too many errors (12 in the set) allowing Argentina to turn out the outcome with the Captain Quiroga leading the path in the late stages. The home boys took the first frame 25-23.


    The European side was in front in the scores from start to finish leading 8-3 and 16-13 in both technical time-outs. Medic, who scored with five killings, was very accurate with his hits while Kovacevic continued to produce steadily. Argentina was also the victim of many unforced errors with Quiroga as the main producer with five points for the South American side. The spike of Katic closed the second chapter 25-21.


    Quiroga’s exploits (seven kills in the set) gave Argentina leads of 8-6 and 16-14 at the technical stops of the third frame despite many mistakes. Serbia then was able to get a one-point advantage at 18-17 with one of the six spikes by Kovacevic. Argentina kept coming back to equalize point after point. Finally Serbia got a two-point cushion 24-22 and closed the set in the next play (25-22) after one of the 12 Argentinean errors.


    In the fourth set Serbia burst into a 7-2 lead but Argentina narrowed the distance to 8-5 at the first stop. The defending champions expanded the lead to a five-point cushion at 10-5 and landed in the second pause in front 16-11. When play resumed the local team put together a three-point rally to minimize the distance at 16-14. Argentina tied the score at 21-all with spike by Quiroga and won it 25-22 with another bomb from the same player.


    Halfway of the tie-breaker Serbia was in front 8-5. Kovacevic was at his best shape when he was more needed scoring five big-time points. Quiroga was still swinging for his team but couldn’t avoid the loss 15-9.
    FIVB

  • Pool F
    Spain - Bulgaria 3-1 (22-25 25-19 25-18 25-17) stats
    Greece - France 1-3 (25-19 14-25 20-25 24-26) stats


    Spain gives Bulgaria a volleyball lesson
    Spain came out victors in the first match in Pool F of the FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship by defeating Bulgaria 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-17) on Wednesday.


    Andres Villena was the best scorer of the winners with 22 points while Juan Manuel Gonzalez and Miguel Fornes contributed 17 and 10 points respectively. Ivan Ivanov (14), Stanislav Velichkov (13) and Radoslav Popov (11) were the best of the defeated side.


    Spain held a small margin in blocking 15-12 with Vigil and Villena registering 5 and 3 respectively and Georgiev totaling 5 for Bulgaria.


    Bulgaria managed to take the lead 8-4 in the first set with some good blocking but Spain was able to comeback to be in front by slight margin 16-15 at the second technical time out with the support of Villena. The battle continued until the late part of the set when Bulgaria prevailed 25-22 with Georgiev and Popov scoring with three blocks apiece and Velichkov leading the attack with five kills and one serving ace.


    Spain dominated the in the early going 8-4 and expanded the gap to 16-9 at the second technical time out with Gonzalez providing most of the fire power and Vigil contributing with his blocking. The set was out of reach for the Bulgarian side despite de effort of Velichkov. Spain’s Fornes crashed a big spike to wrap it up 25-19.


    The third set was very similar to the previous one as Spain stormed to into an 8-3 lead playing excellent overall volleyball. They reached the second pause in front 16-8 thanks to some powerful attacks from Villena who scored six points in the set to 3 by Bulgaria’s Ivanov. One spike by Gonzalez finished the actions 25-18 in favor of Spain.


    It was more of the same in the fourth set with Villena working in high gear totaling 9 points with his solid spikes and Gonzalez also excelling the offense. The play level of Bulgaria continued to decrease and on the other side Spain was playing high quality. One ace from the arm of Vigil closed the action 25-17.



    Falafala leads France in victory over Greece
    Soane Falafala scored 18 points and Jhon Wendt totaled 7 blocks leading France to a 3-1 (19-25, 25-14, 25-20, 26-24) over Greece in the second match of Pool F of the 2011 FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship on Wednesday.


    Wendt and Thibault Rossard both finished with 13 points while Quentin Jouffroy chipped in with 10 tallies for the winning side. Greece’s Menelaos Kokkinakis and Rafail Koumentakis each registered 17 points for the defeated team.


    France, which earned three points with the victory to join Spain at the top of the pool, overwhelmed Greece in the blocking category 15-4.


    Both teams stayed closer in the early part of the set with Greece leading 8-6. When play resumed the Greeks went into a flying start extending its lead to 16-9 with the spikes of Koumentakis and the serves of Tzioumakas. France couldn’t resist the rhythm of the set and the inevitable was near despite some good offense of Clevenot and Rossard. Greece closed it out 25-19 with a booming spike by Koumentakis.


    France roared to an 8-2 lead with good serves and subsequent blocking as the keys for the wide difference. When the second technical time-out arrived, the French guys had built a huge 16-5 gap in the lopsided second set. Brizzard, Rossard and Wendt each recorded two blocks while Koumentakis was the only bright point in the Greece side with five points via spikes. The set finished 25-14 and was the first dropped by the Greek team in the tournament where they made 10 unforced errors.


    The “bleus” took and 8-4 advantage while Greece continue to experience some defensive difficulties. In the actions that followed, the Greek side showed some life via the captain Kokkinakis who scored five points in a rally to stay at the same 4-point distance at the second technical time-out 16-12. France team was carried on the shoulders of Soane Falafala who scored 10 points all via attacks while Quentin Jouffroy contributed two spikes and two blocks. The set finished 25-20 as consequence of a big spike by Brizard.


