Poland, Russia point away from 2012 Olympic Games

Poland and Russia moved to within a point of qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics when they posted their eighth win apiece at the World Cup men’s volleyball tournament in Tokyo on Friday.Poland, the 1976 Olympic gold medallists, rallied to a narrow 17-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-12 victory over Italy for a 8-1 win-loss record in the 12-team round robin competition. And Russia fought against a vociferous home crowd to beat Japan 25-23, 25-16, 25-23. With two more matches left, Poland and Russia lead the table on 24 points, followed by Brazil on 19 points, Italy on 18 points and Cuba on 16 points, keeping their hopes of qualifying alive.Winners receive three points from 3-0 or 3-1 wins and two points from a 3-2 win, while losers receive one point from a 2-3 defeat.