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2006 Men’s Volleyball World Championship:

Tunisia defeated Puerto Rico in five-set marathon before departure

Sendai, Japan, November 29, 2006: Tenacious Tunisia ended their World Championships campaign on a winning note, beating Puerto Rico 3-2 in a Pool E marathon on Wednesday.

The Africans won their first match of the second round, 38-40, 28-26, 16-25, 25-22, 15-11 to end with a 1-6 win- loss record and drop Puerto Rico to 2-5.

With Tunisia already eliminated and Puerto Rico already in the 9-12 classification bracket for Tokyo, the tempo and motivation of both teams was a little low in the early stages.

The Caribbean team led 8-6 at the first TTO, by which time points machine Hector Soto had already scored from right and left, the latter with a gentle push over the block into space, and southpaw Jose Rivera had displayed his quality on the left flank.

In the middle, Rene Esteves and captain Luis Rodriguez gave the Tunisians an early warning of their ability to pick off the points at the net.

In reply, Chaker Ghezal spiked and blocked at the net, and Noureddine Hfaiedh continued his impressive form out wide. Puerto Rico led 16-13 at the second TTO, and when Tunisia pulled level on some fine southpaw serving from captain Ghazi Guidara, Puerto Rico called the first TO of the match.

Hosni Karamosly and Victor Rivera traded flashing spikes as the teams battled for supremacy, but a soft serve from Esteves crept through the Tunisian defence and pushed Puerto Rico ahead by two at 21-19.

There was a chaotic end to the first set. Tunisia missed six opportunities to close it out, before Puerto Rico finally won it 40-38 on their 10th set point when a Tunisian player put his arm over the net into Puerto Rico territory for a technical penalty.

The first set had taken 36 minutes, and Puerto Rico setter Angel Perez had to give way to Jose Quinones with a hand injury at 29-29. Soto scored 12 points in the first set alone, taking his tournament total to a round 200, while Aymen Ben Brik and Hfaiedh both tallied six for the Africans.

Tunisia clearly did not want to go home just yet, and they started the second set in determined mood to build up a healthy lead at 13-8.

The Tunisian block was functioning much better, especially on Soto, but poor serve reception allowed Puerto Rico to close the gap to three, 14-11. Rodriguez led his team from the front, spiking swiftly at the net and blocking across the line for 15-15, at which point Hichem Kaabi was replaced by Walid Ben Abbes.

A mighty leap and vicious spike from Karamosly kept Tunisia out in front 18-16, but when Victor Rivera made it 18-18 with a fine winner from the left, Kaabi was brought back into the Tunisian attack.

Kaabi nudged Tunisia ahead with a flashing spike from the right, 23-22, and sent Puerto Rico into a TO.

The end of the second set was far from straightforward either, with Tunisia eventually winning it 28-26 for 1-1 on their fourth set point, thanks to Kaabi's quality on the right.

Puerto Rico took charge of the third set early, frequently holding a five-point advantage toward the mid-point, as Victor Rivera took up the challenge in attack and on the block.

Tunisia's serving was more consistent, especially through captain Guidara and Hfaiedh, but their spikers were struggling for accuracy, notably Ben Brik and Kaabi. Puerto Rico enjoyed a six-point cushion, 16-10, at the second TTO, and a fine block by Esteves made it 17-11.

A flying one-handed save from Jose Rivera supported by more good blocking turned a seemingly lost point into another Puerto Rico winner, and Tunisia called a TO in trouble at 22-14. Soto pushed one over on the right, Rodriguez struck down the middle and Victor Rivera pummelled a winner from the left, and the third set was Puerto Rico's 25-16 for 2-1.

Tunisia jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the fourth set, and Karamosly tried to match anything Soto could throw at them. A fizzing serve from Jose Rivera closed the gap to 7-5, before Hfaiedh brought up the first TTO with a winner from the left, 8-5.

A Ben Brik block on the flying Soto underlined Tunisia's supremacy at this point, and Puerto Rico headed off for a TO trailing 14-9 and lacking fire. The Puerto Rico centre players were having difficulty tracking the runs of the silver-haired Ghezal, who helped his team hold a six-point advantage, 16-10, at the second TTO.

Mohamed Trabelsi and Rodriguez maintained the fight for dominance of the net, and a Trabelsi punch made it 21-17 Tunisia. The same player hammered another for 22-18, but when good blocking from Puerto Rico closed the gap to two points, the Africans called a TO.

Ben Brik restored their three-point lead, Karamosly brought up set point at 24-20, and Karamosly finished it 25-22 on their third set point for 2-2.

Puerto Rico called a TO in the fifth when falling behind 5-1 on a long spike from Soto, following a good Tunisian start from Karamosly and Ghezal. Ben Brik took them to 7-3, and Hfaiedh made it 8-3 to Tunisia at the turnaround. Karamosly pounded another crashing winner for 11-7, but when Enrique Escalante pounced at the net to close the gap to 11-10, the Africans needed a TO.

Ben Brik's clean spike from the left took his team to 13-11, and a block by Skander Ben Tara blocked for match point. Soto spiked long and the match was over 15-11.

By Tarek ADWAR from Japan

FIVB Men’s World Championship Second Round Day 2

Dramatic defeat for Tunisia, Serbia and Bulgaria top of the pools

Hiroshima/Sendai, 26th November 2006 – The only African representative Tunisia lost a big chance to achieve their first victory in the second round of the 2006 Volleyball World Championship in Japan when they led by two sets before losing three successive sets to in a thriller match that kept more than 7000 spectators on their toes for more than two hours.

