Grid of semi-finalists revealed after second round – 2011 FIVB Junior World Championship
The women’s volleyball action at the 2011 FIVB Junior World Championship was kicked off a week ago in Peru. A total of sixteen teams from around the world installed their bases in the Peruvian cities Lima and Trujillo. The competition was officially opened
with the preliminary round, which covered its length from July 22 to 24. Initially, teams were divided into four pools, where each pool promoted two teams into the second round. Top-8 teams of the tournament entered the second round and vied for the semi-finals.
Second round progressed in the same fashion las the first round. Each team appeared in three matches and at the end of the round, two top teams from each pool clawed their way to the semi-finals. The second round of 2011 FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship
continued from July 26 to 28. Some thrilling matches were played, which created a lot of buzz among fans. A great number of spectators showed up during the second-round matches. Following four teams have successfully booked slots in the semi-finals:
Italy United States Brazil China
Italy was grouped in Pool E along with United States, hosts Peru, and Dominican Republic. In the first match of the second round, Italy confirmed their ambition by beating the home team, Peru. Italian team dominated the opponents and finished the game in
straight sets. Peruvian team failed to sustain the pressure and lost the match in front of a home audience.
After beating Peru, Team Italia crossed paths with the American women in the second match. They tried to hinder the performance of Italy but only succeeded in winning one set. On the other hand, Italian team achieved match points in four sets. Italy played
the last match of the second round against the Dominican Republic. The runner-up team from last year fell prey to the heavy strike of volleys from Italy and lost the match. Italy remained un-beaten in Pool E and advanced to the semis.
Team USA had a tough competition with Dominican Republic for the semi-final ticket. Both teams won one match apiece and had the difference of just one point. US team bagged four points, while Dominican Republic dropped the qualification for having only 3
points in the second round.
Brazil and China qualified for the semi-final from Pool F. Brazil was amazing throughout the campaign. They finished the opening round of the championship without any loss and continued with success in the second round as well. The remarkably consistent
performance enabled Brazil to proudly walk into the semi-finals. They won all three matches of the second round and earned the ticket to semis. Likewise, China remained hand in hand with their Brazilian competitors. China received their first defeat of the
2011 FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship from Brazil in the last match of the second round yesterday. Nonetheless, China was far better than the other two pool members and advanced to the semi-finals.
Italy is scheduled to meet China in the first semi-final on Friday, July 30, while USA and Brazil will contest their volleyball skills in the second semi-final. Both semi-final matches will be staged at the Eduardo Dibos Hall in Lima, Peru.
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