Recap of the gold medal match of the XI Women’s Pan American Cup – Volleyball News
The XI Women’s Pan American Volleyball Cup started off on July 21 and successfully completed its run on July 21.
A total of 12 teams from North, Central America and Caribbean region were on board to vie for title trophy. The gold-medal match of the tournament was played on Friday, July 20 and it featured USA against Brazil. It was a gruelling long battle that spanned
over five tiring sets. After a close competition, the ladies around Captain Stacy Sykora settled for victory.
US team won the final of the XI Women’s Pan American Cup at College de Bachelors Gymnasium of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and added a second Pan Am Cup title to its count. On the other hand, the loss moved the three-time champions Brazil to a silver medal for
third time in the history of this competition. The match ended with final scores of 3-2 (28-30, 18-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-11).
USA’s Kristin Richards was simply amazing on the net. She tallied match-high and also the tournament-high 35 points, which played a big role in her team’s success. She was followed by veterans Jennifer Joyner-Tamas and Nancy Metcalf, who notched up 14 and
11 points.
Joyce Silva and Priscila Daroit fought for Brazil. They ended with 25 and 23 points, respectively. Brazil’s Gabriela Braga also went into double-digits by scoring 18 points. However, all their effort went futile and Brazil dropped the decision.
The match was a point-to-point battle from start to end. First frame featured a lot of action and eventually ended in Brazil’s favour. The South American team continued with success in the following set and extended its lead to 2-0 by winning another set
in row. Following the loss of two sets, the US team hit back aggressively and threw everything in attack to cover up the deficit. The US Head Coach made necessary changes in the team-line and guided the team to win the third set. Success in the third set proved
to be a jumpstart for Americans. They got their full form back and added back-to-back victories in fourth and fifth sets. Despite a good start, Brazil lost the match to the USA.
“A victory is always great, and actually this is the first time in 12 years I have a victory against Brazil,” USA captain Stacy Sykora commented. “This was a very young Brazilian team but with great talent and a great future.”
“I feel happy, it is a fun team,” USA coach Reed Sunahara said after the game. “They showed it during the whole tournament and never gave up. We lost against Cuba and came back against Dominican Republic two times. They kept playing and playing.”
Natasha Farinea, the captain of the Brazilian side, said that her team had a fair chance to win the match in three sets, but too many unforced mistakes spoiled the scene. Nevertheless, she said it was a great match.
The mentor of Team Brazil Claudio Pinheiro congratulated the US team for winning the gold medal. In his view, the opposite team played well and deserved to win.
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