One man has risen above his peers in the competition and is already on course to win the 75,000 US-dollar individual prize for best scorer. Puerto Rico’s Hector Soto has eclipsed the tournament’s big names to build up a commanding lead in the scorers’ table, distancing himself from his nearest rival by an astonishing 32-point margin. Although he admits that the thought of winning the award had crossed his mind, Hector Soto is quick to point out that his priorities are with his team, who has a nobler objective in mind. We are helping the young people in Puerto Rico to look into the sport, and that is the most important thing right now," said the 28-year old wing spiker. Hopes among his team mates that he will win the prize (he has admitted he will share it with them) remained intact today: despite today’s loss to Russia, Puerto Rico are clear of the elimination bracket with a 1-4 record, which will allow Soto to score yet more valuable points in the classification matches.

Poland continues to dominate Pool E in Sendai Perfect Poland continued to storm through the tournament with a 3-0 victory over Canada at Sendai City Gymnasium on Sunday. The Poles won 25-21, 25-17, 25-17 to improve their Pool E record to 5-0, and they have still not conceded a set in seven matches in the first and second rounds. Canada slipped to 1-4 following their second straight defeat in Pool E.

Serbia-Montenegro downed Argentina 3-1 to continue their unbeaten run. The fourth- ranked Serbia-Montenegro improved to 5-0 after beating the South Americans 25-18, 25-16, 24-26, 25-17, dropping Argentina to 0-5 and staying ahead of Poland (who have the same record) on points ratio difference.

Third-ranked Russia brushed aside Puerto Rico in straight sets to improve their record to 4-1 in Pool E. Russia, who were runners up in the 2002 World Championship, easily won 25-20, 25-16, 25-15 despite battling against the gravity defying Hector Soto and a partisan crowd on Puerto Rico’s side. Puerto Rico dropped to 1-4 in the pool.

Japan produced a sensational comeback to beat Tunisia 3-2 in a dramatic Pool E encounter on Sunday evening. Japan lost the first two sets 25-23, 25-23 but bounced back to take the next three 25-22, 25-23, 15-6 and improve their win-loss record to 4- 1 in the second round. Tunisia dropped to 0-5.

Unbeaten Bulgaria stays atop Pool F in Hiroshima Brazil turned on the power when they needed to as they secured a 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic in Pool F in Hiroshima on Sunday.

Still looking for the consistency they need to successfully defend their crown, Brazil were nevertheless too strong for the Czechs in their 25-22, 25-20, 26-24 victory, which takes their win- loss record to 4-1. The Czech Republic fall to 0-5, which includes the matches they lost in first round Pool C in Nagano.

France came back from the brink to keep their semi-final ambitions alive with a determined win over the USA. The aggressive attacking play of the US made France work hard to come back from one set down to force the tie-break and win out 17-25, 25-12, 24-26, 25-17, 15-11. The win was crucial for France's hopes of reaching the final four, with unbeaten Bulgaria and the steadily-improving Italians still to play in Pool F, but leaves the US still looking for their first win in Hiroshima.

Bulgaria took a giant step towards the semi-finals with a dogged victory over Germany. The Bulgarians continued their unbeaten run with the 25-22, 23-25, 25-20, 25-18 win, despite a spirited performance from a German team looking to bounce back from the previous night's loss to Italy. Bulgaria can now turn their attention towards qualification rivals France and Brazil, knowing just one more victory will clinch their place in the final four. Germany, on the other hand, are now out of the semi-final reckoning, but are still in a strong position to make the final classification round in Tokyo.

Italy ruthlessly turned back a Cuban fightback to score a 3-1 victory in their second Pool F match of the FIVB Volleyball World Championship for Men in Hiroshima on. The Italians won 25-20, 25-15, 23-25, 25-15 and can now boast a 4-1 record in Pool F ahead of their crucial clash against defending champions Brazil, also 4-1, on Tuesday. Cuba are still winless in the second round and need to win both of their matches against the Czech Republic and the USA in order to advance to the classification matches.

Photo Caption:

