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MONTREUX, Switzerland, March 31, 2015 – Montreux is preparing to
welcome some of the planet’s top teams from May 26 to 31, with
the Swiss town set to host the 30th edition of the Montreux
Volley Masters.
Germany, surprise winners from 2014, will return to defend the
title they won last year, with China, Japan, Italy, Dominican
Republic, Turkey and the Netherlands all eager to claim the
crown.
China will be represented this year by their 2013 FIVB
Volleyball Women’s U23 World Championship-winning team, with
many of their players in Montreux expected to join the senior
squad in preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
But Japan, who are fourth in the world rankings, Italy, who
finished fourth in the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World
Championships last autumn in Milan, and Russia, the 2010 world
champions, are also expected to bring experienced teams to the
shores of Lac Leman.
Teams will be split into two groups, with Group A consisting of
China, the Dominican Republic, Russia and the Netherlands and
Group B consisting of Japan, Italy, Germany and Turkey.
Three matches will be played each day at 16:30, 18:30 and 21:00
CET from between Tuesday and Friday.
The most eagerly anticipated clashes of this preliminary stage
include China v the Dominican Republic and Italy v Germany on
Tuesday; Turkey v Germany and the Dominican Republic v Russia on
Wednesday; the Netherlands v Russia and Italy v Turkey on
Thursday; and Japan v Italy and Russia v China on Friday.
The semifinals will be held on Saturday at 14:00, 16:00, 18:30
and 21:00 CET while the finals will take place on Sunday at
13:30 (bronze medal) and 16:00 (gold medal) CET. |
