Men's Volleyball: Italy 4-0 in Olympic qualifier

(BEIJING, June 5) -- Day four of the FIVB Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tokyo, Japan, saw Italy defeat world No. 60 Algeria 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-20) for their fourth straight victory in the pool. The host Japan beat Thailand in three straight sets, while Argentina held off Iran three sets to one without main player Lucas Ocampo.

Going into its game against Australia with a 0-3 tournament record, the Republic of Korea fought hard to down the Asian Champion 3-2 (27-29, 25-21, 21-25, 25-20, 15-10) for their first victory, a chance to compete for a Beijing Olympic berth.

“Our substitutes played well in the game, and their faith in winning and the will to fight were the main reasons for the victory,” said the ROK coach afterwards. Australian Paul Carroll was the top scorer in the match with 22 points.

After four rounds, Italy remained the only team with a clean sweep and topped the pool with 8 points. Thailand is in last place with a 0-4 record.

Match schedule on June 6:
Thailand vs. Argentina;
Iran vs. Italy;
Algeria vs. Republic of Korea;
Australia vs. Japan