Lausanne, Switzerland, August 4, 2017 - Serbia and defending champions Brazil meet for the third time this season Saturday in the first semifinal of the 2017 FIVB World Grand Prix in Nanjing, after splitting victories in pool play last month. Serbia are in the top four for the first time since claiming bronze in 2013. Brazil last missed out on the podium in 2007 and have won the World Grand Prix three times in the last four seasons.
Head-to-Head• These teams met twice this season in the World Grand Prix. On 8 July, Serbia won 3-0 in Ankara, Turkey. Six days later, Brazil triumphed in straight sets in Sendai, Japan.
• Brazil had won their first nine major encounters at world level before Serbia reeled off successive victories, both in the World Grand Prix.
• On 8 July, Brankica Mihajlovic paced Serbia on 23 points, with 20 of those coming off spikes.
• On 14 July, Natalia Pereira led Brazil in scoring. All of her 16 points that day came off spikes.
Serbia• Serbia will finish the World Grand Prix in the top-4 for the first time since 2013, when they finished third.
• Serbia have never reached the final at the World Grand Prix. Two third place finishes (2011 and 2013) are their best achievements in the competition.
• They have won nine of their 11 World Grand Prix matches this season, losing only to Brazil (3-0) and Japan (3-2).
• Dating back to last season, they have now won 13 of their last 15 matches in the competition.
• They have won at least two sets in each of their last seven World Grand Prix matches.
Brazil• Titleholders Brazil saw China save six matchpoints against Netherlands on Friday to remain alive in the competition.
• Brazil won the World Grand Prix in three of the previous four seasons.
• Brazil have won the World Grand Prix 11 times, five times more often than any other country.
• Brazil have finished in the top three 18 times, five times more often than any other country.
• Brazil finished in the top three in 12 of the previous 13 World Grand Prix seasons. The exception is 2007, when they came fifth.