Russia improves to 5-0 by edging out Serbia – Volleyball news
Russia demonstrated a stellar performance in the fifth match of 2012 FIVB Women’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament, which took place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym in Japan on Friday.
Two archrivals contested their skills in a four-set match. Serbia managed to win only one frame in the match, while Russia cruised past to victory with success in three sets. The final set scores were 3-1 (25-18, 25-11, 14-25, 25-22). Around 2,000 volleyball
enthusiasts witnessed the action and supported their favourite teams.
The match was opened with balanced action from both sides. Both teams were prepared for the clash and exchanged long rallies from the very start of the match. Serbia led the scores with slight margin but soon Russia flipped the scorecard. Russians went up
with two points at the first technical timeout (8-6). Serbs came from different angles and tried to chase the score but Russia continued with success up till the next stop, 16-10. Serbian hopes gradually died as Russian hitters covered the length of opening
set and achieved set points at 25-18.
Russians came out firing in the following set and added six points in a row, while Serbia was yet to be on board. After a couple of good shots, Serbia managed to break the ice but Russia was far ahead in the game then. Head Coach Sergey Ovchinnikov’s team
rallied from 8-3 to 16-7, while Serbs kept lagging behind. Second set also came to an end (25-11) and Russia extended its lead to 2-0.
Serbian team performed poorly in the second set but improved its performance in the third set. Serbs picked up an early lead and staged a consistent performance till the end. They stamped 25-14 win over Russia in third set but the resilient rival bounced
back in the fourth set. Russia made a comeback and captured fourth with three points, 25-22. Victory moved Russia to 5-0 record in the tournament.
Speaking of the match afterwards, Russian mentor Sergey Ovchinnikov said, “We had a problem with receiving in the third set but we were able to solve the problem and get the win. I hope the Serbia team can win its last two matches.
Serbian coach Zoran Terzic openly admitted the better status of Russian team. He said, “Today they deserved to win. No doubt about it. They are just too strong for us. We played better and more aggressively after the second set. We will hope to play better
in our remaining matches and qualify for the Olympic Games.”
Russia scheduled to take on hosts Japan in the next match on Saturday. Russian team is in top form and it is more likely that the Russian musketeers will add another win to their tally.
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