Dominican Republic bags 2010 Final Four Women’s Volleyball Cup title
The 2010 Final Four Women’s Volleyball Cup ran from 21st-26th September, 2010 at Tuxtla Gutierres in Mexico. The women national teams from Algeria, Mexico, Peru and Dominican Republic took part in it. After initial stages, the tournament had its final match on Sunday.
In the final, Dominican Republic was joined by Peru. Both sides of the court were captured by Caribbean ladies as South American teams -Argentina and Mexico- had earlier failed to achieve a spot in the final match. Dominican Republic earned victory after a close fight.
The five-set thriller was a breath-taking experience for the players of both sides. DR pulled off the win by putting 3-2 (16-25, 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, and 15-12) on the scoreboard.
Opening Set
The Peruvian ladies had the competitive edge as they had earlier defeated Dominican Republic in their first match of the tournament. It was their second encounter but this time DR side grasped Peru’s game plan and started the strike.
Still, somehow success remained far from them as Peru continued adding more points to their score. Their defense was admirable and they hardly left any space for Dominican players to hit the ball. DR’s feeble attack attempts couldn’t bring any improvement in their game. At the end of first set, Peru achieved a lead of 7 points while DR received a 16-25 defeat.
Second Set
After losing the first set, Dominican Republic’s coach urged his players to stay united and face the challenge with dignity. The team felt a new soul in them and tried to overcome the flaws in their play. It wasn’t an easy task to overpower Peru but DR remained consistent in their approach and didn’t lose hope.
They gradually attained better position and put up a fighting score. The exchange of fast spikes speeded-up the match. At this point, the score was shifting up with a narrow difference of points. Dominican Republic scored a couple of points and jumped to the finish line. Luckily, they got a chance to end the second set with an electrifying spike. DR successfully claimed the second set with a score of 25-13.
Third Set
The 1-1 score proved helpful for the Dominican Republic players. They were tipped to snatch the third set also. Dahiana Burgos of DR dominated the whole scene as she produced some strong serves and created a lot of problem for the opponents. On the other side of court, Peruvian Diana Soto defended her team’s score with the help of good blocks and tricky bump-passes.
The third set totally imitated the previous sets as both sides seemed to be on fire. Dominican Republic targeted Peru’s weak spots and managed to steal some more points. They kept the momentum and pushed Peru in the blue region by picking up lead. Peru’s team fought well but couldn’t avoid a 25-23 defeat in the third set. Dominican players successfully achieved a lead of 2-1.
Fourth Set
Peru got their best substitutions out for the fourth set. While DR struggled to extend their lead, Peru reversed the results. They clinched the fourth set victory by 25-22 and brought the game to an even point.
Final Set
Both teams played under tons of pressure in the final set but still managed to display an outstanding game. The fans greatly enjoyed the hit-and-run of players. At last, the tiring match came to an end with DR claiming the final set win by 15-12.
Dominican Republic won the 2010 Final Four Women’s Volleyball Cup and celebrated their victory.
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