Brazil becomes the giant winner of Women’s Pan Am Cup semifinal – Volleyball News
The two big giants of the 2012 XI Women’s Pan American Cup, Brazil and Cuba, clashed in the semi-final match on Thursday. Defending champions Brazil proved to be better and marched away with 3-1 (27-25, 25-18, 19-25, 25-18) victory.
Brazil won the semi-final match and reserved a spot in the final affair of the Pan Am Cup. Cuba, on the other hand, suffered the loss and dropped the chance to play in the final match. Cuba put up a great battle with Brazil and used the top weapon Yoana Palacios, but could not achieve the desired results.
Palacios helped the team with match-high 16 points, while three other Cubans went into double-digits. Yanelis Santos, Wilma Salas and Gyselle Silva added 14, 12, and 10 points, respectively.
Gabriela Braga fought for Brazil and registered team-high 14 points. She was followed by the trio of Priscila Dairot, Andressa Picussa and Joyce Silva who contributed 11 points each. Natasha Farinea was another notable player in Brazilian team with 10 points.
The first whistle of the referee started things off and both sides came into stride. Cuban hitters supplied plenty of power to their shots and tried to influence the opposite side. However, the defending champions Brazil responded well and did not allow Cuba to take charge of the operations. The exchange of long rallied moved the spectators back and forth in their seats. In the end, Brazil used the two-point advantage to secure first set at 27-25.
Second set also came successful for Brazil, but Cuba managed to take the third set. Nevertheless, Brazilian ladies bounced back and ended the affair by winning the fourth set.
“We executed everything we studied and trained for,” Brazil’s Claudio Pinheiro said. “I am grateful to our coach Ze Roberto who gave me the confidence to manage this team. We followed the same pattern of our senior team. This competition is of great help for the development of our young players.”
His Cuban counterpart Juan Carlos Gala was sad about the loss of important match. He shared his views in the following manner: “Brazil won the tactical battle of serve and blocking,” Cuba’s Juan Carlos Gala said. “It was a good game for Brazil with their strong and tactical serves.”
Cuba’s Yusidey Silie expressed the similar thoughts that Brazil made a difference on account of serve and block.
The medal matches of the XI Women’s Pan American Cup are scheduled to take place on Friday. The final showdown of the tournament will feature Brazil and the United States, while Cuba and Dominican Republic will cross their ways in the third-position match.
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