FIVB Championships recap: Cuba wins close match, Thailand closes tournament with win
The second round of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Women's Volleyball World Championship came to an end on Wednesday. The round consisted of 16 teams, four of which were eliminated
while four advanced to the semi-finals with a chance to win the FIVB Championship.
Italy vs Cuba Pool F
Cuba beat Italy in a very close match 3-2 (16-25, 26-24, 21-25, 25-23, 24-22) to improve to 3-4, but couldn’t move into fourth place. Italy fell to 4-3, but finished in fourth, and will compete for fifth
place in the 5-8 semi-final bracket. Cuba will play for a position between 9 and 12.
Leading the way for Cuba was Kenia Carcaces with 34 points. Serena Cardullo and Francesca Piccinini led Italy with 24 and 23 points respectively.
Italy crushed Cuba in the first set before losing the second in extra points. The two teams exchanged leads in the third set before Italy went ahead for good, earning a 25-21 win. Cuba tied it up again
with a 25-23 victory in the fourth set to pave the way for an exciting and deciding fifth set.
Italy had a 15-14 lead in the fourth set, but couldn’t get the two point lead to win the set and the match as Cuba rallied. The teams went back and forth before Cuba was finally able to score a couple
points in a row to win 24-22.
“We were looking for the victory,” said Cuba’s captain, Yusidey Silie. “We had a lot of confidence and desire to win the match. Teamwork led us to victory. It was a beautiful experience for us because
the Italian players are all very experienced.”
Czech Republic vs Thailand Pool F
Pool F ended with a match between the bottom two teams, the Czech Republic and Thailand. A 3-1 (16-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-23) victory for Thailand saw them finish in seventh spot with a 2-5 record while
the Czech Republic finished in eighth with a 1-6 record. Both teams failed to reach the semi-final round.
Aneta Havlickova led the Czechs with 23 points while Wilavan Apinyapong had 20 for Thailand.
The Czechs led the match in blocking 14-7, but it wasn’t enough to beat Thailand. They managed to earn a win in the first set with Thailand looking tired, but that was it. The Thais picked up the pace
and won three straight to win the match.
“We played hard to win the game. We learned from this game,” said Thailand’s coach, Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai. “Our goal was to play strong and fast, but we couldn't do it today. We will try to improve
our skill/technique.”
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