Another sensational display of French wing-spiker Earvin Ngapeth to carry his side to a final match
Curitiba, Brazil, July 7, 2017 - French superstar Earvin Ngapeth recovered his best form with a 24-point game sending his team straight into 2017 FIVB Volleyball World League final match, following a 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-19, 25-21) victory over a spirited side of Canada closing Friday action in Curitiba.
Supporting Ngapeth’s actions were teammates Stephen Boyer and reserve player Trevor Clevenot, with 16 and 12 tallies for Les Bleus. For Canada, John Gordon Perrin placed atop of the charts with 15 points, Sharone Vernon-Evans scored 14 times and Graham Vigrass completed 6 monster-blocks out of an identical total of 14 points.
Already with a podium placement in their pockets, France achieved something not done since a Brazil run between 2009 and 2011 - a third consecutive World League medal, following 2015 gold in Rio and 2016 bronze in Krakow. Meanwhile, for Canada this still is their best-ever run at the competition, despite the semifinal loss.
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Ngapeth displayed his talent from the first moments of the game, creating a 10-5 lead that remained throughout the entire opening set. Canada found some momentum on the following chapter, led by the captain Perrin, but on the third France stroke quickly once again as Ngapeth kept amazing the audience. Nothing changed afterwards - an Ngapeth ace unlocked the fourth set and France stayed on cruise control until the end.