After 30 matches, 113 sets, 5048 rallies, and 54 hours and 38 minutes of playing time in the men's volleyball tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the quarterfinal pairings have been set. We look at team and individual statistics ahead of the four matches on Tuesday.
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Volleyball
Men's quarterfinals: Statistical preview
Published 08:11, 02 Aug 2021
Will Osmany Juantorena lead Italy to victory against Argentina?
Quarterfinal 1: Canada vs ROC
The first quarterfinal on Tuesday features ROC, who finished top of Pool B, and Canada, who finished fourth in Pool A. ROC were the best blocking force in the pool phase at 3.00 blocks per set, led by Ivan Iakovlev and Dmitry Volkov who averaged 0.78 blocks each per set and are tied as the best blockers in the tournament so far.
In attack, ROC were not as effective with a 32.20% efficiency rate ((points-errors)/attempts), which was ninth of the 12 teams in pool play. Maxim Mikhaylov, Egor Kliuva and Volkov were the focus of their offence at 73.30% of the spikes attempted, but the combined efficiency rate of these three was 27.46%.
For Canada, outside hitters Gord Perrin and Nicholas Hoag drove the offence with 46.91% of the spike attempts. Perrin was the most efficient attacker after pool play with an efficiency rate of 45.16%.
Middle blocker Lucas van Berkel was fourth with 0.67 blocks per set, but the other part of defence is digging, where Canada finished third at 7.61 digs per set. Libero Blair Bann at 2.06 digs per set, setter Tyler Sanders at 1.06 digs per set and Hoag at 1.28 digs per set, helped to provide the floor coverage.
Both teams were about the same from the service line with ROC having 1.28 service aces per set and Canada at 1.11. However, Canada averaged only 3.55 service errors per set, while ROC had 4.83 service errors per set. With margins so tight, opponent mistakes may be at a premium in this match.
Quarterfinal 2: Japan vs Brazil
In the second quarterfinal on Tuesday, Brazil, who finished second in Pool B, will take on hosts Japan who completed Pool A in third position.
Defending Olympic champions Brazil have actually had a tough time scoring and winning sets as they only scored 26 points more than their opponents in 20 sets played so far. Digging is where Brazil has its best ranking, second in pool play at 7.80 digs per set. Libero Thales Hoss at 2.05 digs per set, setter Bruno Rezende at 1.25 digs per set and Ricardo Lucarelli at 1.25 dig per set, kept Brazil in points by extending the play.
Brazil’s force at the net continued, however, with Lucas Saatkamp claiming 0.75 blocks per set, which was third in pool play. Lucarelli at the service line caused the most fear in opponent’s serve receive with 0.45 service aces per set. Brazil did spread out its offence, but opposite Wallace de Souza, outside hitters Yoandy Leal and Lucarelli dominated the action with 65.44% of the spike attempts. Combined their efficiency rate was 30.61%, while for the team it was 33.09%.
Libero Thales Hoss of Brazil
Japan barely scraped past Iran in five sets to make the quarterfinals, and they have some challenges to overcome if they want to defeat Brazil.
Japan ranked tenth in serve receive in pool play with a success rate of 55.04%, and with Brazil having the fewest service errors in pool play, this could be one such challenge. Additionally, Japan was 11th in blocking with 1.74 blocks per set. Against a formidable Brazilian offence, this will be another challenge, but middle blocker Taishi Onodera at 0.53 blocks per set, 11th in pool play, will try his best.
Where Japan can surprise Brazil will be in spiking, where they finished third as a team in efficiency at 39.08% in pool play. Opposite Yuji Nishida and outside hitters Yuki Ishikawa and Ran Takahashi had 78.73% of the spike attempts, but an efficiency rate of 37.95%. Nishida and Ishikawa are also ones to watch from the service line with 0.32 and 0.37 aces per set respectively.
