Serbia breaks Russia's winning streak in final round – Volleyball News
Russia lost an important final round match of the 2011 FIVB Grand Prix to Serbia on Thursday, August 25, while playing at the Macau East Asian Games Dome in China. The Serbs outclassed the Russian team with a spectacular performance and claimed success in
four sets by 3-1 (20-25, 25-17, 25-21, and 25-21). It was an upset victory for Serbia and Brakocevic was the star for her side during the match. She scored a total of 25 points for her side while Natalya Goncharova’s sealed the same amount for Russia.
The first set was opened with an exchange of strong attacks between powerhouse spikers Brakocevic and Goncharova. The Russians played fast and reached kicked in their top gear. They remained remarkably consistent and pulled away from their rivals. Serbia
suffered the set-back on account of consecutive errors on reception, attack and service. Russia claimed the opening set with a 5-point lead at 25-20.
Serbian learned from their mistakes and came up with an improved performance in the second set. The captain of the team, Jelena Nikolic, showed her attacking powers and played with better efficiency. With the help of the strong attack, Serbia outscored the
helpless Russian side early. As the game progressed, Brakocevic poured in more unstoppable spikes and got help from the middle blockers. Finally, Serbia drew even at 1-1.
Success in the second set allowed Serbia to open the third set with confident serves. The Serb women seemed determined to keep up the same energy for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Russia reacted angrily and threw everything in the attack. Despite the
best efforts of the Russian top-spiker, Ekaterina Gamova, they could not stop the Serbian from fighting back as they watched them take a 2-1 lead.
Serbia was in full control of the game in the fourth set. They enjoyed a great form and cruised past to victory by winning four set with four points 25-21.
The captain of Serbian Team, Jelena Nikolic, expressed her delight at the great win against the tough rival Russia. She stated, “We are happy to reach the semi-finals after only our second match. Today we played very well, from our aggressive serves to our
blocks, and that’s what made the difference. I am very happy because it has taken us a long time to get a win against Russia, and for sure this victory gives us more confidence for the semi-final.”
Likewise, the Serbian coach, Zoran Terzic, congratulated his players for the achievement. He was satisfied with the wonderful display of volleyball by his team and said, “We have been playing well throughout the whole World Grand Prix, and we hope to play
our best game in the upcoming semi-final.”
On the other hand, Russian captain Maria Borisenko was unhappy about the match results. She said that too many mistakes led them to a defeat in the crucial match. She hoped that her side will perform better in the next match against China.
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