Shaoxing, China, December 3, 2018 - Chinese hosts Zhejiang Women's Volleyball club will play reigning world champions VakifBank Istanbul of Turkey in their first match of the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship in Shaoxing.
Head-to-Head· Zhejiang Women's Volleyball Club and Vakifbank Istanbul meet for the first time at the Club World Championship as Zhejiang are making their debut in the competition.
· Vakifbank won their only previous Club World Championship meeting with a team from China: 3-0 against Guangdong Evergrande in the 2013 semifinals.
· Vakifbank are unbeaten against Asian teams at the Club World Championship. Apart from their victory against Guangdong, they defeat Japan's Hisamitsu Springs twice and Thailand's Bangkok Glass once.
Zhejiang Women's Volleyball Club· Zhejiang Women's Volleyball Club are making their debut at the Club World Championship.
· Zhejiang are the third team from China to appear in the competition, after Guangdong Evergrande in 2013 (3rd place) and Bohai Bank Tianjin in 2012 (5th).
· Zhejiang are the first Chinese team to host the Club World Championship.
· Zhejiang won the Chinese Volleyball League once, in 2013/14.
· Zhejiang finished third at the Asian club championship in 2015.
Vakifbank Istanbul· Vakifbank Istanbul make their fifth appearance at the Club World Championship. Only Osasco (6) have made more appearances.
· Vakifbank have finished on the podium in each of their previous four participations: second in 2011, first in 2013, third in 2016 and first in 2017.
· Their two titles are a joint-record in the competition, alongside Eczacibasi Vitra Istanbul (2015, 2016).
· Only Osasco (5) have finished in the top-three more often at the Club World Championship than Vakifbank (4).
· Vakifbank have won all 15 Club World Championship matches in which they won the opening set, while losing all three in which they lost the opening set.
· Vakifbank have won the Champions League four times, including in each of the last two seasons.
· Vakifbank have won the Turkish Volleyball League on 10 occasions, including in 2017/18.