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Crunching the Numbers

 Icebreaker Series: Carroll vs. Ruiz Icebreaker 8 Gm 1

WPH Press

Starting in 2020, the WPH has crunched tens of thousands of shots, tracking the aces, kill shots, return of serve kills, first-strike kills, errors, 6+ shot rallies won, and hinders for dozens of classic matches in handball’s recent and distant past. The thousands of numbers we’ve crunched have provided handball fans and players with the blueprint to win matches.

On this edition of Crunching the Numbers, we’ll examine the first 3-Wall Small Ball singles clash between the current 4-Wall world champion Killian Carroll and three-time 3WallBall Outdoor World Champion Shorty Ruiz. Both players survived opening round Icebreaker scares, as Carroll faced game point in game one against Leo Canales, Jr. in his opening match and Ruiz charged back from a 6-14 deficit in game one against Lucho Cordova to take the game and eventually win in a tiebreaker.

Could Carroll’s speed and adaptability overcome Ruiz’s power ceiling and hops in this Icebreaker semifinal? Let’s Crunch the Numbers and find out.

Watch Carroll vs. Ruiz from the Icebreaker #8 HERE

Game One Stats

Aces

Carroll: 5

Ruiz: 7

Nearly half of Ruiz’s 15 points came on deep hop serves, while Carroll notched 29% of his points ace serves

First Strike Kills

Carroll: 1

Ruiz: 3

Neither player was able to execute a high percentage of first-strike kills, as the pair combined for just four first-strike kills out of the 32 points scored (13%)

Return of Serve Kills

Carroll: 3

Ruiz: 0

Carroll was able to execute two of his three return of serve errors at crucial moments, one to stop an 10-point Ruiz scoring streak, and the other with a left-punch fist return down the left wall when facing game point at 14-12

Right Hand Rally-Enders

Carroll: 3

Ruiz: 10

Ruiz struck all of his kills with his right hand, with half of his right-hand kills being power-ceiling winners

Left Hand Rally Enders

Carroll: 3

Ruiz: 0

Carroll was steady in his offensive attack, striking three kills with his right and three with his left

6+ Shot Rallies Won

Carroll: 4

Ruiz: 6

Ceiling Shot Winners

Carroll: 0

Ruiz: 5

Not surprisingly, Ruiz dominated the ceiling shot winners category, as Carroll rarely used the ceiling to play offense

Errors

Carroll: 6

Ruiz: 14

Ruiz’s 14 errors were unquestionably the difference in this overtime loss, including the three straight errors he made to end the first game

Fly Kills:

Carroll: 0

Ruiz: 3

Hinders: 0

Final: Carroll def Ruiz Game One 17-15

Total Points Scored: 32

Carroll led 3-1, only to surrender his lead and 10 straight points to fall behind 11-3. Ruiz had several opportunities to extend his lead to 12-3, but was unable to capitalize, ultimately falling behind 12-11 after a 9-point Carroll surge. With Carroll leading 12-11, the K Train hit a left-handed serve into the ground, the first such error in Icebreaker history. Ruiz took advantage, striking three straight ace serves to serve for the first game at 14-12. A left punch-first return of serve winner allowed Carroll to stay alive, ultimately tying the score at 14. Ruiz earned a side out and hit his seventh ace of the game to serve for the game for the second time at 15-14, but the first of three consecutive Ruiz errors sank the Shorty ship, as Carroll won his second overtime game of the event (Ruiz would make it three overtime wins in the final later that day).

Stay tuned for the next Crunching the Numbers, as we will compare a 3-Wall Big Ball Singles Icebreaker game stats to this Carroll vs. Ruiz game.

Watch Carroll vs. Ruiz from the Icebreaker #8 HERE

David Fink

WPH Patreon Statistician 

DV: David Vincent formed the World Players of Handball in 2005 and ushered live handball viewing into our living rooms for the first time. Since its inception, the World Players of Handball has broadcast over 1,500 matches live. Dave Vincent serves as the lead play-by-play announcer for virtually all matches, combining his unique perspective and personality with a lifetime of handball experience. DV brings 25 years of broadcast radio experience (in Oregon and California) to World Players of Handball & ESPN broadcasts and provides professionalism and wit to the amazing game of handball. DV also serves as the Executive Director of the World Player of Handball at the WPH headquarters in Tucson, AZ, working daily to grow the game of handball through innovation.
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