    Once again France was in front 8-4 in the fourth set but this time the Greek were able to stay close. The Greek coach made some substitutions trying to change the fate of his team and even though they could equalize the score at the end it was not enough. The set was enjoyable for the crowd with Falafala and Kokkinakis engaged in the offensive duel. At the end it was a point by Wendt that decided in favor of France 26-24.
    FIVB

  • Pool G
    Brazil 3, Tunisia 1 stats
    Brazil had to fight against Tunisia in order to begin firmly the second round in Almirante Brown. The six-time champions earned a 3-1 victory (25-15, 21-25, 25-12, 25-21) and notched 3 points to jump ahead in Pool G for places 9-16. Brazil was led by Joao Ferreira with a match-high 18 points, while Flavio Gualberto added 12 with each registering 4 blocks. Reserve player Wagner Silva contributed to the winning cause with 11 kills. For Tunisia, Elyes Garfi scored 13 and Malek Chekir followed with 10.


    Egypt 3, Puerto Rico 1 stats
    Carrying its momentum into the second round, Egypt achieved its second win in a row by seeing off Puerto Rico 3-1 (15-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-17). The Caribbean, nevertheless, were able to win their first set of the World Champs, but weren't able to keep up the pace for the entire game. Egyptian Islam Abdelkader topped the scorers with 17 points, narrowly chased by three Puerto Rican players: Francisco Vélez (15), Ángel Pérez (14) and Captain Carlos Acosta (13). For the winning side, Kareem Hamdy achieved 6 blocks in a total count of 12 points.


    Pool H
    Iran 3, United States 1 stats
    In Pool H opener, Iran defeated United States in four sets (25-21, 22-25, 25-16, 25-18 ) and stepped firmly in his first match in Almirante Brown venue. The Iranians are the only team in the battle for places 9-16 with 3 wins achieved, while USA holds now a 1-3 mark in the whole tournament. Iran's captain Pourya Fayazi just stole the show, topping his team in all the areas with 17 spikes, 5 blocks and 3 aces for a total score of 25 points. Benjamin Patch (18 points) tried to hold back the opponent in the US side, but Iran downed the Americans in both blocking (14-8 ) and serving (8-3).


    Russia 3, Korea 2 stats
    Russia edged Korea in five sets in the nightcap at Polideportivo Almirante Brown. The score was 25-20, 19-25, 18-25, 25-16, 15-10. The Russian squad outblocked the opponent side 14-5 with Vladimir Chivel totaling 6 blocks among his 11 points in the match. Stanislav Masliev was the top scorer for Russia with 14 points next to Vladimir Manerov and Konstantin Gavrilov with 11 and 10 respectively. Korea’s Gyeong-Bok Na topped all the scorers with 25 points while Myung-Geun Song and Seong-Tae Jin each charted 12.

  • Pool E
    25-Aug Cuba - Serbia 1-3 (25-22 19-25 23-25 15-25) stats
    25-Aug China - Argentina 1-3 (23-25 25-19 15-25 19-25) stats

    26-Aug SRB-CHN
    26-Aug ARG-CUB



    Serbia secures the pass to the semifinals
    Defending champions Serbia secured a spot in the medal round of the 2011 FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship after defeating Cuba 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-15) on Thursday.


    The Serbian side improved its win-loss record to 2-0 with 5 points and is at least secured of a second place in Pool E. Cuba remained with 2 points and a 1-1 mark.


    Milan Katic and Uros Kovacevic recorded 24 and 22 respectively for Serbia with Katic totaling 23 attacks and Kovcevic registering seven blocks. Luka Medic contributed 15 to the winning cause. In the losing effort, Cuba’s Lazaro Fundora had a match-high 27 points while Yordan Bisset and Nelson Loyola added 13 and 11.


    Serbia’s shaky start enabled Cuba to take an 8-7 lead. Serbia steadily recovered ground and surpassed the Caribbean team at the second technical time out 16-14. However, the lethal combination of Bisset and Fundora produced 16 of Cuba’s points in the set each with 7 kills and one ace. Cuba won the set 25-22.


    Kovacevic, who was very quiet in the first set was quite active in the second when he scored seven points, including four blocks to help Serbia to 8-4 and 16-11. Medic and Katic were also major contributors in the set dominated from start to finish. Fundora didn’t stop his production for Cuba and repeated with 8 points. The Europeans continued to pressure Cuba defense and a fantastic block by Kovacevic closed the second set with a score of 25-19.


    The third set was tight as each team struggled with hitting and service errors. Cuba was in the lead 8-7 and the sides continued battling point after point. Kovacevic helped Serbia to be in front 16-15. Kovacevic and Katic won the duel against Fundora. Each Serbian uncorked seven spikes and 1 block during the action while the Cuban star hitter swung for 9 kills and added one block. A block by Blogojevic closed the score for Serbia 25-23.


    Katic guided Serbia to an 8-6 lead and it didn’t take long for the European side to expand the difference to a six-point comfortable zone at 16-10. The Serbian never looked back and won the set 25-15 without problems.



    Argentina scores important victory to stay alive
    Argentina is still in competition for the medals in the 2011 FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship following the 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-15, 25-19) over China on Thursday.


    Argentina evened its win-loss record at 1-1 with 4 points and will play an important match against Cuba on Friday. China dropped to 0-2 record and will be relegated to the round for the 5-8 places.


