Brazil managed a narrow five-set win in their 2018 VNL encounter with Russia
Montreux, Switzerland, September 4, 2018 – The 33rd edition of the traditional annual Montreux Volley Masters women’s tournament is set to get underway in Switzerland with six of the eight participating teams looking to test out their readiness for the upcoming 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship from September 29 through October 20 in Japan.
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The eight teams are split into two round-robin pools of four with the top two in each pool advancing to the semifinals. The event starts on Tuesday, September 4, and the winner will emerge on Sunday, September 9. All matches will be played at the Salle Omnisports du Pierrier in the Clarens district of Montreux.
Hosts Switzerland will entertain three big teams in Pool A. Reigning Olympic champs China, as well as Turkey and Italy, all have their eyes on the highest honours in Japan. Interestingly, these three sides will be in the same group (Pool B) at the World Championship as well, so the Montreux Masters will serve as a good opportunity to assess where they stand in their preparations for the important matches in Sapporo.
A titanic clash between Brazil and Russia will open the battles in Pool B in Montreux. On the way to Japan, continental champions Cameroon will become the first African squad to take part in the Montreux Volley Masters. Poland are the only team in the pool who will not be playing at the World Championship.
In addition to fine-tuning their performance ahead of the World Championship, Brazil will face the task of defending their 2017 Montreux Masters title.
"This has always been an important tournament. We will have the chance to face some of the best teams in the world that will play at the World Championship as well. The Montreux Volley Masters will serve as a parameter for the main competition of the season and it will help us know what we need to improve for the future,” said Brazil’s coach Jose Roberto Guimaraes.
"This is a good opportunity to do the last tests before the World Championship. This will be a preparatory tournament for our team. The match against Russia will be a good test for us. They are a tall team that have evolved a lot, but let's focus on our game and have a good start in Montreux," Brazilian striker Rosamaria Montibeller added.