The Austrians will be competing in their second SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals after placing ninth in the 2015 event.  Doppler and Horst placed second at the recently-completed FIVB World Championships in Vienna after losing the gold medal match to Evandro Goncalves and Andre Loyola of Brazil.  Two-time Olympic teammates and three-time Summer Games participants, Doppler and Horst started playing together in 2012 with four podium placements and six “final four” finishes in 50 FIVB World Tour events together.  Doppler began his FIVB career in 1998 and Horst in 2003.  Neither player has won a FIVB World Tour event with their appearances in finals being in 2012 (Star Jablonki) and 2016 (Porec) and 2017 (Vienna).  Doppler also qualified for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games with Nikki Berger, but was sidelined due to a knee injury.