Belgium finishes second round by dominating Slovakia in five-set thriller: Volleyball
Event though Slovakia and Belgium could not qualify for the semi-finals of the FIVB Junior World Championships, the Belgian team ended the second round in a great style as they held Slovakia for a 3-2 (17-25, 11-25, 25-18, 25-11, and 15-12) victory on Thursday,
July 28.
The tiring five-set volleyball scrimmage was staged at the Gran Chimu Hall in Trujillo, Peru. The Belgian side had a shaky start in the game but they put up a valiant effort and fought their way back into the game. It was the last match in Pool F of the
2011 FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship. At the end of the second round, Belgium got hold of the third position in the group, while Slovakia had to settle for fourth position.
Belgium’s victory was mainly credited to the top-scorer of the tournament, Lise Van Hecke, who contributed 30 points via 63 attack attempts, 22 blocks, and 15 serves. In the next place, Simona Kosova, who is regarded as the best spiker of the tournament,
registered 13 points. In Slovakian team, Tatiana Crkonova led the scoring chart with 23 points.
The opening set of the match was completely dominated by Slovakia as Tatiana Crkonova stormed Belgium’s half with great serves and spikes. She clipped seven points and helped her team stay ahead of the rival side. Slovakia staged a better play, while Belgium
could not find the real form in the first set. Frequent reception errors and unforced silly mistakes led them to the loss of the opening set as Slovakia secured the set by posting 25-17.
Slovakia continued with the balanced attack and defence in the following set. The consistency in strike raised their score, while a solid defence restricted Belgium to a low score. Slovakia earned a strong lead and kept the operations well under control.
Belgium trailed behind with a big margin and totally collapsed after making 11 points. Slovakia claimed another set and enjoyed authority in the game.
Belgium was dragged under pressure but thanks to captain Lise Van Hecke, the team was united. She delivered powerful serves in the third set and struggled to put her team back on track. Meanwhile, the Belgian player controlled their mistakes and offered
a rough competition to Slovakia. Belgium came out of the blues and surprisingly surpassed Slovakia in the third set. They won the set with a six-point margin.
The real twist in the match occurred in the fourth set as Belgium tied the score at 2-2 by winning the set. The game entered the fifth decisive set and suspense was high. Both teams played with the best of their tactics. However, Belgium proved to be better
side and captured final set of the match.
Slovakian Head Coach, Rojko Marek, congratulated the winning squad from Belgium for a great performance. Julien Van de Vyver, the Head Coach of Team Belgium has the similar thoughts to drop out. He complimented the local crowd by saying: “Peruvian people
are incredible; they were really involved in our victory, we made them part of the game and I’m really thankful.”
The Captain Lise Van Hecke praised the excellent sport environment in Trujillo. She thanked the amazing audience for coming to watch their match and support them. Speaking specifically about the match, she said: “I think we didn’t have a great start, but
we were committed to win.”
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