Kobe, Japan, October 4, 2018 - Russia and the United States will be meeting in Pool C to decide which team will keep the undefeated status in the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.
Head-to-head
• United States have won nine of their last 10 major encounters at world level with Russia.
• World level major competitions are: Olympic Games, World Championship, World Cup, World Grand Prix, Grand Champions Cup and Nations League.
• Russia's only victory over Team USA in that span was a straight-sets victory at the 2015 World Cup, a match that was played in Nagoya, Japan.
• United States have won five of 11 meetings at World Championships with Russia (includes Soviet Union), including each of their last two, in 2014.
• Earlier this year, these teams met in the Nations League. United States won 3-0 in Jiangmen, China.
Russia• Russia started their World Championship run with wins over Trinidad & Tobago (3-0), Thailand (3-2), Azerbaijan (3-0) and Korea (3-0).
• In 2014, Russia also won their first four matches, with three of those in straight sets. They could win the first five matches at a World Championship for the first time since 2010, when they won all 11 matches, including the gold medal match.
• Russia could win at least one set for the 50th straight time in World Championship matches. Their last 3-0 defeat came in the 1998 edition, against China.
• Nataliya Goncharova is Russia's top scorer on 83 points. Irina Koroleva has recorded 17 stuff blocks.
United States
• Reigning world champions United States started their 2018 campaign with 3-0 wins against Azerbaijan and Trinidad & Tobago, a 3-1 victory over Republic of Korea and a five-set win against Thailand.
• United States won their first eight matches at the 2014 World Championship, of which five victories came in straight sets.
• Since the start of the 2014 World Championship, United States have won 15 of their 17 matches in the competition. The defeats came back-to-back in 2014, against Brazil and Italy (both 3-0).
• Five players reached double figures against Thailand, of which Michelle Bartsch-Hackley scored the most (23 points). Foluke Akinradewo added seven stuff blocks.