Canada dropped an 18-25, 18-25, 17-25 decision to fourth-ranked Serbia and Montenegro on Wednesday to finish the first round of the world men's volleyball championships with a 3-2 record in Group D.
The 12th-ranked Canadians advance to the second round, which begins Saturday with the top four teams from each of the four six-team groups.
Victoria's Fred Winters led Canada on Wednesday with 13 points.
Serbia and Montenegro is unbeaten at the tournament.
``I think Serbia is playing at a level right now that I haven't seen in a long time,'' Canadian coach Glenn Hoag said. ``We were having trouble with our serve-receive so then we couldn't set ourselves up against their block, which made it almost impossible to beat them.''
Tunisia beat out South Korea for the final qualifying spot from Group D after a 25-19, 25-23, 26-24 victory over winless Kazakhstan.
Third-seeded Russia beat South Korea 25-13, 25-21, 25-13 to improve to 4-1.
The U.S. also advanced to the second round after a 25-19, 25-22, 25-23 victory over Japan. The Americans finished fourth in Group C with a 2-3 record and move on the expense of Venezuela, which was eliminated with the same 2-3 record after a defeat to Italy left it with an inferior points ratio.
No. 2 Italy won 25-13, 22-25, 25-21, 25-15 to improve to 4-1 in Group C, while Bulgaria finished atop the group with a perfect record after a 20-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-21 victory over Czech Republic, which also advanced.
In Group B, Brazil beat Germany 25-13, 25-21, 25-22 to finish first with the same 4-1 record as its opponent.
France also finished with a 4-1 record after winning 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17 against Cuba, which had already qualified for the second round.
In Group A, Puerto Rico beat China 25-17, 25-13, 21-25, 26-24 to advance to the second stage ahead of its opponent, with both finishing 2-3.
Argentina also moved on to the second round with a 2-3 record after a 25-18, 29-31, 25-20, 25-20 win over Egypt, which dropped to 1-4.
Poland stayed unbeaten with a 25-18, 25-21, 25-23 victory over host Japan, which dropped to 3-2. Both teams had already qualified.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
