Lausanne, Switzerland, June 16, 2017 - With nothing yet decided in the
race for the Group 2 Final Four in Australia's Gold Coast, The
Netherlands host Slovakia
Saturday in The Hague. It is the third time the teams come head-to-head
in FIVB World League history,
after the Dutch won both of the mathces in last year's edition.
Head-to-Head• Netherlands and Slovakia have met twice before at a major competition, both times at the 2016 World League.
• Netherlands won both matches by 3-1, the first on a neutral court in Izmir, Turkey (on this exact day last year) and the second away in Bratislava.
• They also met at the European Championship in 2001 and 2007, with Netherlands also winning both matches (3-0, 3-1).
Netherlands• Netherlands could win five consecutive World League matches for the first time since 2001.
• Both of Netherlands' 2017 World League defeats came in the opening week, 3-1 against China and 3-2 versus Turkey.
• Netherlands have won at least one set in 25 of their last 26 World League matches. The only exception in that run was the straight-set defeat versus Turkey last year. The Dutch recorded eight 3-0 victories in those 26 fixtures.
Slovakia• All three of Slovakia's 2017 World League defeats have been in straight sets. They had suffered only three straight-set losses in their first three participations in the competition.
• Slovakia have dropped only two sets in the four World League matches they have won this year.
• This is the most victories Slovakia have recorded in a single World League campaign. They won three matches in each of their first three participations in the tournament.
• Slovakia have won only two of their 10 World League matches that have gone to a deciding set.