USA and Dominican Republic to represent NORCECA in VNL
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, May 14, 2018 - Sixteen teams from across
the globe –including USA and Dominican Republic from NORCECA -
embark on a brand new adventure Tuesday, as the inaugural
women's FIVB Volleyball Nations League marks the start of an
exhilarating season that will bring fans all over the world an
unrivalled experience.
The 16 teams will compete in a Preliminary Round over five weeks
in a total of 20 pools of four teams each. There will be one
ranking table across all pools with the top five teams at the
end of the Preliminary Round joining the hosts for the Finals.
Heading the race to become the historic first winner of the new
competition are world number one and reigning Olympic champions
China, who host Belgium, the Dominican Republic and Korea at
home in Ningbo. China are assured of a spot in the Final Six of
the competition as hosts of the event in Nanjing, 27 June to 1
July.
World number two and reigning world champions USA also kick
start their campaign at home, when they host Italy, Poland and
Turkey in Lincoln.
Further south, the last winner of the FIVB World Grand Prix and
reigning South American champions, Brazil, are out for full
points from their three opening matches at home in the Sao Paulo
suburb of Barueri against Germany, Asian champions Japan and
European champions Serbia.
Russia head the last remaining pool of the opening week, when
they entertain Argentina, the Netherlands and Thailand in
Ekaterinburg. |