Rio de Janeiro, August 12, 2016 - The two Italian men's teams, pool A winner, Adrian Carambula/Alex Ranghieri and lucky loser winner Daniele Lupo/Paolo Nicolai square off in a round of 16 match that will be their second meeting in FIVB World Tour competition. They have not played each other since August of the 2015 season. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals, and the loser will be eliminated with a 9th-place finish.
Head to Head
Carambula/Ranghieri won the only meeting between the two teams on the FIVB World Tour, in 2015
• Carambula/Ranghieri won 18-21, 21-18, and 15-8 in 48 minutes, Olsztyn Poland Grand Slam, Pool Play, 08/27/2015
Historically the #12 seed has never played the #10 seed in the Olympic Games.
Adrian Carambula/Alex Ranghieri, Italy, Seed #12, Pool A, 2-1, 1st Place, Qualified 12th with 5,090 Points in the 2015-16 Olympic qualification period
• Adrian: March 16, 1988 (28y4m21d), 183 cm (6'0"), 84 kg (186 lbs.), Hometown: Montevideo, Uruguay, 22nd FIVB World Tour event, two gold medals, $96,250 career winnings
• Alex: June 18, 1987 (29y1m19d), 198 cm (6'6"), 88 kg (195 lbs.), Hometown: Pordenone, 48th FIVB World Tour event, three gold medals, $151,800 career winnings
• Adrian and Alex have been playing together since 2015. They are playing in their 22nd FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour tournament together, $192,500 career winnings (ranks 100th).
• Adrian has played in six FIVB World Tour final fours with two gold medals, one bronze medal and three 4th place finishes.
• Alex has played in eight FIVB World Tour final fours with three gold medals, one bronze medal and four 4th place finishes.
• Adrian and Alex have played in six Final Fours in 2015-2016 (Bronze Porec Major 2015, 4th Gstaad Major 2015, Gold Antalya Open 2016, 4th Vitória Open 2016, Gold Doha Open 2016, 4th Sochi Open 2016).
• Adrian and Alex are currently ranked 3rd in FIVB World Tour points in 2016 with 5,060 points and 11th in winnings with $112,500.
• Adrian and Alex have a career 80-40 (66.7%) match record in FIVB World Tour Events, all in 2015-16.
• Adrian and Alex won the silver medal at the 2015 European (CEV) Continental Championships in 2015 (Klagenfurt, Austria).
• Adrian and Alex won a gold medal on the CEV Continental Tour in 2015 (Milan, Italy).
• Adrian was named the FIVB World Tour Top Rookie in 2015.
• Defeated Clemens Doppler/Alexander Horst, Austria (13), 21-14 and 21-13 in 37 minutes
• Defeated Josh Binstock/Sam Schachter, Canada (24), 21-18, 14-21, and 15-11 in 60 minutes.
• Lost to Alison Cerutti/Bruno Oscar Schmidt, Brazil (1), 19-21 and 16-21 in 45 minutes.
Daniele Lupo/Paolo Nicolai, Italy, Seed #10, Pool C, 1-2, 3rd Place, Qualified 10th with 5,220 Points in the 2015-16 Olympic qualification period
• Daniele: May 6, 1991 (25y3m0d), 195 cm (6'5"), 80 kg (178 lbs.), Hometown Rome, 62nd FIVB World Tour event, three gold medals, $312,487 career winnings (ranks 63rd)
• Paolo: August 6, 1988 (28y0m0d), 203 cm (6'8"), 91 kg (202 lbs.), Hometown Ortona, 82nd FIVB World Tour event, three gold medals, $358,412 career winnings (ranks 55th)
• Daniele and Paolo have been playing together since 2011. They are playing in their 58th FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour tournament together (ranks 46th), three gold medals, $620,175 career winnings (ranks 25th).
• Daniele has played in 15 FIVB World Tour final fours with three gold, five silver, five bronze medals and two 4th place finishes.
• Paolo has played in 15 FIVB World Tour final fours with three gold, five silver, five bronze medals and two 4th place finishes.
• Daniele and Paolo have played in four Final Fours in 2015-2016 (Bronze Sochi Open 2015, Silver Vitória Open 2016, Silver Fuzhou Open 2016, Gold Sochi Open 2016).
• Daniele and Paolo finished 5th in the Olympic Games in 2012 (London).
• Daniele and Paolo finished 9th in the FIVB World Championships in 2013 (Stare Jablonki) and 17th in 2015 (The Hague).
• Daniele finished 33rd in the FIVB World Championships with Andrea Tomatis in 2011 (Rome).
• Paolo finished 17th in the FIVB World Championships in 2009 (Stavanger) and 9th in 2011 (Rome), both with Matteo Martino.
• Daniele and Paolo are currently ranked 22nd in FIVB World Tour points in 2016 with 3,120 points and 20th in winnings with $70,575.
• Daniele and Paolo have a career 202-102 (66.4%) match record in FIVB World Tour Events and a 65-38 (63.1%) record in 2015-16.
• Daniele and Paolo won the gold medal at the European (CEV) Continental Championships in 2014 (Cagliari, Italy) and 2016 (Biel, Switzerland).
• Paolo won the silver medal at the U19 World Championships with Francesco Giontella in 2006 (Bermuda, Bermuda).
• Paolo won the gold medal at the U21 World Championships in 2007 (Modena, Italy) and 2008 (Brighton, England), both with Francesco Giontella.
• Paolo Nicolai was named the FIVB World Tour Most Improved Player in 2012 and Best Offensive Player in 2014.
• Pool C: Lost to Lombardo Ontiveros/Juan Virgen, Mexico (15), 21-14, 14-21, and 11-15 in 48 minutes.
• Pool C: Defeated Choaib Belhaj/Mohamed Naceur, Tunisia (22), 21-17 and 21-13 in 35 minutes.
• Pool C: Lost to Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena, United States (3), 13-21, 21-17, and 22-24 in 60 minutes.
• Lucky Loser: Defeated Piotr Kantor/Bartosz Losiak, Poland (11), 21-12, 15-21, and 15-13 in 41 minutes.