USA remains unbeaten in Pool B of the Olympic women’s volleyball tournament - Volleyball News
Top-seeded women’s volleyball team of USA gave an outstanding performance against China in Pool B of the Olympic Tournament on Wednesday. USA posted 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 31-29) victory over Chinese counterparts and maintained its dominance on the net.
The Earls Court in London provided the backdrop for the match, while 14,800 spectators witnessed the volleyball scrimmage between USA and China. Victory allowed the American team to firmly hold the top position in the group. On the other hand, China suffered the first loss in the tournament and moved to No. 3 position.
Match-high 22 points from Destinee Hooker played a big role in USA’s victory. Moreover, Megan Hodge displayed great action on the net and chipped in 18 points. Foluke Akinradewo also went into double digits by scoring 10 point for USA.
Zheng Chunlei was the only player on China’s side with double-figure score as she added 10, in the loss.
First frame of the match featured a balanced action from both sides. American players offered strong offence whereas Chinese tackled the difficult shots with great skill. China counter-attacked and added nice shots. Meanwhile, the score soared up with close gaps and situation remained undecided. Finally, USA hit the mark and secured first set with two points (26-24).
China gave a good competition to USA in the first half of second set, but then lost the momentum. Triple blocks of US players locked China at the score of 16. US attackers added quick points and extended their lead to 2-0 by winning second set (25-16).
Third set was a heated competition as China used almost every option to save the match point. Nevertheless, Americans proved to be better and won the match after closing third set at 31-29.
Danielle Scott-Arruda of USA said: “I just love the composure of our team in every position. Everyone played an important part. You can't compare this team to the other four Olympic teams I've played for, because systems and tactics change, but this is a great team. As I have currently won only one Olympic medal I am hoping we will go through for gold.”
Meanwhile, the US Coach Hugh McCutcheon praised the brilliant act of his team. He especially took out the name of Megan Hodge and complimented her in the following manner: “She is very composed in the big moments. She always feels comfortable when the match or the set is on the line. We were very happy with her performance and the positive impact she made when we brought her on.”
USA is set to take on Serbia in the next match on Friday, which is not a big task for charged-up Americans. Serbs have not won any matches yet. Moreover, the American squad is too strong for Serbia. Hence, another victory is waiting for USA in the next fixture.
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