Takahiro Yamamoto (JPN) spikes against Tunisia

Tunisia Lost their first second round Match and Poland stay unbeaten

November 25, 2006, Sendai, Japan — Tunisia lost their first match in the second round of the 2006 World championship held at Sendai City Gymnasium which was the first ever for any African team in the history of the prestigious FIVB event. Poland continued their unbeaten start to the volleyball world championships with a three-set victory over Tunisia on Saturday.
The Polish, ranked eighth, won 25-22, 25-18, 25-23 in their opening Pool E game and are yet to lose a set in the tournament, although Tunisia pushed them close in the final bracket.
Poland sit at the top of the pool after the first day of the second round, while Tunisia dropped to 0-4 in the second round.
Lukasz Kadziewicz started brightly for the Polish, with a huge spike to put the first point on the board and then a towering block to deny the Tunisians seconds later.
The first TTO was reached with the Poles leading 8-6, but the Tunisians drew level at 9-9 before Hichem Kaaby fired in a spike after a dramatic rally.
Poland coach Raul Lozano of Argentina decided now was the time for a time out, as things weren’t going according to the script.
Poland soon fixed things. Kadziewicz moved Poland back in front 13-12 with another punishing smash down the middle and the second TTO arrived with Polish two ahead.
A Sebastian Swiderski sidewinder moved Poland 17-15 ahead and brilliant recovery from libero Piotr Gacek earned another point as they upped the ante.
Tunisia weren’t giving up, though, with Aymen Ben Brik working well on the wing and the scores were leveled at 21-21.
It wasn’t quite enough. Set point arrived courtesy of Michal Winiarski and Mariusz Wlazly dispatched it.
Some tough blocking from Poland gave them the edge at the start of the second set as they moved into the first TTO two points ahead, although the likes of Tunisia captain Ghazi Guidara were beginning to find a few holes in the Polish front guard. Poland quickly moved 12-8 in front and then a Wlazly thunderbolt from the right put them further ahead.
The screw was being tightened on the Tunisians once more and the second technical break arrived with the score 16-9.
Daniel Plinski snapped in a spike to move the score to 19-12, followed by another Swiderski swipe, and the second set started to resemble a rout.
The score became a little more respectable but Grzegorz Szymanski brought up set point with a smash from the right and the set was won with a ricochet that luckily went Poland’s way.
Szymanski made it look easy at the start of the third set with a lazy swat that flew like a bullet into the Tunisian court, but it didn’t stop the North Africans from going into the first TTO one point ahead.
Kaabi leaped high to hammer down a spike that brought the teams level at 13-13 and Skander Ben Tara’s right-hand hammer equalized things again at 14-14 as Tunisia continued to pursue Poland closely.
A brilliant ace from Guidara moved Tunisia three points ahead, 18-15, and it looked as though Tunisia could take the set.
Plinski pulled one back for the Poles and then Kadziewicz, before Ben Tara smashed in to make it 21-19 and did so again to make it 22-21.
This one was going down to the wire.
A huge spike from Winiarski leveled it at 22-22 and brilliant block from the same man put Poland ahead.
Once again it was Winiarski who was on hand to clinch match point with a delicate dink over the Tunisian blockers and after a time out called by Antonio Giacobbe, the Tunisia coach, Szymanski hammered home from the right for the match.

Photo caption

Hosni Karamosly (TUN) spikes against Daniel Plinski (POL)

By Tarek ALADWAR from Japan

Tunisia carries African dreams in the second round

Sendai, Japan, November 23-: When the Tunisian Men’s volleyball team plays Poland in Pool E of the 2006 World Championship here at Sendai City Gymnasium on Saturday it will the first match ever for an African team in the second Round of the prestigious World Championships since its onset in 1949.

Africa waited a long time to find a representative in the second round of this big FIVB event till Tunisia achieved the dream following their high performance in the competition preliminary pool D. It was expected to achieve the dream this time through the two African representatives Tunisia and Egypt in this competition specially after the great progress of African volleyball in Men’s category in the last few years.

But as Egypt was eliminated following their thriller performance in Pool A, Tunisia did it and qualified to give Africa a new birth in the competition.

Tunisia is considered the African pioneers at the international level since they had eight continental Nations championships titles to their names out of fifteen competitions. They had also the most titles of any team sport in Tunisia more than achieved by football, basketball and handball. They have qualified to the World Cup six times but the last was the best in 2003 when they defeated the home team Japan in front of their full house.

The experienced Italian head coach of Tunisia Antonio Jiacobbe thought that it is time to have more achievements in this competition and not to consider this second round spot as a final dream. “We don’t want to be satisfied with the achievement of second round qualification, but we will think of more in this strong pool,” Said Antonio. “We have a group of players who can show a lot of talent in the next matches like they did in the first round.” He added.

The Tunisian team was renewed before the world championship with some youngsters in the framework of the head coach objective to inject new blood to the team with the already excited experience players like the wing spiker Nour Eddine Hfaiedh and the setter and team captain Ghazi Guidara who was the best player in the pool matches specially in the crucial match against Korea which was the key match for the qualification to this prestigious stage of the competition. The promising youngsters like Ayman Ben Brik and Hesham Kaabi were the new key stars of the team during the first round and had a great role in this qualification as they added to the team experiences. Kaabi was the team’s surprise in this competition as he came as the team best scorer and also the 16th in the overall competition scorers.

Photo caption

Hichem Kaabi the Tunisian promising star is one of the competition best scorers

By Tarek ALADWAR from Japan

Day 5
Poland, Brazil, Bulgaria and Serbia Montenegro leaders of the pools
Fukuoka/Nagano/Saitama/Sendai, 22nd November 2006 – Brazil were the only non-European team to win one of the four first round pools in the FIVB Men’s World Championship today and the only pool winner to concede a match, as Bulgaria, Poland and Serbia and Montenegro all finished with a 5-0 record. France, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic will now join Brazil and Bulgaria, as well as NORCECA rivals Cuba and USA in second round Pool E in Hiroshima from Saturday. Poland and Serbia and Montenegro will be joined in Sendai in Pool F by strong European rivals Russia, plus hosts Japan, Argentina, Canada, Puerto Rico and Tunisia. China, Egypt, Greece, Korea and Venezuela are eliminated together with winless Australia, Iran and Kazakhstan.

Record crowd in Saitama for Pool A final
Poland completed Pool A with a perfect 5-0 win-loss record by beating Japan 3-0 at Saitama Super Arena on Wednesday night. In front of a record volleyball crowd of 19,836, the Poles held off the challenge of the host team 25-18, 25-21, 25-23 for their fifth consecutive straight-sets victory. The result left Japan with a 3-2 record but already qualified for the second round in Sendai.

Pumped-up Puerto Rico beat China 3-1 in the afternoon, running out 25-17, 25-13, 21-25, 26-24 winners on their third match point to improve their win-loss record to 2-3 and edge ahead of China to advance to the second round on points ratio difference.

