Co-Hosts Italy, Bulgaria set early dominance at Worlds Openers

Lausanne, Switzerland, September 9, 2018 - Italy shut out Japan and Bulgaria swept Finland as both co-hosts opened the 2018 FIVB Men's World Championship with victories on Sunday evening, establishing themselves as forces to be reckoned with at the start of the three-week, 94-match volleyball extravaganza.

These are the highlights of Day 1 in Italy and Bulgaria:

• Italy beat Japan 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-23) and Bulgaria outplayed Finland 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-22). • Ivan Zaytsev led Italy's well-distributed scoring with 13 points. The hosts were vastly superior to Japan on the net, dominating attacking (63% to 45%) and blocking (nine stuffs to one). • Valentin Bratoev led the scoring for Bulgaria with 14 points, as the Balkan side served eight aces (to three) to counter Finland's eight blocks (to two). • The opening match in Rome was played in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella.

Source: http://italy-bulgaria2018.fivb.com/en/news/co-hosts-italy-bulgaria-set-early-dominance-at?id=78554