NANJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- After five weeks of competition and a profusion of the best volleyball talents and entertainment, the final stage of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League women's tournament will take place here from July 3 to 7.
Six teams, namely hosts China, defending champions United States, Italy, Brazil, Turkey and Poland will vie for the second Nations League title.
The USA are going for another gold medal run at the tournament and their path runs through tough opponents Poland and Brazil in Pool B. They will need to win a match or two to secure a semifinal berth.
USA defeated Poland in Jiangmen, while they have yet to redeem their four-set home loss to Brazil in the third week of the preliminary round.
Members from last year's winning roster are back, led by captain Jordan Larson, 2018 Nations League MVP Michell Bartsch-Hackley, Tetori Dixon, Kelsey Robinson and Andrea Drews.
Poland's biggest triumph in the preliminary round was their tie-break win against Brazil and they will have another opportunity to face the South American team in the final round.
Brazil advanced to the final round with an 11-4 record, led by the offense-minded Gabriela Guimaraes and the defense-oriented Ana Beatriz Correa.
With many fresh talents in the line-up, coach Jose Roberto Guimaraes has delivered a strong-willed team that has kept them at a strong pace throughout the tournament.
In Pool A, hosts China remain a favorite after completing the 15-match preliminary round with 12 victories. They have had an excellent run in the tournament, losing only one match on their home court and losing their first two outside China.
"We are going to hope to show our best against strong opponents," coach An Jiajie said. "We have had injuries in the team during the course of the tournament, but we will do our best representing China's great spirit."
The Chinese will compete against Italy and Turkey who both finished the preliminary round with equal 11-4 win-loss cards.
Italy made their way to the Final Six focusing on improving their performances. After missing the cut for the 2018 Nations League Final Six and finishing second at the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, they have already made a productive start and are ready to take on their opponents in the pool.
Turkey, mentored by coach Giovanni Guidetti, recognizes the size of the task ahead of them if they are to upgrade on their runners-up finish last year. They are focused on performing well and will rely on leading trio Ebrar Karakurt, Zehra Gunes and Cansu Ozbay. Enditem