    Argentina’s Gonzalo Quiroga once again was the leader in the scores with 29 points including three aces and two blocks. He was followed by Gonzalo Lapera who had five aces among hits 18 points and Mauro Llanos with 10. China’s Zhejia Zhang finished with 15 including a match-high seven blocks and Chao Tang added 12.


    While China led in the blocking category 15-8 Argentina was the better team in the service department 11-4.


    China relied on the huge spikes by Leng and Zhang to take an 8-4 lead. The Asians continued playing at a high level breaking Argentina defense with with Du and Leng spikes widening the gap to 16-11. Argentina rallied to come back on the shoulders of Quiroga and Lapera. Behind 21-20, Lapera scored two consecutive aces for the 22-1 advantage and Quiroga followed with a tip over that landed in the middle of the other side. The home team won the set 25-23.


    Arpajou’s ace broke a 7-all tie to give Argentina the lead 8-7 at the first pause. China came back with a three-point rally led by Qin’s spike and ace followed by block of Zhang for the 12-10 advantage. Led by Quiroga and Nuñez Argentina takes the lead back at 16-14. With Zhang on the service line, China wins three consecutive points and took control of the set which ends 25-19.


    Lapera’s spike and serve gave Argentina the early lead 8-4. When the action resumed, Lapera continued with his show of serves helping the home team to increase to 16-10. The festival of aces didn’t stop with Quiroga and Araya providing the fifth and sixth of the set for the local side. The score was a lopsided 25-15.


    China was in front 8-6 but the advantage didn’t last very long. Quiroga stayed with a hot hand and aided to the winning cause with 9 points in the set, eight in attacks. The home team led 16-12 at the second technical time-out and won 25-19 with the crowd roaring loudly.
    FIVB

  • Pool F
    Spain - France 3-2 (25-22 25-17 18-25 15-25 15-10) stats
    Bulgaria - Greece 3-0 (25-23 25-19 25-21) stats

    26-Aug FRA-BUL
    26-Aug GRE-ESP


    Spain takes positive step towards medal round
    Spain held off a spirited France in five sets (25-22, 25-17, 18-25, 15-25, 15-10) to take an important step towards the medal’s round of the 2011 FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship.


    The two-point victory gives Spain a total of 5 in Pool F while France added one point and stand up with four.


    Andres Villena helped Spain’s victory by hammering 22 spikes and a total 26 points while Alejandro Vigil contributed 6 of the 15 blocks scored by the winners. France, which doubled its opponent in errors 40-20, had its best scorers in Trevor Clevenot, Thibault Rossard and Soane Falafala with 19, 16 and 15 points respectively.


    Both teams traded blows going into the first technical time-out with France leading 8-7. Then Spain’s rhythm spiraled up and led 16-15 at the second pause thanks to the production of Villena who finished the set with 6 points. The power of Spain was evident and France team gave away 14 points in errors handing the set to the opponent (25-22) with the last one when the spike of Jouffroy landed out of bounds.


    Spain led 8-6 at the first TTO. After an 8-all tie, Spain caught fire and built up distance from the opponent reaching the second pause in front 16-10. The four blocks of Vigil (6 by Spain in the set) and the continued attack from Villena put their side out of reach. Spain won the second set 25-17 when Rossard missed with his serve.


    France was not ready to fold and stormed to an 8-2 lead in the third set inspired by the duo of Falafala and Rossard who each scored five points. The “bleus” enjoyed a 16-8 commanding lead at the second technical time-out and went on to cruise the rest of the set towards a 25-18 final score.


    In the fourth set, France was running at full throttle while Spain was moving like with a flat tire. As a result, the French team won 25-15. Captain Clevenot recorded seven points, including five spikes and two blocks, while Brizard contributed two spikesm a couple of blocks and one ace. France’s biggest lead was 19-7 and went into the pauses in front 8-4 and 16-6. The set concluded with an excellent spike from Kaba.


    Spain could find a solution to the reception problems and took an 8-2 lead in the tie-breaker where Villena totaled four points and France helped with many unforced errors. The big gap was somehow a relief for the Spain side which closed the set 15-10.


    Bulgaria outlasts Greece with 3-0 victory in Pool F
    Bulgaria bounced back from the loss one day earlier to outclass Greece in straight sets (25-23, 25-19, 25-21) and keep alive the chances of a spot in the semifinals of the 2011 FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship.


    It was a team-effort for Bulgaria which only committed 10 errors in the match compared to 24 by Greece. Bulgaria, now with three points in Pool F, dominated also in the blocking charts 14-3.


    Ivan Ivanov was the best scorer of the winning side with 10 points while Krasimir Georgiev and Stanilash Velichkov charted 9 and 8 points respectively. Greece’s Georgios Tzioumakas topped all the scorers in the match with 21 points.


    The Greek team took the lead 8-4 in the first set only to see Bulgaria getting in shape and in front 16-14 at the second technical time out. The Bulgarians used 11 unforced errors by their opponents. Kokkinakis and Tzioumakas scored seven points apiece for Greece but couldn’t prevent the downfall of their side 25-23 when the same Kokkinakis missed with his attack.


    Bulgaria was off to a good start in the second set and led 8-5. The spikes of Velichkov and the blocks by Seganov gave Bulgaria side a four-point advantage at the second technical time out. Tzioumakas is the only producing consistently for a team of Greece that can’t find the rhythm and a good level. The set goes to the hands of Bulgaria 25-19.


