CEV European Volleyball Championship 2011: France hammer Finland in the qualifiers
The women teams of France and Finland played two matches against each other in the qualification round for 2011 CEV Women’s European Volleyball Championship. Initially, both teams seemed fully prepared for the big competition as they had spent enough time in practice.
The first match was hosted by France at Selestat on 4th September 2010. The French girls dressed in blue displayed an outclass performance in front of huge fan-following. They clean-swept the Finnish team and snatched victory in their first match while Finland received defeat in three straight sets. Selestat experienced a great wave of jubilation as the home crowd celebrated their home team's success in first combat.
This win provided a competitive edge to France and signaled their better performance in the second match also. Finland, on the other hand, were already down with their poor performance so they had a big game ahead of them. The second qualifying match invited both the teams to the beautiful city of Salo in Finland. The Finnish fans were optimistic and wished their team good luck.
The second match was played on 11th September 2010 as the French team traveled to Finland. First set started and French girls managed to earn some early points. Their perfect jump-serves devastated the Finnish team on their home-court. The hosts lost control over the ball and produced powerless shots.
France was in commanding position and handled the ball with firm hands. Most of their shots cruised past the Finnish defenders and scored valuable point for them. France continued with the same momentum and paved their way to a first-set win over Finland as they posted 25-23. This first set success encouraged the French players and they came up with even more powerful strikes.
They dominated the game in the second set also and displayed solid reception than the rival team. The fewer mistakes and better temperament of France’s team placed huge pressure on the Fins. France took a lead in the points’ run and moved along with fast pace. The second set reached its final moments and France achieved yet another set victory after sending 27-25.
During the third set, France exploited their greater experience and restricted Finland's score. The results now seemed predictable as France continued with their successful spikes and underhand shots. Finally, they dismissed Finland by capturing the third set also and claimed match-victory. They ultimately qualified for the final round 2011 CEV Women's European Championship.
The head coach of French team appeared to be the main force behind their outstanding performance. He kept the team filled with the spirit of success and pushed them at every stage. The coach, Fabrice Vial expressed delight on his team’s achievement. He said, “My group is still very young and we are very happy to get to the championship.” Another vital aspect of France’s success was their captain, Anna Rybaczewski, who led the team in a superb way. She played her role and scored the maximum 14 points.
Similarly, Finnish team’s captain Rikka Lehtonen scored 22 points. She played the match despite her knee and hip injury. The captain girl regretted their defeat but congratulated France for their victory. Rikka said, “We were really focused in the first set and it was a shame that we couldn’t claim it. We made too many mistakes. However, this match was better than the first one in France. Our level of playing is still going up and down.”
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