Slovakia beats Canada by 3-1 in first match of qualifiers for FIVB World League
The FIVB World League qualifier matches are underway and on Friday, July 29, the Canadian team played its opening match against the Slovakian team. Despite having the added advantage of being in their home court, the Canadians lost to their opponents by 1-3. The match was the first of a two series matches with the second one being played today, July 30th.
The first set of the match was tough and no one was sure until the very end which team would be able to win. Once the Slovakians won the opening set of the game, the Canadians did not let them get their hands on the second one. With the match equalised, the Slovakian team stepped up and sealed the deal by taking the third set as well as the fourth. However, the Canadians gave the Slovakians quite a competition in the last two sets. The Slovakian victory was achieved at the following final set scores: 28-26, 22-25, 25-23 and 25-23.
The Canadian head coach made the following comments after his team had lost the match: “We played well at times but we miss playing more of these kinds of matches. We don't manage situations well at times and we made a couple of crucial errors in the third set and it cost us.”
On the other hand, the Slovakian head coach, Emanuele Zanini, praised his team in the following words: “I know my players want this and they are prepared for this. They are good fighters and we are happy with this victory. But this is just the first step and we expect another fight tomorrow night.”
The first set of the match took on competitive tones as both teams went in for the kill as soon as the match started. The score remained close all through the set but Slovakia managed to slip ahead near the end with a lead of 24-22. The Canadian team tried to upset the Slovakians but they prevailed in bagging the initial set of the game at 28-26.
The Canadians rallied together and put up a fight in the second set that led them to a win at 25-22. However, that was the only victory that the Canadians could earn for themselves as the Slovakians secured the third and the fourth sets at 25-23 each.
This is the first round of qualifying matches that are being conducted while the second round qualifiers for the 2012 FIVB World League will be held next month.
If Canada wants to have a chance in the World League, it needs to win the second match against Slovakia by no more than one set. In case both the teams tally an equal number of set wins in both matches than the team that will be able to move on will be determined by total points.
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