The United States is favored as the...
The United States is favored as the semifinal round of the 11th World Men’s Volleyball Championships starts today at Nantes, France.
The U.S. team, winner of the 1984 Olympic gold medal and the 1985 World Cup, is joined in the round by strong Soviet and Cuban teams along with Argentina, third in the 1982 World Championships, and Japan and Poland.
The Soviet Union, a perennial powerhouse, has won the Olympics three times and the world title six times, most recently in 1982.
Cuba has beaten the U.S. in 5 of 12 meetings this year.
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