Russian team during the qulification for the 2018 Men's World Championship
Kazan, Russia, May 31, 2017 - “We are happy to start the World League on home soil. The support of the fans will be the best motivation for us. We have serious opponents and it is important to prepare well,” said Russia captain Dmitry Kovalev as his team set out to play Argentina, Bulgaria and France at the Saint Petersburg Volleyball Centre in Kazan this weekend.
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Latest VideosFacebookTwitterInstagramMedia GuidesArgentina, Bulgaria, France and Russia will begin their 2017 FIVB Volleyball World League campaigns hoping to improve on their 2016 results. The teams will use every opportunity to shoot ahead this weekend with France possibly Russia's principal adversary in Pool C1 following a third-place finish in 2016 and a World League title for coach Laurent Tillie's men in 2015.
Sergey Shliapnikov took over Russia’s men’s national team from Vladimir Alekno this year after successfully coaching Russia's youth and junior national teams, leading them to numerous medals in world and European championships.
Earlier this week the team returned from Estonia where they secured a ticket to the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.
“It was a significant tournament for us. We won all five matches and it was a necessary step for team-building. We arrive in Kazan with a slightly different team composition than in Estonia. The leaders will have some rest, while younger players will have a chance to show their skills,” said the Russian coach.
The matches in Kazan will start on Friday, June 2 with France v Bulgaria at 13.10 GMT and Russia v Argentina at 16.10 GMT.