Team Preview

European Championship Tour
€ 100,000 Spanish Masters
April 17 - 20, 2008

(12, Q4) Riccardo Lione/Matteo Varnier, Italy

Riccardo "Riccardino" Lione
Italy

Photo: FIVB

Personal Info

Birth Date:

Apr 13, 1972 (52 yrs old)

Home Town:

Rome

Height:

197 cm (6'6")

Weight:

97 kg (213 lb)

Seasons:

Tournaments:

121

Career Best:

2nd (3 times)

Career CEV Best:

2nd (Alanya 2006)

Career Winnings:

US$191,637.45

Matteo Varnier
Italy

Photo: FIVB

Personal Info

Birth Date:

Oct 16, 1979 (45 yrs old)

Home Town:

Sanremo

Height:

198 cm (6'6")

Weight:

82 kg (180 lb)

Seasons:

Tournaments:

Career Best:

2nd (4 times)

Career CEV Best:

2nd (Alanya 2006)

Career Winnings:

US$149,221.63

Team Career Summary

Tour	Played	1	2	3	4	5	7	9	13	17	25	33	41	57	CQ	Money
CEV	9	0	1	1	0	0	2	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	US$37,977.41
FIVB	38	0	0	0	2	3	1	8	5	10	2	3	2	1	1	US$187,200.00
FIVB C&S	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	US$5,400.00
Overall	49	0	3	1	2	3	3	11	7	10	2	3	2	1	1	US$230,577.41

Previous Gran Canaria Results Neither player has played in this venue before

Recent Results

Tour	Date	Tournament	Seed	Finish	Points	Money
FIVB	3/25-30/2008	Adelaide Australia Open	23	17th	120	US$2,500.00
FIVB	8/29-9/2/2007	St. Petersburg Open	23	7th	300	US$8,000.00
CEV	8/24-26/2007	European Championship	17	13th	240	€ 2,000.00
FIVB	8/15-19/2007	Aland Open	21	17th	120	US$3,000.00
FIVB	8/8-12/2007	Kristiansand Open	19	13th	150	US$3,800.00
FIVB	8/1-5/2007	Klagenfurt Grand Slam	27	17th	160	US$5,100.00
FIVB	7/24-29/2007	Gstaad World Championships	30	33rd	50	US$4,800.00
FIVB	7/18-22/2007	Marseille Open	14	25th	60	US$2,000.00
FIVB	7/10-15/2007	Berlin Grand Slam	21	17th	160	US$5,100.00
FIVB	7/3-8/2007	Montréal Open	11	9th	240	US$6,000.00
FIVB	6/27-7/1/2007	Stavanger Grand Slam	22	25th	80	US$3,500.00
FIVB	6/20-24/2007	Paris Grand Slam	24	9th	320	US$8,000.00
FIVB	6/13-17/2007	Espinho Open	15	17th	120	US$3,000.00
FIVB	6/5-10/2007	Zagreb Open	15	13th	180	US$4,500.00
CEV	5/31-6/3/2007	Russian Masters	4	13th	180	€ 1,300.00
FIVB	5/23-27/2007	Italian Open	7	13th	180	US$4,500.00
CEV	5/17-20/2007	Austrian Masters	7	9th	240	€ 1,950.00

Spanish Masters Matches

Date	Bracket	Opponent	Score	Time
Thu, 4/17/2008	Qualifier 1	Bjorn Berg / Hannes Brinkborg, Sweden (Q29)	Won 17-21, 21-15, 15-11	0:59
Thu, 4/17/2008	Qualifier 2	Jakob Due / Lars Mayland, Denmark (Q13)	Won 21-10, 24-22	0:38
Thu, 4/17/2008	Qualifier 3	Robert Kufa / Pavel Rotrekl, Czech Republic (Q5)	Won 21-16, 17-21, 16-14	0:51
Fri, 4/18/2008	Winner 1	Pablo Herrera / Raul Mesa, Spain (5)	Lost 23-25, 19-21	0:46
Fri, 4/18/2008	Contender 1	Emiel Boersma / Bram Ronnes, Netherlands (4)	Won 21-15, 21-11	0:39
Fri, 4/18/2008	Contender 2	Reinder Nummerdor / Richard Schuil, Netherlands (2)	Lost 10-21, 14-21	0:30

Head to Head Results
Lione/Varnier trail the series against the field 24-31 (Lead 10 Series, Trail 11 Series, 1 Series Tied)

