Two longest matches of day one – 2011 FIVB Youth World Championship
The 2011 FIVB Youth World Beach Volleyball Championship took centre stage on Wednesday, June 22 with 73 international teams (38 boys’ and 35 girls’).
In the girls’ division, opening day of the tournament featured 12 matches. Some of the exhilarating performances were staged. Most of the matches ended up in two straight sets but two cracking fights prolonged to three sets.
In the first fixture, tandem from Lithuania overpowered German girls. Likewise, Italian team held off team from Kazakhstan for 2-1 victory.
Dumbauskaite and Povilaityte of Lithuania posted 2-1 (15-21, 21-19, and 15-10) victory over German pairing of Ittlinger and Wlk. The match lasted for 51 minutes and provided a great entertainment to the spectators.
Germans were strong in the opening set of the match. The twosome of Ittlinger and Wlk developed a great chemistry between them. They produced commanding serves and put early points on the board. They led the score and kept on moving ahead.
On the other hand, Dumbauskaite and Povilaityte started off with easy and calm action. They spent some time in the court and tried to grasp the game plan of opponents. They attempted few successful attack attempts and raised their score. However, the German
duo hit the mark and sealed off the first set victory by sending 21-15.
Team Lithuania came out of the sheep clothes in second set. They rolled off the ball in rare gaps and tried to take lead. Germans had the confidence of winning opening set and they also worked out good points. Gradually, the game picked up pace and exchange
of heavy spikes was seen.
The Germans could not keep the same energy in second set and lost with a margin of two points. It was great chance Lithuania side to further influence the opponents in third set. They followed the same winning strategy and pushed Germans aside.
The second match, which spanned over three sets, featured teams from Italy and Kazakhstan. Italy’s Delli Quadri-Graniero Rodriguez rallied past Bogatu-Samalikova from Kazakhstan. They posted 2-1 (21-18, 19-21, and 15-11) to claim victory.
The opening of the match was full of errors from both sides. Players of both teams committed serve errors and hit illegal shots. However, as the game progressed, the situation got normal. The Italian duo clipped scores on account of tricky bump passes. Kazak
ladies struggled to break the rhythm of opponents. They tried different ways to hinder their performance. Italy faced a little difficulty but did not stop. They covered the length of first set with a 3-point lead.
Samalikova put up against Italy in the second set. She worked out great cross court shots and devastated the Italian half. The Italian players were equally active and continued with their effort. Bogatu-Samalikova saw their rise in the second set and managed
to hit the equalizer.
The happiness of Kazak players was short-lived as Italian team bounced back in the third set. They played fast and totally dominated the rivals. Victory graced Italian team in the Qualification Tournament as they claimed a third set.
Both successful teams of the Qualification Tournament booked their slots in the next stage of the tournament, which is the main draw stage. It is scheduled to be played on Thursday, June 23.
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