FIVB Grand Prix 2010 - Poland’s run in the championship
Poland is one of the top 5 teams of the FIVB Grand Prix 2010. The team is in excellent form this season and has cropped outstanding results in the 1st and 2nd preliminary rounds of the championship. It was placed in Group B with Germany, Dominican Republic and United States in the first round. The Polish city Gdynia hosted first week matches and provided native players a competitive edge to lead in the game.
Poland clashed with Germany in their opening match of the tournament. Both the teams created frenzy since the start of the first set. The air was smeared with the sweeping aces of volleyball movement. The Polish players didn’t let the ball rest on their part of the court while Germans hit it back with the same intensity. The game was full of uncertain guesses in the beginning. Anyhow, Poland incorporated some great techniques to steal points from Germany.
Germans hit mighty spikes which were promptly re-bounded by the Polish players. Poland created a lead in the game and came up with a more heavy strike. At the same time they strengthened their defence and blocked the German shots. It earned them a commanding position and they surpassed Germans. Finally the score reached 25-18 announcing Poland as winners of the first set.
The second set started with an aggressive tone. The fired-up German team wanted revenge from Poland. They dealt with Polish jump-serves effectively and barred them to score points. Germany attacked from the base position and swiftly drove the ball across the net. It helped them to influence the Polish players. Then they carried the ball with firm hands and posted 25-16 victory over Poland in the second set.
The score was levelled and the teams headed into third set. The game was transported to a an important phase. It was the most needed time for Poland to make a difference. The Polish players delivered excellent volleys and pushed the Germans behind. Germany tried to stabilize their position but lost the set after an exhausting battle. Poland stay put on the same course and claimed match-victory by winning the fourth set.
In the second match Poland collided with Dominican Republic. It was an easy task for Poland to dismiss Dominican Republic’s team. They sidelined Dominicans by achieving victory in three straight sets.
In the sequence of first round matches, Poland played its final match with United States and snatched a 3-1 victory. The American team staggered the Polish players with the victory in first set. Somehow, Poland managed to crush them in the final three sets by posting 26-24, 25-19, and 25-23.
Poland finished the first round with excellent points and remained un-beaten in the tournament. The second week started and it saw two new teams in Group F. The teams gathered in the Macau, Japan. The loss of home-support shook Poland and broke their winning streak.
The second week started smoothly as they claimed an easy win in the first match with Chinese Taipei. Poland overcame the young C.T. team, which lost the match in three straight sets. The Polish posted 25-16, 25-19, and 25-15. Nonetheless, the team experienced its first defeat at FIVB Grand Prix while competing against Japan. It was quite disturbing for the Polish team, as they had won all their previous matches. Japan took the game away from Poland with a mesmerizing performance. The Polish team could only win just one set.
In the last match of second round, it face Germany once again. Oddly enough, the match posed a similar expression. The previous results were repeated, Poland succeeded by sending 3-1 victory.
Poland shares 15 points with two other teams in the championship. The tournament will enter the third episode on 22nd August, which will further define new status and standings for teams.
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