Serbia proves too strong for Russia in a World League match – Volleyball news
In the second leg opener of the 2012 FIVB World League in Pool A, Serbia edged out Russia by posting 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23) on board.
Santo Domingo in Dominican Republic hosted the match on Friday. Serbia and Russia clashed in Hamamatsu, Japan last month but the result was quite different then. Russia defeated Serbia in five sets. However, the Serbs made good use of the opportunity and
took revenge of their previous defeat in the next encounter.
Russian captain Maxim Mikhaylov put up a valiant effort for his team and contributed match-high 22 points. He topped all the scorers but could not enable his team to win the match. Leading Serbia was Uros Kovacevic, who registered 16 points.
Opening set of the match was a point-to-point battle. Russia started off well and picked up early lead but Serbs came from behind and went up. Later on, the game of hit ‘n’ run continued until the set points. Serbs used two-point advantage to close the first
set at 25-23. Serbian success in the first set was mainly credited to Muserskiy and a Starovic, who did amazingly well.
Russians came out firing in the second set and added consecutive points. However, the Serbs were quite aware of the hostile response of opponents after the loss of opening set. Serbia used Starovic and Janic to create the first tie of score in second set
at 5-all. Russia hit back and retook the lead. Afterwards, Serbia made too many attempts but could not chase the score. Russia claimed second set at 25-20 and successfully brought the game to an even point (1-1).
Following the tie of game score, third set featured balanced action from both sides. Serbia led the score for better time in third set, while the Russians trailed behind. Eventually, the third set came to end at 25-20 and Serbia improved to 2-1.
In the fourth set, Serbia was totally shaped up to put an end to the tussle. Russians fought bravely and saved one match point but ultimately had to give in. Serbia finished fourth set at 25-23 and settled for 3-1 victory in the match.
Serbian coach Igor Kolakovic shared his thoughts after the match. He stated, “Even though it was a good game for us, that’s not our real face since we had to go to our young players. Their desire to succeed was a key for us in the crucial moments.”
Russian mentor, Vladimir Alekno commented, “There are no secrets in the sport. It was not our best match, but we also have to give credit to our opponents.”
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