Brouwer and Meeuwsen lead the FIVB series 5-4 with the two teams splitting a pair of matches this season. Fijalek and Prudel posted a 2-0 (22-20, 21-17) quarter-final win in 40 minutes over the Dutch on May 14 at the Antalya Open in Turkey. Two months earlier on Copacabana, Brouwer and Meeuwsen posted a 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 20-18) bronze medal win in 62 minutes over Fijalek and Prudel. The two teams have met twice on the European tour with the Poles defeating the Dutch for the bronze medal at the 2016 continental championships on June 5.
MATCH PREVIEWMATCH NOTES•
NED leads the overall series 6-5, which includes the two teams splitting a pair of matches on the CEV Tour•
Each of the first seven meetings went to a third set, but now three of the last four matches have been sweeps•
Out of the eight matches that went to a third set, four times the team winning the first set won and four times a team came back and won the last two sets•
Eight countries in the Rio Olympics fielded two men’s teams, and NED and RUS were the only countries to have both teams place fifth or better (led by Brouwer / Meeuwsen’s bronze medal)•
POL has four finishes of fifth or better this season, and all four came after losing at least one pool play match•
This season NED has a 45-15 match record, including 25-5 in pool play and 13-8 in three-set matches•
This season POL has a 42-27 match record, including 30-13 in pool play and 15-16 in three-set matches