As qualifiers via their international ranking, Carambula and Ranghieri will be competing in their first-ever FIVB World Championships as both an individual and team.  Ninth-place finishers at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games where they were eliminated by compatriots Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai, Carambula and Ranghieri have won two FIVB World Tour events (Turkey 2015 and Qatar 2016) since forming their partnership in 2015.  Ranghieri’s first FIVB events were in 2011 while Carambula started in 2015 and ended that season as the international circuit’s rookie-of-the-year.  Starting in 2007 through the 2014 season, Carambula competed on the American domestic tour with his final two appearances in 2014 resulting in third-place finishes with Stafford Slick.  Nine months later, Carambula netted his first FIVB medal as he and Ranghieri placed third in Croatia.