    Greece appeared to have recovered its shape in the third set they led 8-4 and 16-13 at the two technical time-outs. Tzioumakas continued to pound spikes but he was a lonely star on the Greek side. The steady play of Bulgaria allowed the side to recover step by step and finally they were able to surpass Greece down the stretch and take the set and the match 25-21.
    FIVB

  • Pool G
    Brazil 3, Puerto Rico 0 stats
    Brazil swept Puerto Rico in straight sets (25-17, 25-16, 25-18 ) to moved ahead in Pool G for places 9-16. The Brazilians have won the first two matches played in Almirante Brown, while Puerto Rico still has no victories. Puerto Rican Angel Pérez carried the flag for his side and ended up tied with Brazil's Jonatas Cardoso as the best scorers of the match with 11 points apiece. Brazil outclassed its opponent in serving aces with a wide 6-0 margin and also led in blocks 10-4.


    Egypt 3, Tunisia 1 stats
    With a fantastic support from the crowd for both sides, Egypt saw off Tunisia in four sets (25-19, 25-22, 25-15, 28-26) to rumble on to its third win in a row and share Pool G lead with Brazil. Tunisia fought hard before dropping to 0-5 in the World Champs. Egypt's Islam Abdelkader topped the scores in the African duel with 22 points, followed closely by Tunisia's Ousama Mrika, who came from the bench to achieve 20 tallies. Mohamed Masoud from Egypt also performed well, with 18 points.



    Pool H
    Iran 3, Korea 1 stats
    Iran passed the test against Korea and won 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-22) to have the semifinals for ninth place on sight. The Koreans failed to earn their first victory of the World Championship, blocked out by the Iranians, who led by a wide 15-2 in the blocking department. Korea's Gyeong-Bok Na clearly won the scoring contest with 24 points, including 20 spikes, 2 blocks and 2 aces. The Iranian side was more balanced, with Javad Hosseinabadi leading with 15 kills and Milad Ebadipour and Pourya Fayazi achieving 14 points each.


    United States 3, Russia 2 stats
    Another five-setter closed up the day in the fight for places 9-16. USA stepped ahead of Russia two times, but had to go into a tie-breaker to finally earn the victory (25-20, 20-25, 25-18, 22-25, 15-13). Even with the loss, Russia stands in the second place of Pool H, while USA sits on the third spot and nothing is settled yet. Matthew Tarantino finished with 22 points as the game's top scorer, while Russia had both Vladimir Manerov and Konstantin Gavrilov in good shape, charting 19 and 18 tallies.


  • Bulgaria-France 2-3 (25:22, 25:22, 17:25, 22:25, 11:15)
    :aww:
    France in top4

  • France is amazing team :obey: they can lose set 9-25 but those guys never surrending :obey: also great mental strenght :obey:


    Obviously you're right. Bulgarian players, on the other hand, are true mental midgets

  • Pool E
    Serbia - China 3-1 (25-15 20-25 25-15 25-20) stats
    Argentina - Cuba 1-3 (22-25 25-22 17-25 17-25) stats



    Defending champions Serbia top Pool E
    Serbia subdued China in four sets (25-15, 20-25, 25-15, 25-20) to secure top place of Pool E on the 2011 FIVB Boy’s Youth Volleyball Championship on Friday night.


    The victory left the defending champions with a 3-0 win-loss mark and 8 points while Cuba and hosts Argentina were to decide the other semifinalist in the competition.


    Playing without star Uros Kovacevic, Serbia was still very effective and had Mihajlo Stankovic as the best scorer with 12 points. Sinisia Zarkovic and Aleksandar Blagojevic and Sinisia Zarkovic each recorded 11 with 6 blocks and 4 serving aces respectively, and Luka Medic added 10 tallies. China’s Zheng Qin had 3 blocks and 3 aces among his 14 points. Kunyu Du and Zhimin Leng added 13 and 12.

    With Kovacevic left out of the starting-six, but boosted by the spikes of Medic and Zarkovic Serbia had a flying start to the first set. They were in front 8-2 and continued from there to expand the margin to 16-6 with a big display of defensive and offensive skills. It was a one-way street as Serbia closed the set 25-15 with Medic and Zarkovic finishing with 5 and 4 points respectively.


    The score stayed close early in the second set with the improvement of China even though Medic was still firing like a machine gun. Serbia’s lead was 8-7 at the technical time-out and both teams kept their engines running smoothly. China is in front 16-15 with Qin and Leng providing the power. The Asian team stretched the distance to two-point at 19-17 and never looked back. The frame closed 25-20 for China.


    Serbia overwhelmed China in the early stage roaring to an 8-3 lead at the first technical time out behind powerful serves of Zarkovic. The defending champions continued on with a frenetic charge into a 16-7 advantage at the second pause. They slowed down a little bit the rest of the way but still were able to close the third set 25-15.


    Serbia started focused on fourth set and with the help from Pantic took the lead 8-4. Like in the third set, Serbia was efficient with attack and block and that were the keys leading to the victory 25-20.


    Lazaro Fundora sends Cuba to the semifinals
    Lazaro Fundora hammered 29 points to carry Cuba to the semifinals of the FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship following a powerful victory over hosts Argentina in four sets (25-22, 22-25, 25-17, 25-17).


    Cuba finished in second place of the pool with a 2-1 record while Argentina (1-2) will play in the round for 5-8 places.


