Matthew Anderson led USA to a straight-set win over hosts Japan on opening day of the 2017 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Grand Champions Cup
Nagoya, Japan, September 12, 2017 – Matthew Anderson ushered USA’s opening day straight-set (25-21, 25-18, 25-13) win over hosts Japan at the 2017 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Champions Cup at the Nippon Gaishi Hall on Tuesday.
Anderson topped all scorers with 13 points, including 11 attacks and two blocks. Two other USA scorers – Thomas Jaeschke and Aaron Russell – had double-digit outputs of 11 and 10 points, respectively. Yuki Ishikawa led all Japanese scorers with nine points. USA performed well in all scoring categories with 40 attacks, eight blocks and seven aces.
USA and Japan met for the fourth time at the World Grand Champions Cup and the NORCECA side gained a 3-1 winning edge over the Asian side. Japan won 3-1 in their first encounter in 1993, but USA won the last three encounters, including back-to-back victories in 2013 and 2017.
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Latest VideosFacebookTwitterInstagramMedia GuidesJapan’s combination plays gave USA trouble, but a few adjustments on defence and Anderson’s performance from the attack and service lines enabled them to seize the opening set at 25-21. USA had a better finish in the next set, as Micah Christenson got his other hitters involved on offence. USA played with consistency on both offence and defence, while Japan had difficulty to convert on their attack attempts.