Japan sends the hosts GB to 3-0 loss in the last match of Olympic Prelims – Volleyball News
Japanese women’s Olympic team outdid the hosts in the final match of preliminary round on Sunday at the Earls Court.
GB team lost the match at home soil and could not qualify for the next round of the tournament. The final set scores of the match were (25-19, 25-14, and 25-12). World No.5 ranked Japan ended the preliminaries with 3-2 record and finished third in Pool A
of the Women’s Olympic Volleyball Tournament.
Three Japanese players went into double digits, while none of the GB players could do so. Saori Kimura and Yukiko Ebata of Japan finished with 14 points apiece, whereas Risa Shinnabe helped the team with 12 points. British captain Lynne Beattie added team-high
8 points, in the loss.
Home team was equipped with good support of local fans. However, the team did not catch a good start in the match and trailed behind. Japanese musketeers came strong on the rivals and used convincing attacks to score points. Beattie struggled for GB and
counter-attacked. She managed to land some of her shots in the gaps, but the Japanese players denied all her efforts. The visiting team played fast and cruised past to first-set win at 25-19.
In the second set, GB team was dragged under pressure and could not perform well. On contrary, Japanese players further improved and enjoyed a great tone. The duo of Ebata and Kimura worked out unstoppable shots, which raised Japan’s score by leaps and bounds.
Second set ended at 25-14 and Japan moved to 2-0 in the match.
Third set unfolded the similar story as Japan dominated from the very start. GB squad ended with 12 points, while Japan scored match points and announced victory.
Japanese mentor Masayoshi Manabe disclosed his thoughts after the match. He stated: “We played our practice match against Great Britain a year ago. And we were very impressed about the improvement they have made today, especially with their spikes and attacking
combinations.”
His British counterpart Audrey Cooper also had her say in the following manner: “This has been a team we’ve tried to emulate over the last five years. Maybe, one day we can. I’d like to congratulate my players for winning a game at the Olympics. No one can
take that away. I walk away feeling very proud of these players and looking forward to success at the European Championships.”
Defensive expert of the Team GB, Maria Bertelli, complimented the coach of her team for doing a phenomenal job. Moreover, she shared her opinion that USA will take away the Olympic gold medal.
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