Date	Tour	Tournament	Round	Winning Team	Seed	Losing Team	Seed	Score	Time
Trail the series against # 1 Klemperer/Koreng, Germany 0-4
8/24/07	CEV	European Championship	Winner 2	Klemperer/Koreng	1	Lione/Varnier	17	21-18, 16-21, 22-20	1:21
7/14/07	FIVB	Berlin Grand Slam	Winner 1	Klemperer/Koreng	24	Lione/Varnier	21	21-15, 21-17	0:49
6/29/07	FIVB	Stavanger Grand Slam	Pool F	Klemperer/Koreng	27	Lione/Varnier	22	21-11, 21-18	0:34
5/18/07	CEV	Austrian Masters	Contender 2	Klemperer/Koreng	4	Lione/Varnier	7	23-21, 21-17	0:45
Trail the series against # 2 Nummerdor/Schuil, Netherlands 0-2
4/18/08	CEV	Spanish Masters	Contender 2	Nummerdor/Schuil	2	Lione/Varnier	12, Q4	21-10, 21-14	0:30
5/18/07	CEV	Austrian Masters	Winner 2	Nummerdor/Schuil	2	Lione/Varnier	7	21-13, 17-21, 15-5	0:56
Lead the series against # 3 Brink/Dieckmann, Germany 1-0
5/20/06	CEV	Turkish Masters	Semi-Finals	Lione/Varnier	6	Brink/Dieckmann	4	21-18, 21-16	0:49
Lead the series against # 4 Boersma/Ronnes, Netherlands 1-0
4/18/08	CEV	Spanish Masters	Contender 1	Lione/Varnier	12, Q4	Boersma/Ronnes	4	21-15, 21-11	0:39
Trail the series against # 5 Herrera/Mesa, Spain 2-3
4/18/08	CEV	Spanish Masters	Winner 1	Herrera/Mesa	5	Lione/Varnier	12, Q4	25-23, 21-19	0:46
8/3/07	FIVB	Klagenfurt Grand Slam	Winner 1	Herrera/Mesa	18	Lione/Varnier	27	21-14, 16-21, 15-12	0:58
7/1/06	FIVB	Norway Grand Slam	Winner 1	Lione/Varnier	12	Herrera/Mesa	28, Q5	21-16, 21-12	0:38
6/30/06	FIVB	Norway Grand Slam	Pool E	Herrera/Mesa	28, Q5	Lione/Varnier	12	21-17, 21-16	0:43
7/8/05	CEV	Spanish Open	Winner 1	Lione/Varnier	13	Herrera/Mesa	4	21-19, 18-21, 15-13	0:52
Trail the series against # 6 Kais/Vesik, Estonia 1-3
7/24/07	FIVB	Gstaad World Championships	Pool S	Kais/Vesik	19	Lione/Varnier	30	17-21, 21-15, 15-8	0:48
6/23/06	FIVB	Switzerland Grand Slam	Contender 4	Kais/Vesik	10	Lione/Varnier	12	21-19, 19-21, 15-12	0:54
5/25/06	FIVB	China Open	Contender 2	Kais/Vesik	8	Lione/Varnier	7	22-20, 21-19	0:39
10/28/05	FIVB	Acapulco Open	Contender 6	Lione/Varnier	7, Q14	Kais/Vesik	14	18-21, 21-15, 15-10	1:00
Trail the series against # 7 Doppler/Gartmayer, Austria 0-2
8/10/07	FIVB	Kristiansand Open	Contender 3	Doppler/Gartmayer	12	Lione/Varnier	19	14-21, 21-11, 15-12	0:53
8/4/06	FIVB	Austria Grand Slam	Pool H	Doppler/Gartmayer	9	Lione/Varnier	8	21-19, 21-16	0:42
Trail the series against # 8 Barsuk/Kolodinsky, Russia 0-3
9/1/07	FIVB	St. Petersburg Open	Contender 5	Barsuk/Kolodinsky	2	Lione/Varnier	23	19-21, 21-16, 15-8	0:57
8/2/07	FIVB	Klagenfurt Grand Slam	Pool F	Barsuk/Kolodinsky	6	Lione/Varnier	27	21-17, 21-14	0:40
7/25/07	FIVB	Gstaad World Championships	Pool S	Barsuk/Kolodinsky	6	Lione/Varnier	30	21-15, 21-15	0:44
Trail the series against # 10 Heuscher/Heyer, Switzerland 0-3
8/3/07	FIVB	Klagenfurt Grand Slam	Pool F	Heuscher/Heyer	11	Lione/Varnier	27	21-16, 21-12	0:33
7/13/07	FIVB	Berlin Grand Slam	Pool E	Heuscher/Heyer	5	Lione/Varnier	21	21-13, 21-16	0:38
6/8/07	FIVB	Zagreb Open	Contender 3	Heuscher/Heyer	7	Lione/Varnier	15	21-19, 21-19	0:43
Lead the series against # 11 Benes/Benes, Czech Republic 3-1
5/18/07	CEV	Austrian Masters	Winner 1	Lione/Varnier	7	Benes/Benes	10	21-18, 21-14	0:38
6/2/06	CEV	German Masters	Contender 2	Benes/Benes	3	Lione/Varnier	1	21-18, 24-22	0:42
5/19/06	CEV	Turkish Masters	Winner 1	Lione/Varnier	6	Benes/Benes	11	21-12, 27-25	0:43