    Fundora’s superb night included 26 attacks, one block and two aces. Yordan Bisset and Nelson Loyola contributed 14 and 12 points to the victory. The best Argentinean was Gonzalo Lapera with 18 points while the top-gun and tournament’s leading scorer Gonzalo Quiroga was limited to only 11 points.


    In a very tight beginning of first set Cuba won the race to the first time out 8-6 with Cuba’s Fundora and Argentina’s Nuñez as the main weapons. The strong spikes executed by Fundora, who had 8 points in the set, expanded the lead to 16-13 at the second pause. It was the same pattern the rest of the way with Cuba closing the frame 25-22.


    Argentina improved their scheme of play and with the help from Martinez spikes was ahead 8-4. Cuba made some mistakes in this segment of the second chapter that home team took advantage of to widen the distance at 16-11. Captain Quiroga stepped in for Argentina, combined with powerful spikes and blocks by Gonzalo Lapera, to win the second set 25-22.


    The start of the third set showed both teams exchanging point by point. Fundora once again led Cuba to the lead at the first timeout 8-7. Loyola and Fundora had a good performance during this segment while Argentina made too many mistakes to give Cuba the second timeout 16-13. The home boys could never stop Fundora’s strong spikes (10 points) and allowed Cuba to win the third set 25-17.


    Fundora and his teammates could break Argentina defense at the beginning of the fourth set to give Cuba an 8-4 advantage. The key of the victory for the Cuba team was especially the excellent blocks. Finally Cuba won the last set (25-17) and the best player of them was Fundora as the star of a Cuba team was really superior in than Argentina.
    FIVB

  • Pool F
    France - Bulgaria 3-2 (22-25 22-25 25-17 25-22 15-11) stats
    Greece - Spain 0-3 (19-25 28-30 19-25) stats



    Spain wins Pool F with straight-set victory over Greece
    Spain defeated Greece in straight sets (25-19, 30-28, 25-19) to finish atop of Pool F of the Boy’s Youth Volleyball World Championship on Friday.


    Spain finished with a 3-0 win-loss record and 8 points in the second round while Greece concluded winless and will play for the 5-8 positions startin on Saturday.


    Spain outblocked Greece 15-8 with Andres Villena recording six of his match-high 19 points via blocks. Dane Munoz contributed 10 points and the winners benefited from 23 errors of the opponent while committing only eight. Rafail Koumentakis topped Greece with 13 points while Anestis Dalakouras and Georgios Tzioumakas notched 11 and 10 respectively.


    They played a disputed encounter in the early going of the first set with Greece taking an 8-7 advantage behind three attacks of Tzioumakas. Then Spain began to use properly all the weapons and was in front 16-12 at the second technical time-out. The Spanish team kept the same pace until the end and won the chapter 25-19 with Villena contributing three spikes and two blocks.


    Spain led 8-5 and 16-11 at the two technical time-outs but Greece was able to comeback relying on Koumentakis who came off the bench to score 11 points in the set. The set was tied at 18-all and a real battle started. Spain prevailed 30-28 with a block by Vigil capping the chapter. Villena again topped Spain with nine points via six spikes, two blocks and one ace


    Spain could maintain the level of the previous set and was in front 8-5. Greece answered with some effective actions but was not able to keep up par with Spain which expands the difference to 16-10. The six-point cushion enables Spain to cruise until the end 25-19.


    France makes the semis with incredible comeback win
    France made a miraculous comeback from two sets down and qualified to the semifinals of the 2011 FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship by defeating Bulgaria 3-2 (22-25, 22-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-11) on Friday morning.


    France improved to 2-1 and 6 points in Pool F where Spain has 5 points and one match to play against Greece.


    Five French players led by Soane Falalafala’s 18 points finished in double digits. Trevor Clevenot followed with 15 while Quentin Jouffroy, Thibault Rossard and Antoine Brizard added 13, 12 and 11 respectively. Ivan Ivanov led Bulgaria with 16 followed by Petar Nenkov with 11 and Radoslav Popov and Stanislav Velichkov each with 10.


    Bulgaria led 8-5 and 16-12 in the first set against a sleepy France committing too many mistakes. Ivanov and Nenkov are the main players of Bulgaria in the opening set with 7 and 4 points respectively while lefty Rossard is the only French player showing energy as he finishes with 5 points. One spiking error by Brossard hands the set to Bulgaria 25-22.


    Bulgaria continues to play steady and is in front 8-4 at the first technical time out while is the other side of the coin for France which can’t find rhythm. The picture begins to change for the French side with the trio of Clevenot, Rossard and Falafala receiving the wake-up call. The gap is close at 16-15 in favor of Bulgaria, but the amount of errors from the French side is to much as they give away 12 points. It is 25-22 again in favor of Bulgaria following an opponent’s error.


    In the third set France woke up completely and attacked right away from the first play. They won the race to the first time-out 8-5 playing with better level than Bulgaria and continued on the same path leading 16-11 at the second stop with Bulgaria showing problems with the defense. Falafala finished the set with 7 kills and one ace as France took the frame easily 25-17 after the potent spike by Jouffroy.


    Four unforced errors of Bulgaria enable France to take the lead 8-3 in the fourth frame. Bulgaria gives signs of recovery and is in front 16-15 at the second time-out with the spike by Ivanov. Teams battle point by point with Jouffroy standing out on the French side with his blocking ability. Bulgaria made a total 13 errors and France tied up the score by winning the set 25-22.


