Cuba and Canada to play for 9-to-12 Positions at U21

Cuba defeated Poland 3-1 (21-25, 26-24, 25-22, 33-31) advancing with the losers to the 9-to-12 round of the FIVB U21 Men’s Volleyball World Championship on Wednesday.

Cuba finished Pool H with a 3-0 mark, while Poland closed with 2-1.

Julio César Cárdenas and José Miguel Gutierrez carried most of the offensive load of Cuba with 24 and 22 points, respectively.

Canada advanced to the round for the 9-to-12 positions despite suffering a lost to Egypt 3-1 (26-24, 25-21, 26-28, 25-23).

Both teams finished with the same win-loss record (2-1), points by wins (5) and sets-ratio (1.116) but the Canadians finished with a better point-ratio (1.027 to 1.013).

Xander Ketrzynski led Canada with 27 points while Youssef Hamdy Awad was the best for Egypt with 18.

In the other match of Pool G, the Czech Republic prevailed against Rico to claim the top spot in Pool G, following their 3-1 (25-13, 25-18, 20-25, 28-26) victory. They finished with a 2-1 record and 7 points.

Marek Sotola led Czech Republic with 21 points while Sebastian Negrón finished with 17.