7/7/05	CEV	Spanish Open	Qualifier 3	Lione/Varnier	13	Benes/Benes		21-19, 19-21, 15-11	0:57
Lead the series against # 13 Reckermann/Urbatzka, Germany 1-0
6/8/07	FIVB	Zagreb Open	Contender 2	Lione/Varnier	15	Reckermann/Urbatzka	17	21-14, 21-17	0:37
Trail the series against Huth/Schneider, Germany 0-1
7/19/07	FIVB	Marseille Open	Contender 1	Huth/Schneider	30, Q12	Lione/Varnier	14	26-24, 21-16	0:53
Trail the series against # Q3 Babich/Nikolaev, Ukraine 1-2
6/2/06	CEV	German Masters	Winner 2	Babich/Nikolaev	8	Lione/Varnier	1	21-13, 15-21, 15-12	1:04
8/8/05	CEV	Swiss Open	Winner 1	Lione/Varnier	6	Babich/Nikolaev	11	25-23, 21-14	0:47
7/20/05	FIVB	Poland Open	Qualifier 2	Babich/Nikolaev	Q58	Lione/Varnier	Q26	14-21, 26-24, 21-19	0:58
Lead the series against # Q5 Kufa/Rotrekl, Czech Republic 2-0
4/17/08	CEV	Spanish Masters	Qualifier 3	Lione/Varnier	12, Q4	Kufa/Rotrekl	Q5	21-16, 17-21, 16-14	0:51
8/24/07	CEV	European Championship	Contender 1	Lione/Varnier	17	Kufa/Rotrekl	18	21-11, 21-19	0:35
Trail the series against # Q6 Gosch/Horst, Austria 1-2
8/30/07	FIVB	St. Petersburg Open	Winner 1	Gosch/Horst	10	Lione/Varnier	23	21-16, 21-17	0:52
8/25/07	CEV	European Championship	Contender 2	Gosch/Horst	10	Lione/Varnier	17	21-17, 21-16	0:41
6/22/07	FIVB	Paris Grand Slam	Pool H	Lione/Varnier	24	Gosch/Horst	25, Q10	21-18, 33-31	0:59
Lead the series against # Q7 Kjemperud/Skarlund, Norway 3-2
7/19/07	FIVB	Marseille Open	Winner 1	Kjemperud/Skarlund	19	Lione/Varnier	14	21-17, 21-19	0:44
5/24/07	FIVB	Italian Open	Winner 2	Kjemperud/Skarlund	10	Lione/Varnier	7	21-16, 21-16	0:33
8/4/06	FIVB	Austria Grand Slam	Pool H	Lione/Varnier	8	Kjemperud/Skarlund	24	21-18, 21-18	0:42
6/17/06	FIVB	Portugal Open	Contender 6	Lione/Varnier	7	Kjemperud/Skarlund	12	23-21, 19-21, 15-11	1:03
5/20/06	CEV	Turkish Masters	Winner 3	Lione/Varnier	6	Kjemperud/Skarlund	10	21-18, 18-21, 16-14	1:05
Trail the series against # Q9 Laciga/Schnider, Switzerland 0-1
8/16/07	FIVB	Aland Open	Winner 2	Laciga/Schnider	28, Q2	Lione/Varnier	21	23-21, 21-18	1:01
Lead the series against # Q10 Deulofeu/Salvetti, France 3-1
8/31/07	FIVB	St. Petersburg Open	Contender 4	Lione/Varnier	23	Deulofeu/Salvetti	22	21-18, 21-13	0:36
7/13/07	FIVB	Berlin Grand Slam	Pool E	Lione/Varnier	21	Deulofeu/Salvetti	28	22-20, 16-21, 15-8	0:53
6/21/07	FIVB	Paris Grand Slam	Pool H	Deulofeu/Salvetti	9	Lione/Varnier	24	22-20, 21-17	0:48
8/4/06	FIVB	Austria Grand Slam	Winner 1	Lione/Varnier	8	Deulofeu/Salvetti	28, Q15	21-15, 21-16	0:42
Lead the series against # Q13 Due/Mayland, Denmark 1-0
4/17/08	CEV	Spanish Masters	Qualifier 2	Lione/Varnier	12, Q4	Due/Mayland	Q13	21-10, 24-22	0:38
Lead the series against # Q16 Hoyer/Soderberg, Denmark 2-0
7/5/07	FIVB	Montréal Open	Winner 2	Lione/Varnier	11	Hoyer/Soderberg	27, Q6	21-19, 21-16	0:37
6/2/06	CEV	German Masters	Winner 1	Lione/Varnier	1	Hoyer/Soderberg	16	21-19, 21-18	0:43
Series tied with # Q26 Pedrosa/Rosas, Portugal 1-1
10/25/06	FIVB	Mexico Open	Winner 2	Pedrosa/Rosas	24, Q4	Lione/Varnier	8	31-29, 21-15	0:59
6/15/06	FIVB	Portugal Open	Winner 2	Lione/Varnier	7	Pedrosa/Rosas	10	21-19, 18-21, 15-12	1:04
Lead the series against # Q29 Berg/Brinkborg, Sweden 1-0
4/17/08	CEV	Spanish Masters	Qualifier 1	Lione/Varnier	12, Q4	Berg/Brinkborg	Q29	17-21, 21-15, 15-11	0:59