    France roared ahead 5-1 in the tie-breaker and increased to 8-1 with strong serves and blocks. When teams traded sides the outcome of the match appeared to be practically decided. Then Bulgaria shortened the distance to only three points at 14-11 before the anticipated finish 15-11.
    FIVB


  • Obviously you're right. Bulgarian players, on the other hand, are true mental midgets


    Bulgaria won two sets despite being the weaker side - with no errors. Obviously they can'tplay that precise for a whole game and the better team won. Mental weaknes is to lose from weaker side, not from stronger.

  • Pool G
    Tunisia 3, Puerto Rico 0 stats
    In a duel between two winless teams, Tunisia claimed the chance for its first celebration seeing off Puerto Rico in straight sets (25-21, 25-18, 25-21). Nevertheless, both teams will play for the 13th place from this Saturday on. Tunisia's Adam Oueslati led the scorers with 13 points, while teammate Malek Chekir added 11 for his side. In Puerto Rico, Ángel Pérez was once again the most prolific scorer with 12 kills.


    Brazil 3, Egypt 0 stats
    Brazil stomped over Egypt in the final match of Pool G, achieving not only a 3-0 victory (25-18, 25-14, 25-20) but also the top spot of the pool. Only two players scored in double numbers in the game: Brazil's Jonatas Cardoso emerged as the top scorer with 15 points, while Egypt's Marawan Mohamed charted 10. Brazil held the lead in the blocking department by a 10-4 margin.



    Pool H
    Korea 3, United States 2 stats
    In their fourth five-setter in the tournament, Korea snapped its losing streak by beating USA (25-20, 20-25, 18-25, 25-19, 15-11). Nevertheless, the Korean side will have to settle for the dispute of the 13th place, while USA's fate was clinging of the result between Russia and the already qualified Iran. Korea's Gyeong-Bok Na notched the award of top scorer for fourth time in a row, in this case with 23 points. Teammates Myung-Geun Song and Jun-Young Kim finished in 17 and 16 kills. On the losing side, Aaron Russell, Matthew Tarantino and Nikola Antonijevic lined up with 16, 14 and 12 points respectively.


    Iran 3, Russia 0 stats
    Iran crushed Russia's hopes to be in the semifinals for places 9-12 with a 3-0 defeat (25-12, 26-24, 25-20) that elevated the USA into the top four teams of the bottom half. Iran will then face Egypt and the Americans will meet Brazil in the main stage for Saturday's action in Almirante Brown. Iranians Pourya Fayazi and Javad Hosseinabadi shone with 18 points apiece, while partner Shahab Ahmadi earned 10 tallies. The same score had Russia's captain Vladimir Manerov, the only Soviet in double numbers.


  • Positions 5-8
    Argentina 3, Greece 0 stats
    Argentina advanced to the match for the 5th position following a straight-set (25-22, 25-21, 25-21) over Greece on Saturday morning. Despite the close scores it was Argentina the team that controlled the pace of the game from start to finish. The home team held the advantage in blocks 12-8. Gonzalo Lapera with 17 points was the best scorer for the winners. Mauro Llanos added 11 including five blocks and Gonzalo Quiroga chipped in with 10. Menelaos Kokkikanis topped Greece with 10 points and Anestis Dalakouras tallied 8.


    Bulgaria 3, China 0 stats
    Bulgaria scored a straight-set (25-20, 26-24, 25-18 ) over China to advance to a match with hosts Argentina for the fifth position. China will meet Greece in the contest for the seventh place. Ivan Ivanov collected 10 points including two blocks and two serving aces as the offensive leader of Bulgaria. Veselin Iliev and Krasimier Georgiev each registered 8 points to the winning effort. China’s Zhimin Leng had two aces, one block and ten attacks to finish with a match-high 13 points.


    Positions 9-12
    Brazil 3, United States 1 stats
    Brazil booked its ticket for the 9th place final after working against USA through four sets (25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 25-16). The six-time champions earned their fourth win in a row, all of them after falling in the bottom half of the tournament. Brazil was led by Alan Souza and Jonatas Cardoso, with 15 and 13 points respectively. Joao Ferreira and Henrique Batagim shared the role as the other outside hitter, charting 11 and 10 points. In the losing side, both Austin Kingi and the injured Matthew Tarantino scored 13 tallies.


    Iran 3, Egypt 0 stats
    With an unquestionable supremacy, Iran downed Egypt in straight sets (25-21, 25-14, 25-21) to advance to the final match for 9th place in Almirante Brown venue. The Iranian, last runner-ups, will decide with six-time champions Brazil the best team of the bottom half of the World Championship. Egyptian Islam Abdelkader hammered 15 points as the game's top scorer, while Iran's captain Pourya Fayazi nailed 14 for his side. No other players reached double numbers.


    Positions 13-16
    Russia 3, Tunisia 1 stats
    After a few disappointments in the tournament, Russia could prove its strength against Tunisia and celebrated in four sets (25-19, 21-25, 25-16, 25-20) the chance to fight for the 13th place in the final day. The Africans will look for a maximum 15th spot. Left-handed Konstantin Gavrilov was a continuous threat to Tunisia with 20 points. Colleague opposite Adam Oueslati scored 15 kills for the losing side. Both teams had great numbers in blocking, with Russia in front 20-13.


