NORCECA Final Four Cup 2010: Dominican Republic earns first victory
The NORCECA Final Four Women’s Cup 2010 is currently underway at Tuxtla Gutierres in Mexico. The Caribbean ladies from Dominican Republic opened the event on a wrong foot as they were challenged by a sturdy team from Peru in their first match on 21st
September, 2010 but lack of coordination put them in the loser’s seat.
Somehow, the tournament progressed and Dominicans saw Argentinean team in the court. They availed their second chance and got the lost pride back with a 3-1(25-23, 25-27, 25-22, and 27-25) win over Argentina.
The game’s first set saw some hard-hitting over the net from both sides. The Argentinean team still seemed to have the aroma of victory, which they had earned in their last match against hosts Mexico with a brilliant score. It put them in a good pulse and
they demonstrated an excellent game.
One the other hand, Dominican Republic’s team also never wanted another defeat so they struggled hard and produced convincing spikes. The situation was tight while pace was also soaring up with every shot. The game tied at certain points but still remained
un-decided. Argentina served a weak shot in the end, which created a chance for the Dominican team to end the first set with a 25-23 victory.
The Argentinean team couldn’t stand Dominican’s lead. They put in more effort during the second set and strengthened their defense. By saving points and hitting ball in opponents’ court, they captured some solid ground. Anyhow, Josefina Fernandez of Dominican
Republic surprised them with her excellent blocking. With Josefina’s interruption, the Dominican’s vibe could be felt in the game. Algerians brought more diversity and took the score to the finish line. Ultimately, they recovered from the shock with the second
set triumph at 27-25.
The match score was now leveled but the real encounter started in the third set and every shot was a ball of fury. Both teams struggled with their scores. However, Dominicans outshined with their better performance and got success in the third set. They
won by posting 25-22.
Dominicans forced their opponents to be more defensive in the fourth set as they hit unstoppable line-shots. It earned them a better status in the game but Argentina didn’t lose heart and kept on chasing them. A few of Argentinean serves touched the end
line and contributed to Dominicans’ score. As the game moved on, new thrill was coming in the show. After the second technical timeout, Dominican Republic’s team could smell victory. In the end, they knocked out Argentina with a fourth-set win (27-25). The
Caribbean country, therefore, celebrated victory in their second match against Argentina.
Later, Dominican team’s captain, Karla Echenique said, “We improved our level and played much better than in the first match. We struggled a little bit at the end of the second and third sets, they were too physical but we have worked hard on that”. Meanwhile,
the losing coach, Marcos Kwiek commented, “We are in a transition process with our team. There were mistakes on both sides of the net, we made mistakes, they made mistakes but in the end the match was very attractive for the fans, because we played very tightly.”
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