Bari, Italy, September 14, 2018 – On the third competition day at PalaFlorio in Bari, Australia claimed their first victory at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2018. Their opposite Lincoln Williams was the main asset for the Volleyroos: he stepped in for team captain Paul Carroll and recorded an impressive tally of 22 points.
Despite their good performance, the 13 points scored by David Feughouo and the solid game of Yvan Kody Bitijaa, Cameroon had to accept their second loss in the tournament. Australia, on the other hand, celebrated a 3-1 victory (21-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-20) to stay in contention for a spot in the next round.
In the opening matchup of the third day of the tournament at PalaFlorio in Bari, Australia and Cameroon locked horns in an effort to secure a spot in the next round, knowing that Russia, USA and Serbia are likely to take the top spots in Pool C. In their previous matches, Australia lost to Russia 0-3, but they showed much progress coming back from two sets down before losing 2-3 to USA. Cameroon, after a 3-0 victory over Tunisia in an African derby, lost to Serbia 0-3 – and as a result, this match was an all-important one for both teams.
Cameroon coach Blaise Mayam Re Niof opted for his usual starting six, while Australia coach Mark Lebedew decided to stick with the players who had mounted a comeback against USA. Australia tried to gain some advantage, but Cameroon edged ahead after the second technical timeout. At 9-13, Cameroon forced Australia to use their second timeout. Harrison Peacock and his teammates tried in vain to close the gap, as Cameroon won the first set 25-21. The Volleyroos fought back, especially with the help of their opposite spiker Williams, and swept two sets in a row (25-17, 25-22). Nathan Wounembaina, Kody and Feughouo put up a fight for Cameroon but Australia could hold on and closed the match 3-1 in their favour.