Russia beats Cuba 3-1 in opening match of 2011 FIVB Grand Prix - Volleyball
Women’s Volleyball action started off on Friday, August 5 as the 19th edition of the FIVB World Grand Prix was officially opened. Two-time world champion, Russia, kicked off the campaign with a great win over Cuba. The Russians pulled off success
by posting a 3-1 (25-26, 25-18, 25-23, and 25-20) victory as the Nakhon Pathom Gymnasium in Thailand, which was the match venue of all Pool B teams.
The opening set of the match was a tight affair. Cuba started out well and built an early lead of 7-4. They hit from different angles and tried to put pressure on the Russian side. However, Ekaterina Gamova of Russia stood up against the Cuban strike. She
worked out sharp cross court shots and created the first tie of the match at 9-all. Russia couldn’t hold the opponents down for long as Caribbean team once again took the lead. Afterwards, it was point to point battle. Cuba succeeded in breaking the dead lock
and claimed the opening set with 2-point margin (26-24).
The sight of losing didn’t put a good effect on Russians. They hit the angrily in the second set and stormed opponents’ half with ground-breaking shots. Gamova tried long shots and put her team in lead. Cuba was aware of the hostile response of Russians
but couldn’t come up with right strategy to stop them. Russian added points after points and finally hit the equalizer by claiming second set.
Success in second set proved to be the jump-start for Russia. Russian attackers Nataliay Goncharova and Gamova unleased a barrage of unstoppable shots. They forced Cuba to take back stage and extended their lead to 2-1 by winning third set.
Cuban side fought well to secure the fourth set but Russia enjoyed a great rhythm, which kept them on the top. Russian didn’t allow Cuba to come up and seized victory in fourth set.
Russian mentor Vladimir Kuzyutkin said it was a great match with Cubans. He acknowledged that they have all qualities to be a called a strong team in the world. However Cuba suffered the set-back duo to new and younger players in the team. He further disclosed
that Olympic qualification is the real goal of Russian team and they are working on it. Speaking of the next match, he said they will make a big plan to beat Peru tomorrow.
Juan Gala Rodriguez, the Cuban Head Coach congratulated Russia for winning the match and stated, “We understand Russia’s great experience and skill. Despite the loss, I think we obtain experience from playing Russia in this match.” Cuban team captain Yusidey
Sille Frameta said it was honour to play Russia in the first match. She commented: “Our form is not that perfect due to the loss, I think we did our best. I expect the better performance in our next match.”
Meanwhile, Russian captain, Maria Borisenko, seemed delight about her team's win over Cuba. She hoped that her squad will continue with the same momentum and perform better against Peru in the next match.
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