Russia setter Alexander Butko shows off his great skills in defense during the victorious match with Iran
By taking the first two sets of the match, Russia became the first team to qualify for the London Olympic Games next summer. The victory lifted Russia’s record in the tournament to an impressive 9-1. Their lone loss came to Brazil. Iran fell to 6-4 with the defeat.
Maxim Mikhaylov (15 points) and Denis Biriukov (14 points) powered the Russia attack in the win.
Amir Ghafour had a match-high 19 points for Iran in the loss and was named the most impressive player of the match. Iran played well at the outset and actually had the chance to take the opening set, but missed the opportunity and could not recover. Russia’s defense and power were just too much to deal with on this day.
