Lausanne, Switzerland, September 7, 2017 – After two days of 2017 FIVB Women's World Grand Champions Cup action in the Japanese capital Tokyo, the tournament is moving to Nagoya for the last three competition days, the first of which will get underway with a clash between USA and Russia. This will be their fourth encounter in the history of the World Grand Champions Cup.
Head-to-Head
• USA and Russia will play each other for the fourth time at the World Grand Champions Cup.
• At the inaugural tournament in 1993, Russia won 3-1. United States won both other matches - 3-1 in 2001 and 3-2 in 2013.
• Their most recent meeting came in the 2017 World Grand Prix in which USA prevailed in five sets.
USA
• USA bounced back after their opening defeat to China with a 3-0 win over Korea.
• In 2013 they lost to Brazil in their first match before winning the other four and finishing runners-up to the Brazilians.
• USA have now won and lost exactly 11 matches at the Grand Champions Cup.
• United States are the reigning world champions (2014) and claimed bronze at the last Olympic Games (2016) and the last World Cup (2015). They finished fifth at the 2017 World Grand Prix.
• Five players reached double figures in scoring against Korea: Jordan Larson (13), Rachael Adams (12), Lauren Gibbemeyer (12), Andrea Drews (11) and Kimberly Hill (11).
Russia
• Russia ended a four-match losing streak in the Grand Champions Cup by beating Japan 3-1.
• They can now win back-to-back matches in the competition for the first time since winning their last two matches of the 2001 edition (3-0 versus Korea and Japan).
• Russia won at least one set in each of their 22 matches in the Grand Champions Cup.
• Russia's last podium at a world level tournament came at the 2015 World Grand Prix (second). This year they finished in ninth place at the World Grand Prix.
• Both Nataliya Goncharova (22) and Tatiana Kosheleva (20) scored at least 20 points against Japan.