    Korea 3, Puerto Rico 1 stats
    In a very exciting affair, Korea managed to overcome Puerto Rico in four sets (25-23, 18-25, 25-17, 32-30) to face Russia in the final match for the 13th position. The Puerto Ricans played their best match of the tournament but came out empty and now they will decide with Tunisia the places 15-16. The outstanding performance of Puerto Rico's Carlos Acosta, with 23 points, wasn't enough to give his side the first victory in Argentina. Ángel Pérez contributed with 18 tallies, but Puerto Rico gave away 38 points by mistakes, while Korea only dropped 20. In the Asian team, Jun-Young Kim reached the top with 14 kills.

  • Semifinals
    Spain - Cuba 3-1 (27-25 25-22 16-25 26-24) stats
    Serbia - France 3-0 (25-23 25-22 25-18 ) stats


    Villena powers Spain to gold medal match
    Andres Villena scored a tournament-high 34 points carrying Spain to the gold medal match of the 2011 FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship after a well fought victory over Cuba in four sets by score of 27-25, 25-22, 16-25, 26-24 on Saturday.


    In two previous appearances in the biennial competition for players under 19-years-old, Spain best position had been a fifth place in 2009 when the event took place in Italy. They will meet for the gold against the winner of the match Serbia-France later on Saturday.


    Villena scored with 32 attacks and two blocks while Miguel Fornes was the only other player of Spain in double digits with 14. Cuba’s Lazaro Fundora finished the night with 20 points and Yordan Bisset and Nelson Loyola added 18 and 14 respectively.


    The first set started very tight. Spain seemed to be more focused but Cuba had a reaction ignited by Bisset for an 8-5 lead at the first technical timeout. Some good blocks (five in the set) combined with the spikes of Villena put Spain in fron 16-14. Teams engaged in an intense battle and at the end Spain prevailed 27-25 with Villena totaling 8 tallies.


    The early part of the second set is close but Cuba gets the upper hand 8-5 thanks to the attacks of Bisset and Osoria. The boys from the Caribbean lose focus and commit too many unforced errors which Spain capitalized for a 16-14 lead by the second TTO. Villena continues to be one important source of power with 8 points for Spain and Fornes contributes 6 including two blocks for the 25-22 outcome.


    Fundora came out firing and his strong spikes violated the defense of Spain. Cuba led 8-6 and 16-9 with Loyola and Bisset contributing to open a wide gap. It was a Cuban show of fireworks for the third set they took 25-16.


    The fourth set was another war between two spirited teams. Cuba led 8-6 but Spain soon was back on track thanks to the spikes of the unstoppable Villena to take the lead 16-14. The rest of the set was full of drama. Cuba tied the score at 24-all but two consecutive points including a final block of Villena put their dreams to rest.


    Serbia to defend the gold medal in final match
    Serbia will have the chance to defend the gold medal in the finals of the 2011 FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship following the straight set victory (25-23, 25-22, 25-18 ) over France on Saturday.


    It was a very consistent outing for the Serbia side which controlled the match against a combative team of France. The Serbian team gave away 14 points via errors compared to 26 by the defeated side.


    Captain and star player Uros Kovacevic was the scoring leader of Serbia with 15 points followed by Luka Medic and Milan Katic with 14 and 10 points respectively. France’s Thibault Rossard and Trevor Clevenot registered 11 and 10 tallies.


    Serbia was leading 8-5 by the first technical time out thanks to Katic’s spikes. France then recovered from the slow start with Jouffroy’s help for a 16-15 advantage. It was then show time for Kovacevic’s accurate hits (five points in the set) for the 25-23 finish in favor of Serbia.


    The defending champions continued rolling on a smooth road and also cashed in several mistakes of the opponents for an 8-5 lead. Despite Falafala’s huge spikes France only could reduce one point 16-14 at the second pause. Medic and Katic kept their production playing a support cast role to star Kovacevic who totaled 6 more points en route to a 25-22 final set score.


    Serbia had a great start in the third set with Medic’s help to win first technical timeout 8-4. Medic was outstanding and broke French defense during this segment to lead Serbia to the second technical timeout in front 16-15. From that point on it was Serbia who dominated before wrapping it up 25-18.
    FIVB

  • Gold Medal
    Serbia 3, Spain 2 stats
    Serbia outdueled a relentless Spain in a memorable five-setter (25-23, 25-19, 28-30, 16-25, 15-11) to retain the crown of the FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship on Sunday night at Gimnasio Osvaldo Casanova in Bahia Blanca. Serbia’s threesome of Uros Kovacevic, Luka Medic and Milan Katic finished with 28, 20 and 18 points respectively. Spain’s Andres Villena had an astonishing tournament-high 48 points and Miguel Fornes charted 11 for the defeated side.


    Bronze Medal
    Cuba 3, France 0 stats
    Cuba claimed the bronze medal after a one-side victory in straight sets (25-18, 25-17, 25-21) over France. Yordan Bisset and Lazaro Fundora with 19 and 17 points respectively were once again the top guns of the Caribbean side. Cuba had the advantage 8-5 in blocks and 5-0 in aces. In a sub-par performance for France team, Soane Falafala was tops with 15 tallies and Trevor Clevenot finished with 11.


