Argentina edges out Costa Rica in the last match of first round – Volleyball News
The last match of first round of the XI Women’s Pan American Cup was played between teams from Argentina and Costa Rica on Monday.
The ladies around Coach Horacio Bastit displayed a spectacular show of volleyball on the centre court and sent Costa Rican counterparts to straight sets loss, 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-8). Argentina claimed success in the match and closed the first round with
3-2 record. Costa Rica, on the other hand, had the opposite digits of 2-3 at the end of opening round.
The duo of Lucia Fresco and Georgina Pinedo played an instrumental role in Argentina’s success. Both players were credited for 10 points apiece. That was the highest score achieved by any player in the match. Angela Willis of Costa Rica finished with team-high
9 points.
The match took place at the UACJ Gym in Cd. Juarez, Mexico and the thrilling encounter attracted some 200 people in the sports arena.
Opening set of the match was kind of a one-sided affair as Argentina took a better start and maintained its position until the set points. Costa Rica suffered the loss after scoring only 14 points. The Costa Ricans players faced a lot of trouble from the
opposite side and failed to sustain the pressure. Eventually, Argentina went on front with first-set win.
In the following set, Argentina was given a tough competition by the raged-up Costa Ricans. The opponents did try to cover up the deficit, but the Argentinean ladies crushed the rivals.
Third set was again dominated by Team Argentine. Costa Rica was locked to a low score of 8, while Argentina achieved match points and settled for victory.
The coaches of both teams attended the post-match conference and share their views. Costa Rica’s coach Xavier Perales, who was not happy about the loss, said: “The third set was a huge difference and we have been victims of our irregular game since the last
Olympic qualifying tournament, but we can rescue the victories over Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago at the Pan Am Cup.”
His Argentinean counterpart Horacio Bastit commented: “I am satisfied with the victory but not with the way we played tonight. In the second set Costa Rica got so close and I thought we almost lose it. I have seen a team that has shown a great evolution
in Costa Rica.”
In the next run, Argentina is scheduled to play in the quarterfinal round. The team will be challenged by Caribbean ladies from Cuba. Costa Rica will take on Canada in the classification match for 7-10 positions. Both matches will take place on Wednesday,
July 18.
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