Italy defeats Japan by 3-1 in a FIVB Women’s World Cup match - Volleyball
The FIVB Women’s World Cup started off in Japan on November 4, with the matches being played in Hiroshima and Nagano. One of the opening matches saw the defending champions Italy, take on the home team in Hiroshima. The visitors ended up winning by 3-1.
The Italian squad came on the court without Serena Ortolani, who is the best hitter on their side. Because of this, the Japanese felt quite secure in their game. However, the Italians proved that they were not just a player but a team and defeated their
opponents in four sets.
The first set of the match started off evenly but the Italians were able to take control as it reached its final stages and grabbed a win. The loss of the opening set of the game triggered the Japanese into improving their performance and they were able
to challenge the Italians by securing themselves a win and equalising the match. However, that was the only moment of glory that the home team experienced as the Italians were able to win the third as well as the fourth set of the game by comfortable margins.
By the time that the match reached its close, the score board sowed the following final set scores in favour of the Italians: 25-20, 23-25, 25-18 and 25-15.
The coach of the Italian team, Massimo Barbolini, spoke to reporters after the match and said: “It was important for us as we played Japan, our first match with a new team and new way of playing. We knew it would be difficult to beat Japan. Our players were
good. It is important to be perfect against Japan. Defence, service, reception — I think we won a very important match.”
On the other hand, the captain of the Japanese team, Erika Araki, shared her feelings in the following way: “It was the first match, very important, we’re sorry we lost We lost many points. We could do better on defence.”
The start of the first set saw both the teams play even and the score close at 8-7 in favour of the Japanese but the Italians were able to tie the match at 15-15. After that point, the Italians pushed past ahead and bagged a win at 25-20.
The second set also saw a tie at 8-8 but the Japanese were able to get the lead at 19-16 which later translated into a Japanese set win at 25-23. The third set of the match saw the Italians come out strong and take the lead early, an advantage that they
were able to extend till the end of the set at 25-18. The fourth set followed a similar pattern and ended with an Italian win at 25-25.
Despite the fact that her side lost the match, the top scorer was the Japanese player Yukiko Ebata with a total of 19 points. The player that proved to be the most active on the Italian squad was Carolina del Pilar Costagrande who tallied 18 points in all.
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