Quarterfinal 3: Italy vs Argentina
Second place in Pool A went to Italy, who face Pool B's third placed Argentina in the third quarterfinal on Tuesday.
Italy’s offence through pool play was ranked second with an efficiency rate of 40.57%. Their offence used outside hitters Osmany Juantorena, Alessandro Michieletto and opposite Ivan Zaytsev. For the Azzurri, these three players have attempted 67.42% of spikes. While Juantorena and Michieletto have been very efficient with 45.07% (2nd in pool play) and 37.04% in spiking (12th in pool play). Zaytsev has had difficulty with only an 17.72% efficiency rate. If Zaytsev increases his spiking efficiency, it will greatly help Italy towards the semifinals.
Italy have also been successful at stopping their opponent’s spikes with 2.37 blocks per set, third in pool play. Middle blocker Gianluca Galassi leads the team in blocks at 0.53 blocks per set, but he is one of as many as five players who average more than 0.33 blocks per set.
From the service line Michieletto leads the Italians with 0.37 service aces per set. Michieletto and Juantorena also team up to keep the ball off the floor with respectively 1.47 digs per set and 1.37 digs per set. Throw in libero Massimo Colaci who has had 1.37 digs per set and Italy’s defence looks very tough.
Argentina have shown a fighter’s mentality against all their opponents, including in their three five-set matches, to get them into the quarterfinals. Argentina led all teams in pool play with their serve receive at a 64.88% success rate through the passing of Facundo Conte at 69.11% and libero Santiago Danani at 70.30%. However, this great passing has not always turned into points as Argentina finished tenth in spike efficiency at 32.16%.
Opposite Bruno Lima, outside hitters Ezequiel Palacios and Conte have taken 69.43% of Argentina’s spikes, but only have a 28.75% spike efficiency rate. Lima leads all scorers with 102 points (88 spikes, 8 blocks and 6 aces) through pool play, however, and if Argentina can improve their spiking it can help them win. Middle blocker Agustin Loser leads the Argentines with 0.64 blocks per set. In the digging category, libero Danani leads the team in digs with 1.41 digs per set.
Quarterfinal 4: Poland vs France
The last quarterfinal on Tuesday features Pool A winners Poland versus France, who finished fourth in Pool B.
Poland had the best spiking offence in efficiency rate at 42.13% through pool play. The ball often found outside hitter Wilfredo Leon and opposite Bartosz Kurek, who took 44.44% of the team’s spike attempts. Leon had an efficiency rate of 44.00%, third through pool play, and Kurek had 38.04%, ninth through pool play. They have kept opponents guessing due to their efficiency.
Leon is even scarier from the service line with 0.72 service aces per set, which leads all players through pool play and contributed to Poland having the most service aces of all teams at 2.00 per set.
Add in the blocking of Kurek at 0.44 blocks per set, and middle blockers Jakub Kochanowski at 0.50 blocks per set and Mateusz Bieniek at 0.39 blocks per set. Poland’s blocking ranked second at 2.39 blocks per set in pool play. Throw in Poland’s third place in service receive at 62.37% and they look almost unstoppable.
Wilfredo Leon in action for Poland
France through their statistics have looked good, but not great, with their setting at 13.05 excellents per set.
The team are led by Benjamin Toniutti and Antoine Brizard, who have both seen substantial playing time in their five matches. Libero Jenia Grebennikov has been stellar in defense with 2.00 digs per set to keep France alive in points.
Middle blockers Barthelemy Chinenyeze and Nicolas Le Goff have been walls with 1.10 blocks per set between them, 0.65 and 0.55 respectively, while the team averaged 2.25 blocks per set, which was fourth in pool play.
The service line for France has been hard with only 0.55 service aces per set.
Lastly looking at the French offence, opposite Jean Patry, outside hitters Trevor Clevenot and Earvin Ngapeth account for 76.68% of the spike attempts. These three have a spike efficiency rate of 36.55%, which is better than their team total of 35.77%.
