USA continues with success in second round of 2011 FIVB Grand Prix - Volleyball
U.S. battled out a tough win against Italy in the second match of the final round on Thursday, August 25. It was one of the most exciting matches in Pool B as the USA outshone Italy by posting a 3-2 (25-19, 21-25, 22-25, 25-22, and 15-10) victory. The Macau
East Asian Games Dome set up the field of play for two great rivals in the 2011 FIVB World Grand Prix.
The U.S. team showed some good defence in the opening set but Italy did equally well and remained hand in hand with their opponents. After an exchange of long rallies, the American team managed to take the lead. Destinee Hooker of USA and Italy’s Paola Cardullo
had a bad fall in an attempt to hard thumps to the ball. Italy put up great resistance and used different tactics to stop America from winning the first set. Anyhow, nothing could stop US to grab success in the first set 25-19.
The loss of early set was a great frustration for Italy. They attacked via Simona Gioli and Francesca Piccinini in the second set and tried to seek revenge. Italians did a good job at attack and defence. The hard work paid off and they captured second stop.
Success restored their confidence and they extended their lead to 2-1 by winning third set as well.
USA was bound to respond in the same tone. They build up their team-line and put up a new spirited effort. Hooker continued with her exploits, while Logan Tom joined hands with her. American muskateers made a great comeback in the game and stunned Italy
by winning 4th and 5th set. Excellent digging and diving was the key of success for USA in the last two sets.
The match was followed by the official press conference, where coaches and captains of both teams passed on remarks about the match.
Italian Captain Eleonora Lo Bianco felt sorry about the loss of second match in the crucial final round. She disclosed her thoughts in the following manner: “I think we played a good game, but at the end of the match we made two or three mistakes, and with
USA being a strong team they closed out the match. But I am happy with the way we played.”
Meanwhile, the mentor of team Italia, Massimo Barbolini commented: “I agree with my captain that we played better than yesterday. Actually it is not possible to play worse than yesterday. They played a good game. Congratulations to USA, it has been a really
good match. We had our chances in the 4th set, but USA defended in a wonderful way and we didn’t have the passion for the ball. So USA deserved to win.”
Captain of American team, Jennifer Tamas, also acknowledged the effort of Italian team. She said they played really well and made it quite hard for USA in the beginning. Talking of success in the match, she stated: “It was a good win for us, a close and
tough battle the whole time. I am really happy the way it went, and we are really looking forward to tomorrow (match vs. Brazil).”
Hugh McCutcheon of USA regarded Italy as a strong team and said that he knew that Italy was coming strong after yesterday’s defeat from Brazil. He appreciated the team-work of his players and seemed much delighted about the second win of the Final Round.
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