CEV Championship 2010: Italy and Spain victors of classification matches
The CEV Junior European Volleyball Championship 2010 started off in January, this year. After covering three initial rounds it entered its final round in August while the Championship completed its entire run with the “final four” matches. Three classification matches were played and activity ended on 5th September with the final showdown.
Italy ousted Belgium
The first classification match was played in the Belarus city of Mogilev whose Olimpiets Sports Hall saw Italy and Belgium in a head-on collision. Italy had a brilliant run and they took the game away from Belgium in four sets. Italy finally emerged victorious by successfully posting 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-21, and 25-19) over Belgium.
The match started formally with almost 700 volleyball devotees joining both teams in the arena to witness their performances. The first set opened with an Italian floater and subsequently the strike started. Italian team showed good discipline and timing. Its tall hitters produced good spikes and build an early lead over Belgium.
On their part, Belgium were equally alert saving points with good ball-reception. The Italian defense forcefully answered Belgian spikes. Italy played with dedication and confirmed its first set win.
Nonetheless, Belgium returned and dominated the second set with their swift shots. They produced better spikes and used bump-passes for their advantage. Consistency enabled them to take a lead. Italy chased the score but a few ball-handling errors gave way to Belgium’s success in the second set. However, the final two sets were entirely dominated by Italian aces and they ultimately claimed 3-1 victory over Belgium in the first classification match.
Germany vs. Spain
Another outstanding performance that created a lot of buzz in Mogilev was the second classification match between Germany and Spain. Both these teams came from different pools but had the same performance records during the preliminary rounds. Germany lost two matches in Pool 1 while Spain also lost two games in Pool 2.
It was a good day for Spain as they ultimately achieved success with a narrow lead. Spain polled 3-2 (23-25, 34-36, 25-19, 25-14, and 15-10) victory against Germany.
The first set portrayed Germans as the lucky side on account of their outstanding performances and winning prospects. But, both teams kept on hitting intense spikes and as a result the points shifted with a flow. Germany tried to pressurize Spain but the latter refused to accept any influence as the Spanish players kept on producing good blocks and also hit powerful spikes. Germany finally extended its score to set point and won the first set with a perfect kill.
The game moved along with the same tone and pace during the second set. No side was ready to accept opponent’s authority. The second set took different shapes and the score-run was extended to 36-34. Germany pulled off another win in this set.
Two consecutive wins by Germany created frenzy for the Spanish team. They reformed their game strategy and made a comeback. The Spaniards worked out some good under-hand deceptive shots and grabbed triumph in third set. This victory set a new direction for the team and they demonstrated extra-ordinary performances during the fourth set, leveling the game-score at 2-2.
Spain gave the final touches by capturing fifth set. Finally, they pulled off victory by beating Germany in the final three sets.
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