Argentina booked their place in the second round by scrambling past Egypt 3-1. The South Americans won 25-18, 29-31, 25-20, 25-20 to improve their win-loss record to 2-3 and leave Egypt at the bottom of the six-team pool at 1-4. Argentina's second win was enough to join Poland, Japan and Puerto Rico in the second round in Sendai.

Brazil rally to finish top of Pool B
World Champions Brazil ended Germany's dream run with an efficient 3-0 victory in Fukuoka. The Brazilians produced a no-nonsense display to score a 25-13, 25-21, 25-22 victory that took their win-loss record to 4-1 after the completion of their preliminary matches.

Germany, who stunned France 3-1 on Tuesday, also have a 4-1 record as both teams comfortably qualified for the second round in Hiroshima. Brazil's margin of victory boosted their points ratio and enabled them to finish ahead of the Germans in the group.

France defeated Cuba 3-1 to complete their Pool B campaign with a 4-1 win-loss record. The French joined World Champions Brazil and Germany, their conquerors on Tuesday, on 4-1 after their 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17 victory over the Cubans, who dropped to 2-3.

Greece claimed some consolation for an overall disappointing tournament when they beat Australia 3-1 in their final Pool B match. The two previously winless teams went all out to break their duck but it was the Greeks who emerged victorious, 25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23. Greece improved their win-loss record to 1-4 while the endearing Aussies had to settle for 0-5 after losing all five matches. Neither team were able to qualify for the second round and neither of them wanted to leave Fukuoka without a victory.

USA qualify for the second round on points ratio in Pool C
Bulgaria defeated the Czech Republic 20-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-21 to finish the first round unbeaten. The Czechs qualified for the second round in third place of the pool.

The USA threw their name in the hat for second round qualification with a straight sets defeat of Iran. The Americans scored their second victory of the competition with the 25-19, 25-22, 25-23 win, giving them the same 2-2 final win-loss record as the Czech Republic in Pool C.

Italy took Venezuela's World Championships destiny out of their hands with a 25-13, 22-25, 25-21, 25-15 victory over the South Americans. The win confirmed Italy's place as Pool C runners-up but left Venezuela on the wrong side of a points ratio calculation that handed the USA the pool’s final second round berth.

Tunisia notches up second win in Pool D to advance to next stage
Tunisia went through to the second round at the expense of South Korea after their second win in the pool with a 25-19, 25-23, 26-24 victory over winless Kazakhstan.

Serbia-Montenegro will start the second round with a valuable unbeaten record after storming past Canada in straight sets. The fourth-ranked Serbia-Montenegro, fourth at the 2002 world championships, notched their fifth victory 25-18, 25-18, 25-17 with another polished performance in Pool D.

No. 3 ranked Russia snuffed out South Korea’s slim hopes of reaching the second round with a three-set rout. Russia cruised to a 25-13, 25-21, 25-13 win to move to the second round with a 4-1 record.

Tarek Aladwar from Japan

Tunisia, the first ever African team to qualify to the second round

Japan, November 22-: Tunisia becomes the first ever African team to qualify to the second round of the World Championship in history to ensure the positive steps of Africa towards the World level in the last few years. The previous African champions secured a second round slot following their straight sets victory over Kazakhstan at Sendai City Gymnasium in the fifth ands final day of the preliminary round Pool D on Wednesday. the Tunisians ended their matches in the pool in the fourth position to continue in the competition pool E which will be held in Sendai also starting from Friday. The African champions lost the last chance to qualify in the final day as they lost their critical match against Argentina In Saitama Super Arena in the competition Pool A to end the preliminary round at the bottom of the pool.

Tunisia stays on track for second round

November 22, 2006, Sendai, Japan — Tunisia secured their second win in Pool D on Wednesday with a 25-19, 25-23, 26-24 victory over winless Kazakhstan and secured a qualification ticket to the second round.
Despite still looking for their first win and so already out of the competition, Kazakhstan were working hard in the early stages against Tunisia.
There wasn’t much between the sides, illustrated by the first TTO being reached with just a one-point gap in Tunisia’s favor.
But a spike ruled long from Kazakhstan captain Svyatoslav Miklashevich brought the second technical break with Tunisia leading 16-11 and looking comfortably in charge.
Anton Rubtsov was working well for the Kazakhstanis in the middle of the net as some of his trademark snapped spikes finding their mark, but Tunisia continued to pull away.
Hichem Kaabi was blocking and spiking well, as was Skander Ben Tara, and it was soon 23-16 Tunisia. Ben Tara brought up set point with a smash from the middle and Hosni Karamosly blocked to secure the first bracket, 25-19.
Kazakh were not giving up, though, and moved to the first TTO of the second set with an 8-6 lead, showing some of the form that saw them take a set off Serbia-Montenegro.
It didn’t last for long. A service ace from Tunisia’s Noureddine Hfaiedh brought things level at 10-10 and they moved ahead for the first time in the set at 12-11 before reaching the second TTO 16-14 ahead.
A huge block from Dmitry Gorbatkov helped Kazakhstan pull level at 17-17, but a Kaabi spike and block moved his team 20-19 in front and the set was Tunisia’s.
Kaabi forced set point when his spike was too strong for the blockers and he popped up again with a dynamite diagonal winner to clinch the set, 25-23.
Tunisia were slow out the gate in the third set but pulled level at 12-all with a block from captain Ghazi Guidara, although it was Kazakhstan that reached the second TTO one-point ahead.
An elementary mistake from Hafaiedh, when he botched a dig when receiving a soft serve, put Kazakhstan 21-19 ahead.
Kirill Konovalov brought up set point with a big spike, but Karamosly blocked two in a row to bring Tunisia’s match point and Hfaiedh put it away with a left-handed swat.

Tunisia lost to Canada after Pulsating encounter

November 21, 2006, Sendai, Japan — Canada triumphed in a rollercoaster five-set match over Tunisia on Tuesday to advance to the second round.

The No. 12 ranked Canucks won 25-15, 27-29, 21-25, 25-21, 15-13 in a Pool D game lasting almost two hours to improve to 3-1, while Tunisia dropped to 1-3.

The Tunisians couldn’t get a handle on the game in the opening set and the second technical break arrived with a seven-point gap between the teams.

Frederic Winters was proving a constant thorn in the side of the Tunisians from his wing positions and, with constant encouragement from his teammates, the spiker’s confidence was soaring with each winner struck.

Nothing was going right for Tunisia. A net violation brought up set point and a touch-and-go winner right on the line from Pascal Cardinal claimed the set.

Tunisia got things together at the start of the second set and an Aymen Ben Brik ace helped them go into the first technical break 8-3 ahead.

The North Africans went into the second TTO 16-11 up after a towering block from Chaker Ghezal, who was matching Steve Brinkman for his work at the net, but Canada was not giving up on the set easily.

The lead was whittled down to one with four points in a row from Canada — Tunisia coach Antonio Giacobbe called a time out in a bid to stop the rot.
It didn’t help. Canada drew level and moved ahead 18-17 with another Winters smash, before Paul Duerden’s huge spike as he fell back gave them a two-point cushion.
Giacobbe had seen enough: time for another time out.
This one had more a desire effect. The scores were soon level at 22 apiece and Tunisia then secured set point at 223.
Set points were lost left, right and center for both teams, but then Ben Brik stepped up on and let go with a winner that gave Tunisia the set, 29-27.
A bitty start to the third set saw Canada go into the first TTO 8-5 up, but a game that looked like an easy win for the Canucks was now a tough one to call.

They slowly inched away from the Tunisians courtesy of some quality blocking and then a clever dink from Winters in the center brought up the second technical break at 16-12.
But Tunisia kept on probing. Hosni Karamosly hammered in a steep spike at the net and when Winters hit long, Canada coach Glenn Hoag called a time out with his team hanging on to a 19-18 lead.
Tunisia changed the score around to 20-19 in their favor and Hoag called his team’s second TO. But nothing was going right for his team and a long spike from Duerden was ruled out, giving the opposition set point.
The North Africans only needed one go at securing the set as Ben Brik steamed in on the left to dispatch the ball down the middle of the court.
There was no let up from Tunisia in the fourth set — the side was unrecognizable from the motley crew that had started the match.
Ghazi Guidara was now in irresistible form and the captain’s sumptuous skills took his team to the first TTO 8-5 ahead and they a kept a one-point advantage going into the second one.
But Canada came back at them and some inspired blocking saw the score change to 22-18 in their favor, before Duerden brought set point with a pile-driver and then won that with a spike too strong for the Tunisian blockers.
Brinkman ended a mammoth rally to put Canada 9-6 up in the fifth and final set and Canada looked the more likely winners, but Tunisia pulled within one point at 11-10.
Cardinal brought up match point for Canada, though, and after two were saved Winters came up with the goods on the left to send his side into the second round.

Tunisia lost and Serbia Qualified

November 19, 2006, Sendai, Japan — Fourth-ranked Serbia-Montenegro stormed past Tunisia in straight sets Sunday to book their place in the second round.
The team that finished just outside the medals at the 2002 world championships won 25-21, 25-12, 25-23 to stay perfect in Pool D.
Tunisia has now won one and lost two, but still has a chance of making it out of the group.
Sitting out this one was star player Ivan Miljkovic, but captain Nikola Grbic and Goran Vujevic were back on court for Serbia-Montenegro after coach Igor Kolakovic had rested them on Saturday.
Their presence added a little guile to the undoubted power of the fourth-ranked team and a combination of both had them two ahead at the second TTO.
The Tunisians were less vocal at the beginning than in their previous matches and appeared to be suffering from a touch of stage fright, but they soon came out of their shell with some excellent blocking.
But Serbia-Montenegro were able to vary their spikes, not least from the vintage Vujevic who smashed home a steep spike to give his team set point and clinched it with another to center court.
Marko Podrascanin faked and tipped in a cheeky point at the net to move Serbia-Montenegro 6-3 ahead in the second set and they kept that gap intact at the first TTO.
A Vujevic smash knocked libero Amine Besrour off his feet to move Serbia-Montenegro 9-6 ahead and they continued to stretch their lead, heading into the second TTO 16-8 in front.
The Tunisians buckled, and then broke. Winners left and right reined down on them and Vujevic stepped up at set point again to make it 2-0.
A massive block from Nikola Grbic moved his side 6-3 ahead in the third set and a little dink from Novica Bjelica brought the first TTO with a four-point cushion for the leaders.
Hosni Karamosly was working away at net and he spiked strongly to make it 9-6 and Khaled Belaid scored two in a row to reduce the gap to one point.
The Tunisians weren’t giving up and reached the second TTO 16-14 in front, but the resilient Serbia-Montenegro came straight back at them.
A massive serve from Bjelica proved too hot for the Tunisians to handle and that put the score at 20-18 in Serbia-Montenegro’s favor. Podrascanin then got to the ball first in a dual at the net and his side moved to within two points of victory.
Dejan Bojovic set up match point with a huge spike that was unblockable and although the plucky Tunisians saved two, the third was claimed with monster diagonal spike — again from Bojovic.

By Tarek Aladwar from Japan

Day two:
Europe’s teams move up on the second day

Japan, 18th November 2006 – Teams from Europe enjoyed a successful second day at the 2006 FIVB Men’s World Championships with seven of the nine teams representing the continent notching up victories. Only Greece and the Czech Republic suffered defeats – the former at the hands of defending champions Brazil, the latter losing out to Italy in straight sets. European teams occupy 8 of the 12 top three pool places at the close of the second day. Egypt cause a second Pool A upset Poland recorded their second successive straight-sets victory in Pool A by beating Argentina at Saitama Super Arena. Following their 3-0 defeat of China on the opening day, the eighth-ranked Poles downed the seventh-ranked Argentines 25-21, 25-22, 25-22 to improve their win-loss record to 2-0. Argentina slumped to 0-2. Egypt recovered from two sets down to beat Puerto Rico 3-2. The Egyptians formed a circle and danced in delight after coming back to beat Puerto Rico 27-29, 19-25, 25-21, 25-20, 15-12 for their first win and a 1-1 record. Puerto Rico dropped to 1-1 after beating Argentina in five sets the previous day. Hosts Japan bounced back to force a tie-break in their crunch match with Asian rivals China. The strong home support alone was not enough to secure the win, however, with China running out 22-25, 25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 15-13 winners. Defending champions have Europe on their heels in Pool B Brazil romped to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Greece in their second match in Fukuoka on Saturday. The title holders and Olympic champions encountered brief moments of resistance from the hard-working but injury-hampered Greeks in their 25- 19, 25-18, 25-16 victory. Greece fell to their second straight defeat following their 3-1 loss to France on the opening day. France had to defy a battling Australian team to win an exhausting four-setter and take their second straight Pool B victory. The French were forced to extract the best of their skills, stamina and mental toughness to overcome the feisty Aussies and eventually win 25-23, 30-28, 24-26, 26-24. Germany won their second straight match with a stunning 3-0 victory over favoured Cuba. Probably already exceeding their expectations, the fired-up Germans followed up their difficult 3-1 win over Australia on Friday with a more confident performance in a 25-14, 25-23, 25-20 triumph against a Cuban team who were lacking cohesion and, at times, the will to fight.
Venezuela stay ahead after victory over Iran in Pool C Venezuela's winning start to the competition continued as they brushed off an Iran fightback in the Nagano White Ring. The South Americans, who had clipped the USA's wings on the opening day, took the first set before Iran brought themselves level at 1-1. But Venezuela persevered to close out the match 25-20, 23-25, 25-17, 25-20, and maintain their perfect start to the tournament. Italy got their World Championship campaign back on the rails with a straight sets defeat of the Czech Republic. The Azzurri proved their confidence had not been shattered by an opening night tie-break loss to Bulgaria, as they dismantled the Czechs 25-22, 25-19, 25-23. Bulgaria underlined their credentials with a relentless straight sets hammering of the USA. The eastern Europeans drew first blood after an epic first set, and could not be held back as they surged towards a 30-28, 25-22, 25-21 victory. The win maintains Bulgaria's perfect start to Pool C, but leaves the Americans looking for their first win after their opening day loss to Venezuela.
Canucks stay perfect in Pool D A fine attacking display from Frederic Winters was the key to Canada’s 3-1 victory over South Korea. The Canucks recovered from a set down to secure their second win 26-28, 25-23, 25-16, 25-23 and consign the Koreans to another defeat in Pool D. Third-ranked Russia bounced back from an opening day loss to Serbia and Montenegro with a 3-0 win over Tunisia. The Russians looked more like a team that has won the world championships six times as they beat the 17th-ranked Tunisians 25-15, 29-27, 25-20. Serbia-Montenegro beat Kazakhstan 25-16, 22-25, 25-18, 25-22 for their second successive victory in Pool D. The 33rd-ranked Kazakhs put up a struggle against their mighty opponents in a match where neither team could find a consistent rhythm, but it was Serbia-Montenegro’s attacking quality that edged it in the end.

Puerto Rico, Tunisia and Serbia made opening surprises
Tokyo, 17th November 2006 – After a 32-year absence from the FIVB World Championships, the men’s volleyball team from Puerto Rico returned to the tournament in style today by upsetting world number seven Argentina in their opening match. Defending champions Brazil recovered from a stuttering start to overcome Cuba and Venezuela added a second South American triumph when they shocked the fifth-ranked USA.

Puerto Rico shine in Pool A debut
Puerto Rico produced a major shock by beating Argentina for the first time in an official FIVB match 3-2. Ranked 23rd in the world and playing in only their second World Championships after a 32-year absence, Puerto Rico beat seventh-ranked Argentina 19-25, 34-32, 28-26, 21-25, 15-13 in a closely fought match. World No. 8 Poland kicked off their Pool A challenge with a comfortable 3-0 victory over China and took the lead after the first day as the only team in the pool not to concede a set. The Poles had too much pace, power and experience for the 14th-ranked Chinese and won in straight sets 25-21, 25-20, 25-21 to make a perfect start to their campaign. Hosts Japan made hard work of their opener against Egypt in front of the home crowd at Saitama Super Arena, clinching an important win in the tie-break set. After a solid start by Japan, Egypt rallied to make up a two set deficit before Japan salvaged the match 25-13, 25-21, 24-26, 24-26, 15-12.

Defending champions start with win in Pool B
Favourites Brazil recovered from a first-set shock to defeat Cuba 3-1 in the opening Pool B match as the defending champions turned in a 21-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-22 victory. France overcame some stubborn resistance from Greece to score a 3-1 win in their first match. The French dropped the third set before clinching a 25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 25-17 victory at Fukuoka’s Marine Messe stadium. France’s captain Stephane Antiga was pleased with the win, especially given the short amount of time the team had to prepare before the World Championship. “The first match is always very difficult,” he said. “We were very nervous and didn't have a lot of time to prepare, only two weeks. We are very happy with this victory because against Greece the past two times we lost so it's nice to get back at them and a nice start to the competition.”
Germany got their Pool B campaign off to a rousing start when they beat Australia
3-1 in Fukuoka. Both teams were looking at this match as their best chance for victory and it was the Germans who overcame a first-set scare to emerge hard-fought 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 30-28 winners. Germany hadn't qualified for the World Championship in more than a decade, while the Aussies are looking to advance from the first round for the first time in four attempts.

Bulgaria come out on top after European derby in Pool C
The Italians took the first set of a bruising heavyweight European encounter with Bulgaria, but the 2006 World League semi-finalists came storming back to win the next two as the momentum of the match shifted sides. The Azzurri regained their composure to force the match into a tiebreak set, but the eastern Europeans eventually held their nerve to triumph 20-25, 26-24, 25-16, 16-25, 15-8 in the Nagano White Ring.
Venezuela caused a second upset of the day as they downed the USA in Pool C. The Americans fought back after losing the first set, but could find no further reply as a powerful and well-organised Venezuela ran out 25-18, 20-25,
25-21, 25-18 winners. US coach Hugh McCutcheon was disappointed with the result, but stressed that there is still plenty of time to recover. “Hopefully we can regroup and play good volleyball tomorrow. I think this is indicative of the way international men's volleyball is now. There are many good teams, and we knew that this would be a difficult match,” he said.
The Czech Republic made a confident start to their World Championship campaign with a straight sets victory over Iran. The spirited Iranians pushed their European opponents hard in each set, but ultimately paid the price for a slow start as the Czechs ran out 25-23, 25-19, 25-22 winners.

Serbia and Montenegro crush giants Russia in Pool D
World No. 4 Serbia and Montenegro showcased a devastating display of attacking verve to beat world No. 3 Russia in straight sets. The architects of the 25-22, 25-18, 25-23 victory were Ivan Miljkovic and Goran Vujevic, as the Russians struggled to cope with the high-tempo Balkan attack.
Canada beat Kazakhstan 25-21, 26-24, 25-21 in a hard-fought Pool D opener in Sendai. The Canadians were pushed all the way by the Kazakhs and the three-set sweep belied a match that was extremely close.
Tunisia captain Ghazi Guidara came up with the goods at the end of a rollercoaster five-setter to beat South Korea in their opening game. The Tunisians won 25-22, 24-26, 17-25, 28-26, 15-13, with Guidara winning three quick-fire points at the end of the final set before setting up Hichem Kaabi for the match winner to end a pulsating Pool D encounter.
Photo Caption
Lee Kyung-Soo (KOR) attacks against triple block of Hichem Kaabi, Hosni Karamosly and Noureddine Hfaiedh (TUN)

By Tarek Aladwar from Japan

Golden day for African Volleyball in the 2006 Volleyball World Championship
African volleyball showed a golden day at the opening of the 2006 Volleyball World Championship in Japan as both teams held their matches to tie break. Tunisia achieved a historic victory over Korea in Pool D in Sendai while Egypt lost narrowly to Japan in front of a full house in Pool A in Saitama
Guidara guides Tunisia to five-set victory
November 17, 2006, Sendai, Japan — Tunisia captain Ghazi Guidara came up with the goods at the end of a rollercoaster five-setter as South Korea were beaten in their opening game on Friday.
The Tunisians won 25-22, 24-26, 17-25, 28-26, 15-13, with Guidara winning three quick-fire points at the end of the final set before setting up Hichem Kaabi for the match winner to end a pulsating Pool D encounter.
Both teams pushed each other all the way in the first set, but it was the lower-ranked Tunisians who made the early running.
The Tunisians finally broke away after the score was tied 18-all. Noureddine Hfaiedh made the most telling contribution in the first set when he saw his spike blocked only for him to rattle the rebounded ball back down the throats of the South Koreans.
That made it 23-20 and Kaabi gave his team set point. One was saved but up stepped Samir Sellami for the big spike finish to close out the set 25-22.
The Koreans got more aggressive at the start of the second set and the 202-cm Bong Woo Yun started to look a more menacing proposition at the net.
The Tunisians were on the back foot but kept close tabs on their opponents with some solid defensive work, but a massive spike from Sung Min Moon put the Koreans 16-14 ahead at the second TTO.
Guidara wowed the fans with a stylish left-foot volley that kept the ball in play on one point and then his team slowly clawed themselves back into the set to make it 22-22.
But Korea kept their nerve and closed out the set 26-24 after Tunisia fouled on the second set point.
With showman Oh Hyun Yeo — cut-off sleeves and gold chain sprucing up his kit — geeing up his teammates after every point, the Koreans started where they left off in the third set.
Libero Yeo salvaged one point with a brilliant dive that resulted in Moon rising to crash home an unstoppable drive to make it 7-3 and the Koreans added another quick point to reach the first TTO in good shape.
They increased their lead courtesy of some more good attacking play from Yun and the second TTO saw them 16-9 ahead, and then a huge winner from captain In Jung Who put them further in front.
The booming serves of Hfaiedh were giving the Koreans trouble, but they were getting the rub of the green at the net and two close decisions by the referee gave the Asian team the set 25-17.

