Brazil books spot in semi-final of the XVI Pan American Games: Volleyball news
The Brazilians were matched up against the Cubans on Monday, October 17, in the women’s volleyball tournament of the XVI Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. The match between the two sides took four long and gruelling sets at the end of which the
Brazilians were able to emerge on the winning end. The recent victory has given the Brazilians the top position in Pool A of the championship that has enabled Brazil to get a bye in the semi-finals of the tournament.
The first set of the match was tough with both the teams neck to neck with each other but the Brazilians prevailed in the end to earn a win. The second set was won by the Cubans after a hard effort but the Brazilians gained the upper hand again by bagging
the third set. The Cubans put up a good fight initially in the fourth set but their effort slackened and the Brazilians were able to seal the deal on the match at the following final set scores: 25-23, 21-25, 25-22 and 25-18.
The coach of the Brazilian team, Jose Roberto Guimaraes, made the following comments at the press conference after the match had reached its close: “Cuba kept its rhythm and played good during the entire match. We went out and tried to play better. This
was a much disputed match and very tough at the end of every set. These Pan Am Games are a preparation for the World Cup, where we will try clinching one of three berths to London 2012.”
On the other hand, the Cuban coach, Juan Carlos Gala, expressed himself in the following manner: “We had the chance to face the number one team in the world and that gave us the chance to see where really we are. Brazil’s experience always defines the crucial
moments. We played against the maximum and absolute level of women’s volleyball in the world.”
The player that was able to register the most points for her team was the Brazilian Mari Steinbrecher who tallied a total of 17 points. Steinbrecher was helped by her team mate Paula Pequeno who made her presence felt by adding 16 points of her own. On the
other hand, the player that tallied the highest points in the entire match was the Cuban Yoana Palacios with a total of 18 points. The second best scorer on the Cuban team was Kenia Carcaces with a total of 17 points.
The team that was able to outperform the other in blocking was Brazil as they made 16 blocks while the Cubans were only able to tally a total of 11 blocks in the entire match.
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