Volleyball Nations League: Iran seeking revival in Rotterdam
Iran is eager to bounce back from a poor start to its campaign in the Volleyball Nations League when kicking off Week 2 of the preliminary round against Germany in Rotterdam today.
Behrouz Ataei’s men will step onto the court at Rotterdam Ahoy on the back of three defeats in four games, knowing further wobbles in the Dutch city could all but finish their quest for a place in the quarterfinals. Iran is 11th in the 16-team table but will have to end in the top half to progress to the VNL Finals – starting July 19 in Gdansk, Poland.
Ataei’s side was well beaten by Japan in straight sets in their VNL opener on the Asian foe’s home soil in Nagoya.
A much improved performance saw Iran win the first two sets against Poland before the European powerhouse rallied to come out victorious in a third successive five-setter between the two teams at the event.
Iran then came from behind to beat China in four sets but again fell to a defeat in three sets against the surprise package of the tournament Slovenia to close out a disappointing first-week run.
Third from bottom in the standings, Germany has also managed a single victory so far – a 3-1 win against Canada in Ottawa last time out in the competition.
The Germans suffered four-set losses to volleyball giants Brazil and Italy either side of a defeat in straight sets against the Netherlands.
Ataei has made one significant change to the squad that was in action in Nagoya, leaving out Mohammad-Javad Ma’navinejad – much to the outside hitter’s annoyance – to make room for Meysam Salehi, who has fully recovered from a shoulder injury.
Iran will be facing even tougher opponents in Rotterdam as the Asian powerhouse will take on reigning world champion Italy on Wednesday before squaring off against last year’s VNL runner-up USA two days later.
A depleted Italian team opened its campaign with back-to-back straight-set defeats against Argentina and USA but came out on top in four-setters against Cuba and Germany to stand ninth in the table.
However, Italian head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi has named a full-strength squad for the visit to Rotterdam as they will be looking to secure a last-eight spot for a second year running.
The Americans, meanwhile, eased to three successive victories over the Netherlands, Italy, and Canada – without conceding a single set – but a 3-1 setback against Brazil saw them finish second in the table.
Iran’s last outing in Rotterdam will be on Friday against the host, which is seventh – courtesy of two wins and defeats apiece.
The Netherlands left the court empty-handed against the Americans but won in straight sets against Cuba and Germany, before a five-set thriller against Argentina saw Nimir Abdel-Aziz and co. suffer a second setback.
Iranian head coach hopes his men will be inspired by their impressive run in last year’s event, where they overcome a shaky start – three defeats in five games – to beat USA, Canada, Poland, Slovenia, and Serbia in the following seven matches and find their way into the quarterfinals. Iran will conclude the preliminary round with a trip to Anaheim, California, in the United States to face Tokyo Olympic gold medalist France, Bulgaria, Argentina, and Cuba.
Japan has been in flying form at this year’s tournament as a clean sweep of four victories at home led to a top-spot finish in Week 1, with USA, Argentina, Slovenia, Brazil, Poland, the Netherlands, and Serbia following the Asian side in the table.