The World Championships Continue.

This is Volleyball!

Brazil dominates Russia.  Germany sweeps Iran.

Point totals may determine who advances! So, lets “Jump up and down and move it all around. Shake your head to the sound. Put your hands on the ground. Take one step left and one step right, one to the front and one to the side. Clap your hands once and clap your hands twice. And if it looks like this then you’re doing it right.” From the song “Mambo Number 5” by Lou Bega.

Two more matches today, Brazil versus Russia and Germany versus Iran

1. Brazil versus Russia.  Russia rebounded from their five set loss to Poland yesterday and dominated Russia 3 – 0 in front of 2,600 fans.  With the win Brazil has accrued 4 points and is assured of being one of the two teams that advance to the next round from Pool H. The second team to advance will be decided tomorrow in the Poland versus Russia match. The set scores were 25–22, 25–20, and 25–21.

2. Germany versus Iran. Germany recovered from yesterday’s loss to France and swept Iran before a crowd of 1,845.  The set scores were 25-15, 25-21, and 25-19.

3. Up-to date Results.

Up-to-date Standings (With Points)

And what are these “points” you keep talking about? Good question, savvy readers, and I’m glad you asked.  The point system used by FIVB is a way to try to ensure that every set and match matters in the outcome and figures into the results. Points are awarded based upon the six possible match outcomes, as shown in the following table.

A team can lose a match by a score of 3 – 2 and still receive a point in the standings.  Teams advance to the next round based on their point total first and their Won – Lost record second. Thus and therefore, every set and every match potentially figures into the standings.

Just look at the possibilities for tomorrow. If Iran beats France by a score of 3–0 or 3–1, then we have a 3 way tie to see who advances and they use a whole different set of criteria based on numerical percentages to determine the places. If Russia beats Poland by a score of 3-0 or 3-1, then Russia finishes second in the pool. If Poland wins the match, Poland finishes first or second, depending on the score.

OMG, this is a statistician’s dream and a coach’s nightmare.  Anyway, let’s grow the game!