The Montreux Volley Masters is a traditional warm up tournament for the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix, which takes place from July 25 to August 24
Montreux, Switzerland, March 7, 2014 - The veil is lifted: at the 29th edition of the Montreux Volley Masters from May 27 to June 1, 2014, Switzerland will welcome to Clarens the current top three teams in the world, namely Brazil, the United States, and Japan.
Participation has never been so eminent in past editions. With China (No. 5 in the FIVB World Ranking), Russia (No. 6), the Dominican Republic (No. 8) and Germany (No. 9), it is no less than seven of the 10 best teams in the world that will be putting their skills on display on the shores of Lake Léman.
Pool A will comprise Brazil (No. 1 in the FIVB World Ranking), China (No. 5), Russia (No. 6), Switzerland (host).
Pool B is composed of USA (No. 2), Japan (No. 3), Dominican Republic (No. 8) and Germany (No. 9).
In Pool A, Brazil and Russia will offer a breathtaking duel to ensure their place in the semi-finals. This battle could be disturbed by China, who also has strong arguments to display in Montreux as the first important preparatory step towards the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix, which runs from July 25 to August 24 and the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship Italy 2014, which takes place from September 13 to October 12.
Meanwhile in Pool B the United States (No. 2) and Japan (No. 3) will play the leading roles. But they should be careful as the Dominicans also have a real chance to qualify for the semi-finals. With a brilliant third place in the last edition in Montreux, the Caribbean ladies have shown that the best invitational tournament of the world had a key place in their preparation season. Finally Germany will complete this pool. Reaching the title of Vice European Champion at home in Berlin last September, the Germans will fight hard for each single point in the tournament.
Finally, after a successful return last year, the Swiss national team will be back again in 2014. Along with the qualification for the CEV Euro 2015 (May 16 to 25), the Montreux Volley Masters is the biggest commitment of the season for our young and talented players.
The public can already be excited about this great sports programme but also about coming together again in the friendly and festive atmosphere of the Pierrier sports center.
Additional news about the teams and the full program will be available as of Mid-March at:
www.volleymasters.ch