Nagoya, Japan, September 4, 2015 - Former World Cup winners Russia hammered reigning world champions and tournament leaders the United States 3-0 here Friday afternoon to overtake the lead at the 2015 FIVB Women’s World Cup with an 8-1 record and 24 points. World runners-up China and Serbia also reaped respective victories on Day Nine of the World Cup action to stay in the contention for the title and the tickets to the Rio Olympic Games.
The Russian women marched towards their first World Cup title since 1973 after surprisingly beat the Americans 25-17, 31-29 and 25-23 while the United States slipped to a 7-2 win-loss record. Tatiana Kosheleva received the Most Impressive Player award thanks to her game-high 16 points performance for Russia. Yana Shcherban, Nataliya Obmochaeva and Irina Fetisova contributed 14 points each for Russia, who outblocked the United States 16-9.
Earlier on Friday, middle blocker Yang Junjing scored 14 points and Zhu Ting added 13 as China clean swept Dominican Republic 3-0 for their sixth win in a row. With the 25-16, 25-17 and 25-19 victory, the Chinese women have now won all three World Cup encounters against Dominican Republic and improved to an 8-1 win-loss record in the 12-team round robin tournament. Dominican Republic were obviously affected by the absence of Bethania de la Cruz. They stayed within 10-9 in the second set, but China surged away with a 9-4 run and never looked back. After giving out a total of 23 points through errors, Dominican Republic slipped to a 4-5 win-loss record with two more matches in hand.
In Komaki, Stefana Veljkovic and Ana Bjelica led the Serbian hitters to gain a straight-set (25-22, 25-19, 25-15) surge over Cuba in the third round of the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup at the Park Arena. Veljkovic and Bjelica recorded 10 points each for Serbia, while Daymara Lescay Cajigal and Heidy Margarita Rodriguez Lopez only managed to score six points each for Cuba. Serbian hitters had a field day as they outscored the Cubans by earning 42 points from the attack line.
Russia and China both had 24 points, but the Russian women led the standings ahead of China due to superior sets ratio. The Serbian team currently ranked third with 21 points from eight wins and a loss.
Also in Komaki, Argentina prevailed in their fierce encounter 3-2 (16-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 15-12) over South American rivals Peru. Argentina had an up-and-down tempo in the match but their captain Emilce Sosa delivered the crucial points that helped them nail the five-set victory. Sosa finished with 19 points, while Peruvian top scorer Katherine Regalado also delivered 19 markers.
Meanwhile, Kim Yeon-koung converted on 20 of her 31 spiking opportunities to lead Korea to a 3-0 (21-16, 21-16 21-19) rout of African champions Kenya. Kim Yeon-koung also received the Most Impressive Player award with Kim Hee-jin adding 12 points through 11 kills and one block. Mercy Moim was the top scorer of Kenya with 10.
In the last match of Day Nine, Yuki Ishii had 10 kills and three aces to lead the hosts Japan past winless Algeria 3-0 (25-8, 25-10, 25-6) for their seventh World Cup victory at the Nippongaishi Hall in Nagoya. Bouncing back from Tuesday’s full-set loss to Serbia, the Japanese team produced 11 aces on way to the victory and improved to a 7-2 win-loss record in the 12-team round robin tournament. Algeria has failed to win one set in their nine consecutive losses.
Top Scorer by Day26 – Mercy Moim of Kenya v Cuba on August 22
34 – Tatiana Kosheleva of Russia v Japan on August 23
19 – Sarina Koga of Japan v Cuba on August 24
27 – Kim Yeon-Koung of Korea v China on August 26
26 – Prisilla Rivera Brens of Dominican Republic v Japan on August 27
25 – Nataliya Obmochaeva of Russia v Korea on August 30
27 – TijanaBoskovic of Serbia v Russia; Nataliya Obmochaeva of Russia v Serbia on August 31
29 – Kim Yeon-Koung of Korea v Dominican Republic on September 1
20 – Kim Yeon-Koung of Korea v Kenya on September 4
Top Scoring Performances34 – Tatiana Kosheleva of Russia v Japan on August 23
29 – Kim Yeon-Koung of Korea v Dominican Republic on September 1
28 – TijanaBoskovic of Serbia v Japan on September 1
27 – TijanaBoskovic of Serbia v Russia; Nataliya Obmochaeva of Russia v Serbia on August 31
27 – Kim Yeon-Koung of Korea v China on August 26
26 – Brankica Mihajlovic of Serbia v Japan on September 1
26 – Prisilla Rivera Brens of Dominican Republic v Japan on August 27
