FIVB Grand Prix 2010: Italy and Dominican Republic early winners
The first week of FIVB Grand Prix Women’s Volleyball Championship kicked off on Friday, 6th August 2010 and each team played three matches in the first round.
Italy played their first match with last year’s finalist Japan on Friday. The Japanese opened the game with quick serves, which helped them to gain control of the game. They managed to win the first set by 30-28. The Italians reacted with a stand-up fight in the second set and levelled the set score by winning the 2nd set. However, they lost energy in the final two sets and the Japanese conquered the game. The total score on points’ block was 30-28, 27-29, 25-20, and 25-13.
On the second day of the first preliminary stage, Chinese Taipei faced the Italians. It proved to be a breather for Italy’s team. Chinese Taipei included younger and less-experienced players in the team. Italian players took full advantage of the fact and earned an easy win over the weak Chinese Taipei team. The game finished in three straight sets where Italy marked 3-0 victory (25-15, 25-20, and 25-19).
The most exciting match involved the defending Champions Brazil and Italy on the third-day of the FIVB Grand Prix 2010. Italy stunned Brazil at home with an upset win of 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 18-25, 25-19). The Brazilian fans were left in shock as they were expecting an outstanding performance from their team. Italy’s Captain, and wing-spiker, Francesca Piccinini was the centre of attention in the game as she hit un-stoppable shots.
On the other hand, the Dominican Republic picked up their first fight with Germany on the starting day of the first round. The tussle between the two teams continued from start to end. The German team started off in a stronger way and won the first set with a lead of 2 points (24-26). The Dominican Republican switched some of the players and struck back. The Dominicans took revenge by winning the 2nd set 25-22 and levelled the set score.
The third set was full of fury as the Germans returned with a bang. The speedy spikes of German players totally blew the Dominican’s defence wide open. The German attack was so strong that it didn’t let the other team stand on their feet. Victory was claimed by Germany in the third set 14-25. The game entered the fourth set but Dominicans had slowed down and gave way to German victory.
The Dominican Republic played their second match against the hosts, Poland, the next day. The team from Poland had already won their first match with Germany on Friday and Dominican Republic was no threat for them. The Polish team attained an easy win over the Dominican Republic’s team in straight sets after posting 25-23, 25-16, and 25-14.
On the third day of tournament, the Dominicans clashed with the German team again. It was the best opportunity for Dominicans to take revenge from the Germans. The Dominicans learned from their last experience and improved on their flaws to make a better impression on their rivals. The match was won by Dominicans after a five-set tiring game. The Dominicans recovered from the shock with their 3-2 win over Germany.
The first round of the FIVB Grand Prix has reached its end and now the game will enter the second phase on 13th August. The second round will end on 15th of August. After the third week’s play, the tournament will enter the final round and conclude on 29th August, 2010.
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