American players pursue top spots at the 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Championship - Volleyball
Three out of four American women’s pairs in the Main-Draw stage of 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Championship pulled of success and advanced to the next round. The 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Championship is underway in the Italian capital of Rome and it reached the
32-team Main-Draw stage on Thursday, June 16.
The Main-Draw stage featured a single elimination bracket and only sixteen teams could pave their way to the next round, while the rest had to pack their bags. The details of U.S. duos are as followed:
Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor
Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Hanson
Jennifer Kessy and April Ross
The dynamic duo of Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor are enjoying top form after seizing the gold-medal at the previous tournament of SWATCH FIVB World Tour 2011 in Beijing. The Olympic gold-medallist duo is sticking to the winning route at the on-going
2011 World Championship in Rome, Italy. They finished the prelims with a perfect record of 3-0 in Pool E and clawed their way to the 32-team Main-Draw stage of the tournament. The journey of success did not just stop there. They continued with success and
once again staged an impressive play in the Main-Draw.
They were challenged by the 44th-seeded Shauna Mullin and Zara Dampney of Great Britain in the Main-Draw fixture on Thursday, June 16. The experienced American side easily managed to subdue the GB team and held them off for 2-0 (21-13, 21-12)
victory. GB tandem couldn’t stay in the way of the killing spikes and deadly aces. On the other hand, the solid defence of Walsh and May-Treanor restricted them to a low score. As a result, Americans secured victory in two straight sets and advanced to the
top-16 grid of 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Championship. May-Treanor was credited for her amazing effort through her 24 attack attempts, 14 digs, three aces and 16 kills. Quite similarly, Walsh’s 14 attacks, one dig, 3 blocks and 9 kills played an instrumental
role in their success.
The 12th-seeded U.S. team of Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Hanson clashed with the 9th-seeded Vivian Cunha and Taiana Lima of Brazil. The Brazilian side was known for their smart tactics and quick play. However, Fendrick/Hanson exhibited
a good performance and didn’t allow opponents to overrule them in the game. The U.S. pair sent 25-23, 22-20 to the board in the two consecutive sets and claimed the match.
Talking about their success in the match, Fendrick said that every single win in the tournament is important. She praised the good effort of their Brazilian opponents. She stated, “It was neck and neck the whole way. We had a little lead and they came back.
They had the lead and we came back. The right at the end it was neck and neck and we were both battling, scoring points. It was definitely a tough match and those are the ones that you need to win. We get to train against these teams back in the US and we
just fight and grovel and I think we make each other better.”
Jennifer Kessy and April Ross of USA were the real pacemakers at the Main-Draw stage of 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Championship. The third seeded American pair worked out a great win over Canadian counterparts in two-set match. The better attack and defence
enabled them to dominate Canadian Heather Bansley and Liz Maloney. The match ended with the final score 14-21, 14-21, while U.S. team was winner of the match.
Meanwhile, the 11th seeded American pair of Angie Akers and Nicole Branagh were upset by Czech Republicans. The tandem Lenka Hajeckova/Hana Klapalova ousted Americans in three sets. Akers/Branash could only capture one set, which was not enough
to save them from the loss.
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