26 – Mercy Moim of Kenya v Cuba on August 22
25 – Nataliya Obmochaeva of Russia v Korea on August 30
25 – ReglaGracia of Cuba v Kenya on August 22
24 – Zhu Ting of China v Serbia on August 22
24 – Nataliya Obmochaeva of Russia v Dominican Republic on August 22
23 – Saori Kimura of Japan v Russia on August 23
23 – TijanaBoskovic of Serbia v USA on August 23
Top Individual Serving Performances7 – Katherine Regalado of Peru v Argentina on September 4
5 – Prisilla Rivera Brens of Dominican Republic v Japan on August 27
5 – Zhang Changning of China v Serbia on August 22
4 – Ni Yan of China v Argentina on September 1
4 – Haruka Miyashita of Japan v Korea on August 31
4 – Yonkaira Paolo Pena Isabel of Dominican Republic v Serbia on August 30
4 – Sarina Koga of Japan v Dominican Republic on August 27
4 – Miyu Nagaoka of Japan v Cuba on August 24
4 – TijanaBoskovic of Serbia v USA on August 23
4 – Saori Kimura of Japan v Argentina on August 22
4 – EverlynMakuto of Kenya v Cuba on August 22
4 - FolukeAkinradewo of USA v Korea on August 22
Top Team Serving Performances12 – Peru v Argentina on September 4
11 – Japan v Algeria on September 4
10 – China v Kenya on August 31
10 – Dominican Republic v Japan on August 27
10 – Japan v Kenya on August 26
10 – Korea v Algeria on August 24
10 – Serbia v USA on August 23
10 - USA v Korea on August 22
Top Individual Blocking Performances7 – Irina Fetisova of Russia v USA on September 4
7 – Brankica Mihajlovic of Serbia v Japan on September 1
7 – Yuan Xinyue of China v Peru on August 27
6 – TijanaBoskovic of Serbia v Japan on September 1
6 – Ruth Jepngetich of Kenya v Algeria on September 1
6 – Milena Rasic of Serbia v Russia on August 31
6 – Tetori Dixon of USA v Algeria on August 27
6 – JulietaConstanzaLazcano of Argentina v Dominican Republic on August 24
6 – Milena Rasic of Serbia v USA on August 23
6 – MajaOgnjenovic of Serbia v USA on August 23
6 – Zhu Ting of China v Serbia on August 22
5 – Tetori Dixon of USA v Cuba on September 1
5 – Irina Fetisova of Russia v Peru on September 1
5 – Jovana Stevanovic of Serbia v Russia on August 31
5 – EkaterianOrlova of Russia v Serbia on August 31
5 – Annerys Victoria Valdez Vargas of Dominican Republic v Japan on August 27
5 – Alena Rojas Orta of Cuba v Dominican Republic v Cuba on August 26
5 – Marianne Fersola Norberto of Dominican Republic v Argentina on August 24
5 – Tatiana Kosheleva of Russia v Japan on August 23
5 – Emilce Sosa of Argentina v Cuba on August 23
5 – Yang Hyo-Jin of Korea v Peru on August 23
5 – Nataliya Obmochaeva of Russia v Dominican Republic on August 22
Top Team Blocking Performances22 – Serbia v USA on August 23
21 – Serbia v Japan on September 1
17 – Russia v Serbia on August 31
17 – China v Cuba on August 30
17 – USA v Algeria on August 27
16 – Korea v Peru on August 23
16 – Russia v USA on September 4
14 – Kenya v Algeria on September 1
14 – Serbia v Russia on August 31
14 – Dominican Republic v Peru on August 30
14 – Japan v Dominican Republic on August 27
14 – Cuba v Dominican Republic on August 26
14 – Dominican Republic v Argentina on August 24
14 – Argentina v Dominican Republic on August 24
14 – China v Serbia on August 22
Highest Scoring Sets27-25 Cuba v Kenya (1st set) on August 22
28-26 Dominican Republic v Kenya (1st set) on August 23
25-23 USA v China (1st and 3rd sets) on August 24
25-23 Dominican Republic v Cuba (4th set); Korea v China (1st set); China v Korea (4th set) on August 26
32-30 Dominican Republic v Japan (3rd set) on August 27
26-24 Korea v Russia (2nd set) on August 30
26-24 Japan v Korea (2nd set) on August 31
26-24 Japan v Serbia (1st set) on September 1
31-29 Russia v USA (2nd set) on September 4
Highest Scoring Matches184 - Cuba d Kenya 3-1 (27-25, 25-23, 12-25, 25-22) on August 22
202 – Russia d Japan 3-2 (12-25, 25-18, 25-21, 23-25, 15-13) on August 23
177 – Dominican Republic d Argentina 3-1 (25-21, 25-22, 19-25, 25-15) on August 24
185 – Dominican Republic d Cuba 3-1 (25-22, 25-22, 18-25, 25-23) on August 26
218 – Japan d Dominican Republic 3-2 (25-18, 20-25, 30-32, 25-15, 15-13) on August 27
142 – Russia d Korea 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 25-22) on August 30
208 – Serbia d Russia 3-2 (22-25, 22-25, 25-14, 25-23, 15-12) on August 31
208 – Serbia d Russia 3-2 (22-25, 22-25, 25-14, 25-23, 15-12) on August 31
201 – Serbia d Japan 3-2 (24-26, 25-17, 25-14, 21-25, 15-9) on September 1
206 – Argentina d Peru 3-2 (16-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 15-12) on September 4