    Places 5-6
    Argentina 3, Bulgaria 0 stats
    Argentina outclassed Bulgaria in straight sets (25-20, 25-11, 25-19) to claim fifth place on Sunday. Gonzalo Quiroga and Gonzalo Lapera registered 19 and 13 points respectively to lead an Argentina team that overwhelmed the opponents 8-1 in the serving aces category. None Bulgarian player reached double figures in the charts with Stanislav Velichkov finishing with nine points.


    Places 7-8
    Greece 3, China 0 stats
    Greece blanked China 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-16) in the match for seventh place on Sunday morning. Rafail Koumentakis was tops in the scores with 16 points all in attacks while Menelaos Kokkikanis and Georgios Tzioumakas each had three aces and 12 points. China’s Zhimin Leng was the leader for China with nine.


    Places 9-10
    Brazil 3, Iran 2 stats
    In an electrifying match, Brazil earned an astonishing victory over Iran by 3-2 (39-37, 26-28, 26-24, 18-25, 15-11) and notched the ninth place as the best qualified team in the Almirante Brown venue. Brazil had in Joao Ferreira its best player, with 26 points, including the final one. Alan Souza supported him well with 21 kills. For the Asian side, gunners Javad Hosseinabadi and Pourya Fayazi charted 27 points apiece.


    Places 11-12
    United States 3, Egypt 1 stats
    In a pulsating game, USA seized the 11th place after a 3-1 (29-27, 23-25, 25-20, 25-20) victory over the extremely popular Egypt. Islam Abdelkader and Mohamed Masoud were the two main actors in the Egyptian side, registering 19 and 15 points respectively. USA based the victory on the entrances of Gregory Petty and Cody Caldwell, with 14 an 13 points, and also in a better blocking, with a 13-7 advantage.


    Places 13-14
    Russia 3, Korea 1 stats
    Russia reached a final ranking of 13th after seeing off Korea in four sets (25-18, 25-18, 25-27, 25-15) in both teams' farewell from Argentina. Soviet cannons Konstantin Gavrilov and Alexey Tertyshnikov powered through the match with 18 points apiece. Meanwhile, teammates Ilya Nikitin and Vladimir Chivel were the pilars of a huge Russian advantage in the blocking department, adding 7 points each for a mighty total of 20 stuffs. For the losing side, Gyeong-Bok Na led the scorers with 15 kills.


    Places 15-16
    Puerto Rico 3, Tunisia 1 stats
    Breaking its dry spell in the final match of the tournament, Puerto Rico achieved its first win by defeating Tunisia in four sets (26-24, 25-22, 21-25, 25-23) to finish in the 15th place of the final ranking. Puerto Rican star Ángel Pérez led the winning team, scoring 20 points, followed by Carlos Acosta with 15 and Emanuel Romero and Giovanni Llinás with 13 apiece. Tunisia's Malek Chekir also had 13.

  • Serbia has perfect record at Boy’s Youth World Championship
    Serbia remained as title holders of the FIVB Boy’s Youth World Championship by prevailing in a thrilling five-set battle against a relentless team of Spain on Sunday night in Bahia Blanca. The score was 25-23, 25-19, 28-30, 16-25, 15-11.


    Serbia maintained a perfect record in this age-group tournament for athletes under 19-years old with two gold medals in two appearances in the history of the competition. To achieve the first one two years ago, they also had to go five sets to edge Iran in Jesolo, Italy.


    The Serbian team played consistent volleyball throughout the event, dropping only one contest to Iran in the first round, en route to an overall mark of 7-1. Three players from the 2009 edition –Uros Kovacevic, Cedomir Stankovic and Sinisa Zarkovic- were also members of the squad that won in 2011.


    I can’t compare this gold medal with the one we won in Italy because I injured in the second set of that match when I broke my neck,” Most Valuable Player Kovacevic said. “I don’t have words to describe my feelings now. It is great honor for our nation.”


    “It was a real final between the two best teams in the tournament,” Serbian coach Milan Djuricic said. “Congratulations to my team and also to Spain.”
    The silver medal is the best position ever for Spain with its previous best a fifth place in the 2009 edition in Italy.


    “Congratulations to Serbia because they played better than us,” Spain’s coach Ricardo Maldonado said. “In the key moments they were better and that’s what really matters, who can play well in the clutch.”


    In the match for the bronze medal, Cuba cruised to a straight-set win over France by score of 25-18, 25-17, 25-21.


    It was the first medal ever for Cuba in this age-group category for athletes under 19 years-old. The team has participated now five times, and twice -1995 in San Juan, Puerto Rico and 1997 in Tehran, Iran- finished in the ninth position.


    “I want to congratulate my team because they could overcome last night loss (against Spain) and we have worked hard before coming here,” Cuban Coach Rodolfo Sanchez said. “I hope my players can get a good experience out of this competition.”


    “Thanks to Argentinean fans for their support and I want to say that the organization was great, French Coach Jean-Manuel Leprovost said. “The match we lost against Serbia made us tired for this match against Cuba.”


    The individual awards
    Most Valuable Player: Uros Kovacevic (SRB)
    Best Scorer: Andres Villena (ESP)
    Best Spiker: Lazaro Fundora (CUB)
    Best Blocker: Alejandro Vigil (ESP)
    Best Server: Yordan Bisset (CUB)
    Best Setter: Antoine Brizard (FRA)
    Best Receiver: Ramiro Nuñez (ARG)
    Best Libero: Richard Quentin (FRA)