The Argentina men’s national team is determined to establish itself among the world’s volleyball powerhouses, following an impressive start to the season with the team finishing third out of 16 teams in the first week of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023.
In addition, the national team’s captain Luciano De Cecco was chosen as the best setter and three more players from Argentina ranked among the top 10 in the statistics.
The team, led by Marcelo Méndez, added victories against Canada, reigning world champions Italy in straight sets, and the Netherlands, who finished ahead of Argentina in the previous season’s rankings. The nation’s only loss came in a tightly contested match against Brazil, which went to a thrilling tie-break.
Argentina beat reigning world champions Italy in straight sets in the week 1 VNL pool in Ottawa
The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists have their sights set on qualifying for Pairs 2024. To achieve this, the team must first accumulate World Ranking points, so it is important to secure a top-eight finish in the VNL to progress to the Finals in Gdansk, Poland from 19 to 23 July. Argentina also won bronze at the Olympic Games Seoul 1988 Seoul.
Argentina has a rich tradition of producing exceptional players who shine on the world stage. Legends like Hugo Conte, renowned as the best blocker at Los Angeles 1984, recognised by the FIVB as one of the best players of the 20th century and inducted to the Volleyball Hall of Fame, have left a lasting impact. Other notable individuals include Raúl Quiroga, honoured as the best player of the 1984 Olympic Games, Marcos Milinkovic, who claimed the title of best player at Sydney 2000, and Luciano De Cecco, acclaimed as the best setter of the 2011 World Cup.
In the initial stage of the VNL, Luciano De Cecco was the best setter with 87 hits and only three errors in 287 attempts. Luciano Vicentín ranked fourth in blocking, Luciano Palonsky claimed the fifth sport in serving, and Santiago Danani was the fourth-ranked libero.
The next stop for the team will be the week 2 VNL pool in Orléans, France, where Argentina is set to face Slovenia on 20 June.
Source : fivb.com
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