Scotland claims back-to-back wins at Small Countries Division Final Round – Volleyball news
The Small Countries Division Final Round of the 2012 CEV Junior Volleyball Championship is underway in Motherwell, Scotland.
The host Scottish opened the crucial round with a splendid 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-15) win over Northern Ireland on Tuesday and followed it up with second victory against San Marino on Wednesday.
In the second match, the host team sent 3-1 (25-18, 17-25, 25-23, 27-25) on board and bagged victory. Scotland now stands with an overall record of 2-0, while Cyprus also has the similar record.
On day-1 of the tournament, Scotland launched full authority on the opposite side and did not allow the opponents to win a single set. KIRKWOOD Ross emerged as the top scorer of the match as he pounded valuable 20 points against Northern Ireland.
Scott Wilson also put up huge effort and went into double-digit scores. He was credited for 11 points in the match. Boyle and Lawson added 9 and 8 points, respectively.
The opening set of the match was all about home team. Using the competitive edge of familiar conditions and support of home fans, the Scottish team picked up an early lead. Northern Ireland trailed behind throughout the opening frame and eventually suffered
the loss, 17-25. The game entered second set but visiting team failed to create any spark on the centre court.
On the other hand, Scotland enjoyed great rhythm and improved to 2-0 by winning second set in row. In the third set, Northern Ireland showed some resistance and hit back aggressively. The convincing counter attacks enabled the Irish team to take up lead
in third set.
Nonetheless, the home squad bounced back after the first technical timeout and swept their feet with 3-0 victory after claiming third set.
The scoring machine of Scotland, KIRKWOOD Ross, did equally well in the second match against San Marino on Wednesday. His performance even improved and he contributed 23 points in Scotland’s score, while Boyle and Wilson registered 12 and 11 points. The
San Marino side was supported by Lorenzo BENVENUTI, who gave a good competition to Scottish team. He put up a valiant effort and notched 19 points against Scotland. Antonelli, his teammate, was second best score of San Marino with 11 points.
The Scotland vs. San Marino match started out with balanced action from both sides. San Marino added quick points with the help of its top spikers and went on top. Home team earned stability in the latter half of the set and snatch lead from San Marino.
The visiting team could only score 18 points, while Scots touched the finish line.
San Marino came up with aggressive response in the second set and incorporated heavy hits. As a result, they captured the second set but Scotland controlled the action in next two sets and earned 3-1 victory.
Tags: