Argentina among the seven undefeated teams in Sofia

Seven national teams remain undefeated after the conclusion of the second day of the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U17 World Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria, and among the five sides that are yet to drop a set in the first edition of the tournament are South American Championship silver medalists Argentina.

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Pool C: Argentina and Italy earn sweeps

After getting a three-set victory over Puerto Rico in their debut, on Saturday, Argentina did it again on Sunday, dominating Cuba to triumph 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-15) and keep their record perfect. Outside hitters Federico Debonis, with 13 points (nine kills, three aces, one block), and Benjamin Flores, with 12 (ten kills, two blocks), had big roles in the Argentinean offense, while outside hitter Andy Marrero was the only Cuban player to get to double digits in scoring, with 11.

In the other match of the pool, Italy, who dropped a set to Cuba in their debut, were more dominant against Puerto Rico, winning 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-11) to remain undefeated. Captain Manuel Zlatanov (13 points), opposite Federico Argano (11) and middle blocker Jacopo Tosti (11) also had solid scoring performances for the Europeans.

On Monday, the two undefeated teams in the pool, Argentina and Italy, will meet at 20:00 local time (17:00 GMT), while Caribbean rivals Puerto Rico and Cuba duel at 14:00 (11:00).

Pool A: Bulgaria get first win

After falling to Spain in their opening match on Saturday, hosts Bulgaria got to celebrate their first victory in the tournament on Sunday in dramatic fashion as they needed the tie-breaker to beat the Chinese Taipei 3-2 (32-30, 21-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-10). Middle blocker Evan Georgiev scored 20 points (12 kills, five blocks, three aces) for the Bulgarians and his production was instrumental for the team getting the win despite the incredible 40 points (39 kills, one ace) registered by the Chinese Taipei’s opposite Huang Pin-Yen.

“I think we were not completely concentrated during the first set, but from then on, things went well,” Georgiev told the FIVB. “I am pleased with my performance and also with the team’s performance, but maybe we need to improve a little more. In comparison to yesterday, we improved our concentration on the court and reduced the errors.”

Earlier on Sunday, Spain cruised to celebrate their second victory, beating Mexico 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 26-24). Leading the Europeans were captain César Irache, with 17 points (15 kills, one block, one ace), and outside hitter Rafael Tugores, who registered 14 (11 kills, two blocks, one ace). Outside hitter Emi Diaz also got 17 points (15 kills, two blocks) for Mexico.

On Monday, Spain will play the Chinese Taipei at 11:00 (8:00), while Bulgarians and Mexicans battle at 17:00 (14:00).

FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U17 World Championship: match schedule and results

Pool B: Iran and Egypt continue to roll

Pool B has two of the teams with perfect records so far and Iran is one of them – the Asians topped Tunisia 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-16) on Sunday. Outside hitter Abdollahifar Kamyab led all scorers with eight points, one more than middle blockers Mohseni Taha and Asiaei Armin and Tunisian opposite Omar Hfaiedh.

Egypt’s record is still clean after they downed African rivals Libya 3-0 (25-23, 25-10, 25-23) in their second match in Sofia. To get the win, the Egyptians counted on 15 points (ten kills, four aces, one block) from middle blocker Amer Gabal and another 12 (11 kills, one block) from outside hitter Zeyad Ghonim – opposite Muezbillah Balnnour got 13 points for the Libyans.

Iran and Egypt will meet on Monday at 11:00 (8:00) in one of the most anticipated matches of the pool phase, with Tunisia and Libya playing for their first victory three hours later.

Pool D: Belgium debut with a strong win

The last team to get on the court in Sofia, Belgium, who had been awarded a forfeit win over Uzbekistan on Saturday, delivered a strong performance to beat Chile 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-21) on Sunday. With 19 points (15 kills, two blocks, two aces), outside hitter Evan Dubru played a big role in the European victory – Chile had opposite Joaquin Valjalo as their most productive player, with 11 points.

Because Uzbekistan are yet to arrive in Sofia, Brazil was awarded a forfeit win on Sunday and got their second victory in the event. On Monday, Brazilians and Belgians will meet at 17:30 (14:30), while Chile will be awarded a forfeit win over Uzbekistan.

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