Almaty, Kazakhstan, June 18, 2016 – Croatia and Kazakhstan will clash in Almaty for a place in FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix Group 2 in the Group 3 final.
Head-to-Head
· Croatia have won both their previous encounters with Kazakhstan at the World Grand Prix, both in 2014.
· The first match was played in Almaty and resulted in a 3-1 win for Croatia. The second match was the match for 3rd/4th place during the Final Four of Group 3, played in Bulgaria. Croatia won 3-0.
· These two teams also met at the 2010 World Championships, with Croatia winning 3-0.
Croatia
· Croatia reached the final of the Final Four by claiming their sixth win in seven matches at this year's World Grand Prix.
· Croatia have now won more matches than in any of their two previous campaigns. They had won five matches in 2014 and zero in 2015.
· They have not yet played a five-set match this year, after having lost the one five-setters they played in 2014 and 2015.
· Samanta Fabris (20 points), Mira Topic (17) and Mia Jerkov (17) showed the depth of Croatia's attack in the 3-1 semifinal win against Peru.
Kazakhstan
· Kazakhstan have won five of their last six World Grand Prix matches in 2016.
· They lost 3-1 against Colombia, but then took revenge by beating Colombia 3-2 in the semifinals of the Final Four on Saturday 18 June.
· Kazakhstan now have a W4-L4 record in five-setters at the World Grand Prix.
· Yekaterina Zhdanova (12) Lyudmila Issayeva (12) and Katerina Tatko (11) scored most points for Kazakhstan in the 3-2 win against Colombia.