Russian female duo wins the A 1 Grand Slam title in Klagenfurt – Volleyball News
After experiencing a delay due to the heavy downpour in Klagenfurt Austria, the final showdown of A 1 Grand Slam women’s beach volleyball tournament took place on Sunday, July 22 and Russia's Khomyakova/Ukolova claimed the title trophy.
The Russian 28th-seeded team was challenged by 13th-seeded Madelein Meppelink/Sophie van Gestel from the Netherlands. The final affair of the tournament spanned over three sets and ended with following result: 2-1 (21-13, 25-27, 15-10). The match
decision was out in 54 minutes.
In the first set of the match, Ukolova displayed extreme action on the net. Her powerful serves coupled with speedy cross court shots created a lot of trouble for the rival side. The Dutch pair resisted in full force and tried to come up, but the Russians
controlled the operations of the game and claimed first set with eight points.
Following the loss of opening frame, Meppelink and Gestel threw everything in attack to cover up the deficit. Khomyakova/Ukolova gave a good competition to the opponents, but dropped set-2 with a narrow gap of two points.
Nevertheless, the ambitious Russian duo came up with a better play in the third set. Both teammates exhibited a wonderful performance and closed third set with five-point advantage, which sent the Dutch pair to a crucial loss in the final match.
Russia’s Ukolova was totally overwhelmed with their gold medal win. She shared her thoughts about the final round matches in the following manner: “Against the Brazilians in the semifinals and the Dutch in the gold medal match, we just played our game, didn’t
quit and things worked out for us to beat a very, very good Brazilian team and then come back against another young team and win the gold medal match as well. It’s unbelievable and gives us so much confidence heading to London.”
The Russian pair already qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games by winning the CEV Continental Cup Final that took place in Moscow some four weeks ago. Back then the team had the competitive edge of playing at home, which also helped them to influence
the opponents. However, Khomyakova/Ukolova proved the quality of their game by giving out another outstanding performance at the SWATCH FIVB World Tour event in Austria. By winning the A1 Grand Slam Title in Klagenfurt, they became the first female tandem
from Russia to secure the gold medal in the history of the FIVB SWATCH World Tour.
In the next run, the dynamic duo of Khomyakova/Ukolova has shifted all the attention to the upcoming 2012 London Olympic Games. Soon the Olympic action will start at the Horse Guards Parade in London and the best beach volleyball teams from around the world
will come into stride. Khomyakova and Ukolova will also be on board to catch the limelight. They have high hopes to do well at the Olympics.
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