Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Poland unbeaten as race for quarterfinals heats up

There’s only four teams left undefeated after two rounds of play in men’s volleyball at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, as the race for tickets to the quarterfinals intensifies.
London 2012 bronze medallists Italy lead Pool A after their stunning 3-1 (28-26, 20-25, 25-23, 25-23) win over USA, which puts the World Cup holders in a very tight spot and with a mountain to climb if they’re to make it out of what’s been dubbed the ‘pool of death’.
Hosts Brazil also remain undefeated following their win 3-1 (24-26, 25-18, 25-22, 25-17) over Canada. The London 2012 silver medallists faltered a bit at the end of the first set but produced a solid game to take the match.
In other Pool A action Tuesday, France scored their first win, downing Mexico 3-0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-22) and keeping themselves very much alive in the race for a ticket to the quarterfinals.
The defending Olympic champions Russia were stunned by Argentina 3-1 (25-18, 18-25, 25-18, 25-21) which puts the South Americans at the top of Pool B undefeated, together with Poland who edged Iran 3-2 (25-17, 25-23, 23-25, 20-25, 18-16) in a game with lots of tension.
Meanhwile, Egypt registered one for the history books, scoring their first ever win at the Olympic Games with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-22) sweep of Cuba.
Men’s pool play at Rio 2016 continues on Thursday 11 August. The top four teams of each pool advance to the quarterfinals.

Summary Statistics – Men’s Tournament Rio 2016

Highest Scorer by Day
21 – Facundo Conte of Argentina v Iran on August 7
23 – Bartosz Kurek of Poland v Iran on August 9

Top Scoring Performances
23 – Bartosz Kurek of Poland v Iran on August 9
22 – Aaron Russell of United States v Italy on August 9
21 – Facundo Conte of Argentina v Iran on August 7
20 – Osniel Rendon of Cuba v Russia on August 7
20 – Osmany Juantorena of Italy v United States on August 9
20 – Ahmed Abdelhay of Egypt v Cuba on August 9

Top Individual Blocking Performances
8 – Seyed Mousavi of Iran v Poland on August 9
5 – Facundo Conte of Argentina v Iran on August 7
5 – Pablo Crer of Argentina v Russia on August 9
4 – Maxwell Holt of United States v Italy on August 9
4 – Michal Kubiak of Poland v Iran on August 9
4 – Nicholas Hoag of Canada v Brazil on August 9

Top Individual Service Performances
4 – Ricardo Lucarelli of Brazil v Mexico on August 7

Top Team Blocking Performances
13 – Iran v Poland on August 9
11 – Italy v France on August 7
11 – Argentina v Russia on August 9
11 – Brazil v Canada on August 9
10 – Russia v Cuba on August 7
10 – Argentina v Iran on August 7
10 – Poland v Iran on August 9

Top Team Serving Performances
10 – Egypt v Cuba on August 9
9 – Brazil v Mexico on August 7

Highest Scoring Sets
28-26 Italy v United States (1st Set) on August 9
26-24 Argentina v Iran (2nd Set) on August 7
26-24 Canada v Brazil (1st set) on August 9

Highest Scoring Matches
217 – Poland d Iran 3-2 (25-17, 25-23, 23-25, 20-25, 18-16) on August 9
195 – Italy d United States 3-1 (28-26, 20-25, 25-23, 25-23) on August 9