Best Players – Sander keeps up with Boyer in scoring race, helps USA make Final Six cut

He plays a vital role in USA’s starting line-up and his consistency counts regardless if they won or lost the match. His experience mattered most in difficult situations and his versatility is what has kept his team in the competition. The outside spiker is second in scoring, fifth in spiking, seventh in serving, 10th in digging and fifth in receiving.

Sander’s scoring nemesis, Boyer, has racked up 165 points in nine matches, including 135 spikes, 13 blocks and 17 aces. Boyer’s sensational performance in the 2017 World League has brought success to his team, with eight victories and only one loss coming into the Final Six in Curitiba.





With Earvin Ngapeth’s return to the French line-up, the Ngapeth-Boyer tandem’s power plays will certainly heat up the action in the Final Six.

Boyer brought fire with him on the attack line where he fared second in the best spiker category, behind Serbian Marko Ivovic, while Sander’s team-mate Benjamin Patch is on third. The French opposite holds the top spot in the best server category ahead of Russian Dmitry Volkov and Brazilians Mauricio Souza and Ricardo Lucarelli.

Nikolay Nikolov of Bulgaria is still the best blocker in Group 1 with 25 stuff blocks, followed by Ilyas Kurkaev of Russia who matched Nikolov’s output after his team’s straight-set win over Iran.

Brazil’s Bruno Rezende is still the best setter, while Serbia's Nikola Jovovic catches up as the second best player in Group 1.