Italy has stunning start in second week of 2011 FIVB World League – Volleyball news
The Men’s National Volleyball Team of Italy maintained its dominance in the Pool D of the 2011 FIVB World League in week-two of the competition. Italy managed to post a 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, and 27-25) victory over Cuba on Thursday, June 2. It was an impressive
play by the Italian team at the Planca Banca Marche Palace in the presence of 6,148 spectators. The hosts remained remarkably consistent throughout the match, while the 2010 World Championship silver-medallists Caribbean team had to leave the court with heavy
hearts.
Match overview
The visitors opened the match on a good note and they served with precision and registered early points in the game. The home side started off a bit slow and trailed behind at the first technical timeout. Cuba managed to maintain a three point lead. However,
gradually the Italian team warmed up and hit back in the same tone. The offensive attack of Michal Lasko changed the scenario and put Italy in the lead and the local fans ate it up. The Italian hitter found perfect rhythm and was able to place the ball in
the right gaps. Cuba suffered the set-back and couldn’t help the situation as the Italian spikers showed their attacking power and dominated the Caribbean side. The Cuban players resisted the heavy strike of their opponents but failed to come out on top. Finally,
the hosts hit the mark and closed off the first set at 25-19.
The second set started out with an exchange of fast serves. Both side played furiously and exchanged long rallies. Cuba struggled to retake control of the situation but the Italians di not budge. The first technical timeout saw Italy with a slight advantage
of 8-7 over Cuba. Cristian Savani of Italy came strong and destroyed the Cuban half of the court. Cuba’s middle-blocker Yoandri put up a valiant effort to stop the Italian score. However, the pumped-up Italian strikers didn’t stop. They continued with success
and extended Italy’s lead to 2-0 in 26 minutes as Cuba received a 21-25 defeat in the second set.
The third and decisive set was opened by Italians on a high note. They seemed determined to put an end to the game in the third set. Cuba worked out great pipes and managed to steal points from Italy. The Italian side remained cool and calm and did not panic.
Cuba led the score with a 2 point margin at the first technical timeout and added quick points to raise the score. They continued with the same rhythm and took the score to 20-18. At this point, Italy made a decisive and much needed come-back. They once again
turned on their offensive attack and pushed Cuba behind. Both sides traded leads but eventually Italy got the edge. They settled for a match victory by posting 27-25 in the final set of the game.
Top-scorer
Cuban lost the match but the efforts of veteran, Henry Bell, were commendable. He was the only player in Cuba’s team, who scored double-digit points. Bell topped the scoring chart with his 15 points. The captain of Italian team, Cristian Savani, put up a
great show of volleyball and remained equally active in attack and defence. He clipped fourteen points for his team’s score. Likewise, the left-armer Michal Lasko did a great job and contributed 13 points to Italy’s score.
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