Kazakhstan ladies hit the mark in 2011 FIVB World Grand Prix Playoffs
The Women’s National Volleyball Team of Kazakhstan hit the spot with their solid performance against Algerian hosts in the first Playoff on Thursday, May 12, 2011 in Blida, Algeria.
The home squad failed to profit the advantage of the home court and familiar conditions, while Kazak ladies stole the show by hitting points at every possible opportunity. The match spanned over three sets and Kazakhstan pulled off success in straight sets.
They posted 3-0 (25-11, 25-13, and 25-21) victory over Algeria.
This is the first time that the Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB) has introduced the new qualification procedure for the 2011 World Grand Prix. The women’s premier volleyball tournament is scheduled to run from August 5-28. The grid of 16 teams
will fight the battle for supremacy. Algeria and Kazakhstan are up for the final empty slot of the competition. They are supposed to appear in two matches. The first match came successful for Kazak side, while Algerian team is all focused to create some major
sensation in the next match on Saturday.
The home team was equipped with enormous support of local fans and seemed pretty determined before the start of match. However, the rival side did not take any pressure of the situation and started things off in a great way.
Kazak ladies produced ballistic serves and put pressure on the opponents. Inna Matveyeva, the captain of Kazakhstan team was simply on fire. She came strong on the opponents and contributed consecutive points in her team’s score. Algeria suffered the set-back
in early few minutes of the game.
In the meanwhile, local supporters of Algerian team backed-up their team and encouraged them to perform better. Nonetheless, the Kazak hitters showed no mercy and continued with their deadly aces and fast spikes. The strong defence of Kazakhstan’s team did
not allow Algeria to score points. The hosts were restricted to a low score, while Kazakhstan achieved the set point. First set ended with the final score of 25-11.
After dropping the opening set, Algeria threw everything in attack and came from different angles. The head coach of Algerian team had consulted the team during timeout and urged them to pay attention to opponents’ movement in the court. Despite of great
effort and different approach in second set, Algeria trailed behind.
On the other hand, Kazakhstan remained on the winning course and maintained its dominance in the game. Better attack and defence capability of Kazak team heavily influenced home squad. Algeria played under-pressure and committed too many unforced mistakes.
Team Kazakhstan was all over the place and proved to be better in the second set. They successfully extended their lead 2-0 by sending 25-13 on board.
Algerian team finally managed to bring a little excitement for home crowd in third set. They improved on their reception and chipped in crucial points. The hard work paid off and Algeria picked up a lead of 9-6.
For a moment, it seemed as if Algeria was back in business. However, the happiness was short-lived. The resilient rivals, Kazak bounced back in the game and chased the score. Once again, they took control of the operations and clawed their way to match victory
by securing third set.
Algeria fought bravely in third set but could not avoid the chances of losing another set. They scored 21 points, while Kazakhstan claimed the set with a margin of four points.
Next up, the two sides will meet on Saturday. Kazakhstan has brighter prospects to make it to the 2011 FIVB World Grand Prix as they have created a strong spot for them by winning first of the two Playoffs. Kazakhstan just needs to capture one set and it
will earn the qualification for World Grand Prix.
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