No less than five Block Devils are in the mix in Krakow in the World League final six, and one of them, Marko Podrascanin, is already certain to be in the semi-final as the group stage ends tonight (Atanasijevic is out injured). Yesterday, Serbia had the better of the hosts Poland 3-1, while today’s game against the holders France will only define whether the men of Grbic (former Perugia coach) finish first or second. Yesterday, Podrascanin scored 15 points, he went 9 for 11 in attack, registered 5 blocks and one ace.
Beaten by Brazil in the opening game, Italy bounced back by defeating the USA on a 3-1 score. All three Perugia stars were lined-up, Zaytsev had 14 points, Birarelli 6 (2 blocks, one ace) and Buti 8 (3 blocks). On the other side of the net, “Spider” Russell was one of the best of his team with 16 points (one block, one ace). Tonight’s USA versus Brazil will decide who goes through. The USA needs maximum points, while if the already qualified Brazilians take two sets, it will be Italy to qualify for the semi-finals.
