Dmitriy Muserskiy led Russia to a 3-0 win over Tunisia in the first round of the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup at the Hamamatsu Arena on Thursday
Dmitriy Muserskiy topped all scorers with 13 points and got good support from his team-mates Ilia Vlasov and Maxim Mikhaylov, who finished with 11 and nine points, respectively. Mohamed Ali Ben Othmen Miladi and Hamza Nagga both scored 10 points for Tunisia.
Mikhaylov led with Russian twin towers Muserskiy and Vlasov to power the Russian victory in the first set 25-17. In the early part of the set, the Russian spikers hit their target with Mikhaylov and Muserskiy in the forefront of the assault. As they maintained this momentum, the Russians got their rivals helpless on defence, which made it easier for them to shield any Tunisian retaliation. The Russians successfully implemented a good attack scheme that tallied 15 kills at the end of the set.
The same Russian cast flaunted their superiority in the second set as the Tunisians continued to struggle to nail their spikes. The Tunisians had to be more creative on their combination plays to be able to get through the tough Russian block. When the Russians had a comfortable lead, coach Vladimir Alekno gave Mikhaylov and Muserskiy some rest, but the Russian onslaught progressed until the Tunisians conceded the second set 25-16. In the third set, Tunisia trailed Russia closely until the final plays but the African side could not sustain their intensity and allowed Russia to score the final two points that clinched set and match 29-27.