The Koreans quickly moved to a 13-8 lead in the fourth set, with a rugged block and then dink over from Moon accounting for two of Korea’s points, but Tunisia rallied and the second TTO came with Korea only two ahead.
It stayed close all the way to the end of the set, with both sides ending up at 23-23. Jin Sik Shin came up with the goods for Korea then, steaming in on the left to power in the point to put the Koreans at the cusp of the victory.
But Hosni Karamosley saved that match point with a brilliant winner of his own and then Hfaiedh saved another. Tunisia sensed they could nick the set, and that they did 28-26 with a big block at the net to force a fifth set.
Korea got their noses in front early on but the set quickly leveled up at 10-10 and then a solid block by Chaker Ghezal gave Tunisia the lead for the first time in the set.
And cometh the hour, cometh the captain. Tunisia’s Guidara suddenly came to life at 12-11 Korea and earned three brilliant points in succession. First, a fantastic spike, then a brilliant block before completing his box of tricks with a clever lob into space.
Korea salvaged one set point, but Guidara was there again to set up Kaabi, who thundered in the spike to give Tunisia a brilliant victory.

Egypt and Tunisia carry African dreams of a second round slot

The African dreams of picking a second round ticket become more realistic now when the two African representatives Egypt and Tunisia start their way in the 2006 Volleyball World Championship in Japan. Egypt will compete in Pool A playing in Saitama with the organizers Japan, Poland, China, Argentina and Puerto Rico, while Tunisia play in what is described by the coaches as the competition weakest pool as they are involved in Pool D scheduled in Sendai with Canada, Kazakhstan, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro and Korea.

The history mentioned that no African team passed the first round in a World Senior Championships, although Egypt had its best recorded result in the junior championship when they were semifinalists in the 2001 Boys under 19 World Championship in their homelands.

The Egyptian volleyball lives golden moments since 2005 as they had a couple of victories in all standards starting from getting the golden medal in the Mediterranean Games in Spain being the first international non African competition to be won by an African team defeating the home team in the final, then their victory in the 2005 African Nations Championship which qualified them to the 2005 Grand Champions cup here in Japan as the first African team ever in the history of the competition, where they had the fifth position ahead of the Asian champions China. 2006 showed another progress for Egypt being selected by the World volleyball governing body, FIVB as the African legends. But at the senior level they didn’t pass the first round in their previous five time qualifications to the World Championships.

“We had now to think of big world level victory to continue our progress,” Said Egypt Men’s Under 21 team Coach who accompanied the team as a decision of the Egyptian volleyball federation following his victory in the African championship of this age category early this year. “We are happy to be in this prestigious competition, but we have now to think only for victories specially after the team stars like Ahmed Salah, Saleh Fathy and the team captain Hamdy El Safy returned back from long term injuries.” Added the coach, who led Egypt three times to the continental junior championships. Egypt had to win at least two matches in their pool to secure a second round vacancy.

On the other hand Tunisia is considered the African pioneers at the international level since they had eight continental Nations championships titles to their names out of fifteen competitions. They had also the most titles of any team sport in Tunisia. They have qualified to the World Cup six times but the last was the best in 2003 when they defeated the home team Japan in front of their full house.

The experience d Italian head coach of Tunisia Antonio Jiacobbe thought that it is time to pass the first round and not to consider the qualification as an achievement.

The Tunisian team was updated with some youngsters in the framework of the head coach objective to inject new blood to the team with the already excited experience players like the wing spiker Nour Eddine Hfaiedh and the setter and team captain Ghazi Guidara. The promising youngsters like Hicham Kaabi and Skander Ben Tara were added to the team experiences. The technical staff sees that they have to win Kazakhstan and Korea in their pool to pass to the second round.

Tunisia ends the preparations through a camp in Korea

Tunis, Tunisia, November 13-: Tunisia Men’s volleyball team is ending now their final preparations to the 2006 World Championship in Japan though a camp in Korea including three friendly matches before they leave for Japan on Wednesday to participate in the prestigious competition.

The Korean camp is the last step of the preparation for the previous African champions which started in July through the participation in the 4 Nations tournament in Italy, then another tournament in Canada in September before they had another camp in Italy in October with the full squad after the return back of the key stars like the experienced wing spiker Nour Eddine Hafaedh and the talent setter Ghazi Guidara.

The Italian head coach of Tunisia Jiacobe Antonio selected a squad with many young promising players in his strategy to inject new blood to the team which lost the last African Nations championship in 2005 against their arch rivals and neighbors Egypt.

The final 12 players of Tunisia in the World Championship will be Ghazi Guidara, Samir Sellami (Setters), Mohamed Trabelsi, Chaker Ghzal, Eskander Ben Dara (Middle Blockers), Nour Eddine Hfeadh, Walid Abbas, Ayman Ben Breek, Khalid Belaid (Attackers), Hosni Karamosli (Opposite), Amin Belsoror (Libero).

Tunisia will compete in Pool D in the World championship finals with the last runner up Russia, Canada, Kazakhstan, Korea and Serbia Montenegro with their objective to pass the first round.