USA wins title at FIVB Grand Prix 2010
The U.S women’s volleyball team was crowned champions at the 18th FIVB Grand Prix Volleyball Championship which came to an end last week in Ningbo, China. Defending Champions Brazil, who earned gold in 2009, lost their grip on the tournament as the Americans powered through to their third championship triumph.
Brazilian fans must be unhappy about the failure of their team. Their team entered the tournament with two consecutive wins in the first preliminary round but their setback started with a defeat against in-form Italy in the first round. They made a roaring return and cleared the next two stages with no losses against their name. Brazil remained unbeaten in the second and third preliminary rounds. With a maximum of 24 points at the end of preliminary stage, Brazil had bright prospects to secure the gold for the third year running.
Somehow, other teams in the tournament produced outstanding performances, leading to positive results in the upcoming matches. Consequently, the U.S. team became the second best team which was followed by Brazil in the points table with a gap of just three points. Likewise, Poland chased both these teams at the third spot as they had the same win-loss ratio as that of team USA. Both USA and Poland became the leading contenders for defending champions Brazil for the gold medal.
The game entered the final round with six teams in the fore. The going got tough as added pressure put the players’ abilities to the test. Brazil was scheduled to play five matches in the final round.
Japan locked horns against the mighty Brazilians in the first match of the final round. The Japanese kicked off with some electrifying spikes and court-pounding shots. Brazil put the same level of effort but couldn’t resist the Japanese command in the game. Japan launched their authority in the game and took away the game from Brazil. Japan won the opening match 3-2.
It was quite disappointing for Brazil to lose their first match in the final round. The next match saw the Polish team going head-to-head against against defending Champions Brazil. Luck favoured Brazil as they won 3-1 against Poland. However, happiness was short lived for the Brazilians as the U.S. team was waiting to stun Brazil in the next match.
USA won continuous matches and posed a major threat to Brazil’s claim for the gold. Against most speculations, team USA defeated Brazil in the all-important match of the final round with a 2-3 defeat. The loss shrunk Brazil’s chances to hold the gold as the Americans improved their chances.
Brazil won its final matches against Italy and China but only finished the final round with 11 points, crowning the Americans as the new FIVB Grand Prix Champions.
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