The United States of America (USA) suffered their first loss in the FIVB Volleyball World Cup 2015 on Monday as Poland beat them 3-1, and the loss took them down to the second spot.
The result of the game turned out to be a bit unexpected, as the four-time Olympic gold medallists had a better record record against Poland in their last five matches in all the major competitions.
However, David Lee's side will now be look to forget the loss and focus on today's game against Russia in Tokyo.
The Russian men's volleyball team are placed fourth in the table with seven wins and two losses so far in the tournament. They suffered a 3-0 defeat against Italy yesterday.
And going into the match today, Russia - who won the gold medal in volleyball in the 2012 London Olympics - can count on their favourable results against USA in world cup matches over the years.
Russia (including Soviet Union) have won four of the six World Cup matches - in 1999, 2007 and 2011 - against USA.
However, the US also have the record of winning seven of their eight previous matches against Russia, all in the World League, which includes four wins on the trot against them in the 2015 World League.
Only the top two teams can qualify for the Rio Olympics next year, and currently Poland and USA occupy the first and second positions, with two games to go.
Following their loss against Poland yesterday, USA coach John Speraw rued the fact that his team did not come to the party. "[The result was] very disappointing," Speraw said. "We came here with the same goal as Poland - to qualify for the Olympics and win the tournament.
"Very disappointing. We were not skilled enough in passing, serving and defensive execution. We weren't ready to win this match. We need to grow and improve quickly, that includes me, as fast as we can beginning with the Russia match."
Meanwhile, Russia coach Alekno Vladimir blamed their loss to Italy on the start time. "The team players choose their way and we did not do well today. I have to say we made more mistakes than them and that was the difference.
"A 10:30 start time is questionable. I can't understand it. This is not the best time to start the match but I won't say it was the reason for the defeat," Vladimir said.
Today's FIVB Volleyball World Cup 2015 match between USA and Russia starts at 5:10 pm local time (8:10 am GMT, 9:10 am BST, 1:40 pm IST, 4:10 am EST).
Where to watch Live
The USA vs Russia game can be streamed live on the FIVB Volleyball YouTube account as well as the official website.
Audience in the US can catch the game on Universal Sports from 6 pm ET (delayed start), with an online streaming option on USN TV.