The final show of Banco do Brasil Beach Volleyball
The second leg of the beach volleyball tournament Banco do Brasil at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro reached its final stage on 30 January. The women’s top-seeded duo of Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca had confirmed their
slots in the final showdown. They were joined by the pairing of Vivian Cunha and Taiana Lima for the final fight. The Juliana/Larissa pairing emerged as title trophy winners as per expectations, and marked their 50th successive victory, thanks to their classy
performance.
Juliana/Larissa vs. Cunha/Lima 2-0 (21-18, 21-11)
The dynamic duo of Juliana/Larissa entered the court with a determination to grab the highest slot and looked confident for another incredible show, finding Vivian Cunha and Taiana Lima as an average adversary. Larissa rolled off the ball
toward the opposite side, moving it like a spear. The game gradually picked up pace after exchange of early shots. Juliana and Larissa put their magic in the game and earned a strong spot with better play, trading places with each other and poking the ball
in their opponents’ half. Cunha/Lima played defensively and were prompted to raise their hands in the air only to block the fast spikes. Juliana/Larissa hit from all angles, thus adding points to their score, further widening the points gap. The first set
inched its way to the finish line when Juliana/Larissa were leading the game at 21-18.
The second set was totally dominated by Juliana/Larissa who put Cunha and Lima on the defence. They failed to recover from the deficit of the first set and lagged far behind. Juliana/Larissa continued putting more pressure on the rival
side. They dismissed many attempts of Cunha/Lima, pushing them behind. The result was the graceful victory for Juliana/Larissa with 21-11 score on the board.
Talking of success and future plans, Larissa stated, “We do not focus on improving these records but, of course, it is important doing it, as winning matches and tournaments will lead us to our goals. We work hard for that and the results
come. Our aim is to be better today than what we were yesterday.”
Talita/Maria vs. Izabel/Maia 2-0 (21-14, 21-11)
The third-place match witnessed Talita Antunes and Maria Talita on one side of the court and Izabel Bezerra and Elize Maia duo took their positions on the other side.
Equipped with tips and tricks, Talita/Maria started off with powerful serves and deadly aces, confining Izabel and Maia to low score. Maria stood behind the baseline, serving the ball at high speed, took bigger run-ups and threw serves
at various lengths. Izabel/Maia faced much difficulty to dig for the short serves, all resulting in 7-point margin in favour of Talita/Maria in the first set.
The second set was another success for Talita/Maria who remained on the winning track and didn’t let Izabel/Maia to raise head throughout the game, bagging the bronze.
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