Australia do it against Tunisia and Egypt lost against Spain
Hiroshima, Japan, November 22, 2007: Australia beat Tunisia 3-1 in an incredible second match of the day at Hiroshima Green Arena on Thursday. The match included a 35-minute second set, which Tunisia won 37-35 on their ninth set point after Australia had missed four of their own. European champions Spain downed African champions Egypt in three sets in Pool B of the men’s World Cup. The Spanish sauntered to a 25-19, 25-21, 25-19 victory at Toyama City General Gymnasium to improve to 2-2, while Egypt dropped to 0-4, despite the best efforts of Most Important Player Elnaeim Ahmed Abd, or “Salah” according to the back of his shirt.
The Asian champions eventually won through 25-22, 35-37, 26-24, 25-22 Against Tunisia to improve their win-loss record to 3-1. The African vice champions dropped to 1-3 and will be kicking themselves after missing five set points from 24-19 in the third set.
Aussie ace Paul Carroll ended the first round of the World Cup as the best scorer with 74 points from three games, 14 more than even the Puerto Rican points machine Hector "Picky" Soto -- runaway winner of this category at the 2006 World Championship in Japan. Against Tunisia, the on-song Carroll scored the very first point of the match with a trademark winner on the right.
Australia reached the first TTO with a two-point lead, 8-6, thanks to a Hardy spike on the left.
Noureddine Hfaiedh led the Tunisian reply with some good work on the right, but the north Africans conceded too many points with net touches in the early stages to build any rhythm.
When the mobile Aussie block rejected two straight attacks for a 13-9 lead, Tunisia took the first TO of the match. They returned for Hichem Kaabi to display his shooting skills on the right on two successive points, the second one almost salvaged by Hardy's lightning left-hand dig.
Hardy blazed through the Tunisia block for 15-12, and southpaw Carroll took Australia into the second TTO with a three-point cushion at 16-13 after a crashing drive down the right.
Kaabi fired long and was replaced by Garci, who immediately got on the scoreboard for 17-14. When Australia lost the next point to leave them only two in front, coach Borgeaud took them off for a TO.
The Tunisians were serving hard and accurately, but the Aussie reception was well controlled and enabled setter Alderman to work his counters.
Down 19-17, Tunisia replaced captain Guidara with second setter Jerbi, and coach Giacobbe called a TO at 20-17, his team unable to pierce a strong Aussie block and well-positioned back-court defence. At 22-19, the setters changed back.
Garci smashed a glorious winner on the left to bring Tunisia closer, and when Carroll spiked wide down the right there was only one point in it -- 22-21 Australia and time for an Aussie TO.
Hardy's perfect reception and follow-up spike made it 23-21, and the skipper then popped up on the right to blaze them to set point at 24-21. A Grant block on Ben Brik closed it 25-22.
In the second set, Jouini joined the Tunisian attack and made an immediate impact, and Hfaiedh followed up with another crashing winner as the Tunisians tried to level the match.
The formidable middle blocker Karamosly had been restricted to only three points in the first set and set about putting the record straight in the second.
At 7-7, the fans were being treated to some fast and furious volleyball, and Carroll nudged the Aussies ahead by one at the first TTO. A Ben Hassine thumper at the net and a quick counter from Guidara on a loose ball kept Tunisia in the hunt, but they had no answer to Alderman's left-handed spike for 14-13 Australia.
At 15-15, once again Carroll produced the goods, sending the Aussies into the second TTO with a slender lead thanks to a right-wing spike that flew through the middle of the court.
The blocking of both teams was functioning well, notably when Campbell rejected Hfaiedh. The Tunisian spiker would be back, though, and two straight points pushed his team ahead 20-19 and led to an Australia TO -- the first of the second set.
On the restart, Karamosly greeted Campbell with another crashing block when they went head to head, and Garci moved Tunisia to 23-21. A rasping serve by Hardy opened the way for Carroll to blaze Australia back to 23-23, only for Garci to bring up set point Tunisia at 24-23 with an athletic leap and spike down the right.
The fun had only just begun, though. The spectators witnessed some dizzying rallies as Tunisia went on to take the second set 37-35 on their ninth set point. Australia had missed four of their own. The blocking of Campbell was a main feature of the action, and he ended the second set with five block points to his name in the team total of eight.
At 1-1, the teams had to start all over again -- and the Tunisians looked the more aggressive, especially Hfaiedh, who pounded winners on both sides.
Tunisia led 8-7 at the first TTO and Hfaiedh cranked out another fierce spike for 13-11, forcing an Australia TO. When an Australia attack broke down on the restart for 14-11, the Tunisians must have felt they had gained the upper hand.
Australia desperately needed a lift, and it was Campbell who tried to do it with another pumped-up block. The Tunisians were producing the crisper, cleaner spikes, though, and Hfaiedh beat the block for 16-13.
For the first time in the match Australia looked in trouble. They had slowed down, gone quiet, and Garci flashed a winner down the right for 17-13, at which point setter Alderman gave way to Matthew Young.
At 20-15, Tunisia could sense the third set was theirs if they maintained this pace and rhythm. Australia coach Borgeaud could sense it, too, and took his team off for a TO trailing 21-15.
Carroll came off and Nathan Roberts went in -- but the new-look line-up was greeted by a Karamosly cracker for a service ace.
Igor Yudin lifted Aussie spirits with a flashing drive on the left to reduce the gap to 22-17, and Grant blocked Ben Hassine on the next point to send Tunisia into a TO with a four-point lead. Yudin rose to the challenge with another point from the left, but had Australia left it too late? The answer, incredibly, would be "no".
Garci smashed through the block for 23-19, Jouini blocked Roberts for five set points at 24-19, and, when Tunisia could not finish it at 24-21, Guidara came back for Jerbi. Tunisia took a TO at 24-22, still with two chances to clinch the third set.
Yudin won the next point and Roberts blocked Garci for 24-24 in another roller-coaster finish. A brilliant dig by Hardy enabled Roberts to pound a sensational winner for 26-24 on Australia's first set point -- a run of seven straight points for the never-say-die Aussies! Australia had 13 block points in three sets -- seven for Campbell alone.
A total of 169 points had been scored in three sets, which had taken 1 hour, 27 minutes to complete. In the fourth set, Tunisia reached the first TTO ahead 8-6, thanks to a Kaabi winner on the right and excellent blocking by Karamosly on Roberts.
Tunisia knew they should have won the third set, but had shrugged off the disappointment quickly and renewed their motivation and determination. A Hfaiedh ace for 11-7 sent the Aussies into a TO.
Down 12-9, Alderman and Carroll came back -- but it was Hardy who looked as fresh as a daisy as he scored an athletic winner following another crashing rally.
At the second TTO, Tunisia were still on course for the fourth set at 16-13. The gap grew to 18-14, and Karamosly battered another point down the middle for 19-15.
Some ferocious serves from southpaw Ferguson rocked the Tunisia defence, and Carroll pummelled his way through heavy traffic to close the gap to 20-18. The Aussie blocking was back in the groove, and at 20-20 Tunisia needed a TO.
Kaabi spiked wide and gave way to Garci, and the Aussies now had the edge and the drive. Hardy made it 23-21, Tunisia made another change and then called a TO, two points away from defeat.
Hardy brought up match point at 24-22, and a net touch ended it 25-22 for 3-1.
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Spain eases past Egypt
Toyama, Japan, November 22, 2007 — European champions Spain downed African champions Egypt in three sets in Pool B of the men’s World Cup on Thursday.
The Spanish sauntered to a 25-19, 25-21, 25-19 victory at Toyama City General Gymnasium to improve to 2-2, while Egypt dropped to 0-4, despite the best efforts of Most Important Player Elnaeim Ahmed Abd, or “Salah” according to the back of his shirt.
Spain got off to a flyer and were 4-0 ahead mere moments after the start. It was enough for Egypt coach Zakaria Ahmed to call a timeout. It didn’t help much.
Egypt were at sixes and sevens and went into the first technical timeout trailing 8-1, a mixture of mistakes from them and good blocks and spikes from Spain the reason for such a gap.
Even at this early stage, it was a question of how much pride Egypt could salvage in the first bracket.
Enrique De La Fuente aced to make it 11-1 and it was looking all too easy for the Europeans.
Mohamed Elnafrawy flapped at an easy one at the net to make it 13-3 and it was the sheer number of mistakes that was proving the undoing of Egypt. Abdalla Ahmed made another one to further increase Spain’s lead.
A huge spike from Salah showed what the Egyptians were capable of but the deficit was too much to overcome and the second TTO was reached with Spain 10 ahead.
Egypt showed great heart to get back into the set and reduced the deficit to five points before a heat-seeker of an ace from Miguel Angel Falasca took the score to 20-13.

The set was soon done and dusted, despite a Salah ace bringing temporary respite. Israel Rodriguez spiked, Mohamed Gabal served into the net and Guillermo Falasca spiked to finish.
The second set began a lot closer than the first did, but the Spanish still led by one point going into the first TTO.
Spain got a little bit of breathing space to move 13-10 ahead, which was enough for Egypt to call a TO, but Guillermo Falasca’s spike was uncontrollable for the blockers and Spain reached the second TTO two ahead.
The Egytians were keeping the pressure on, though, and they pulled level at 20-20 after an ace from Saleh Youssef and an out of bounds spike from Rodriguez.
But Guillermo Palasca restored the lead — a vital point — and the momentum was again with Spain. De La Fuente dinked over at the net to make it 23-21, Salah’s long spike brought set point and a huge block from captain Rafael Pascual wrapped things up.
The start of the third set saw Rodriguez hobble off with an apparent knee injury to be replaced Manuel Sevillano. The injury break rattled Spain and Hossam Shaarawy walloped an ace to put his team 6-4 ahead, but Spain came back to lead by one at the first TTO.
Salah still looked dangerous for Egypt, though, and his consistent spiking was giving the Spanish blockers problems, but whereas Egypt had one real danger man Spain had them all over the court.
Julian Garcia-Torres’ huge block gave Spain a 16-12 lead at the second TTO and the deciding third set was fast approaching climax.
Guillermo Falasca’s serves were getting better as the match progressed and another ace from him brought up 20 points for Spain.
All it took was for Guillermo Falasca’s hammer-like spike to force a mistake from the blockers, Salah’s spike to go wide and it was set up for Sevillano to win it on a cracking spike from the left.