Volleyball Update: Czech Republic seeks to become the No.9 team of the FIVB Championship
The National Men’s Volleyball Team from Czech Republic comprises of young players, who entered the fabulous volleyball extravaganza of FIVB World Championship with a lot of hope and ambition. The team finished the first round with solid 5 points and demonstrated
excellent performance in the second round. They clean swept the rival teams and settled for top spot in their respective pool. The third round of the tournament put their abilities to another test. They came across tough teams like Brazil and Germany, which
pushed Czech Republicans behind.
The team couldn’t achieve success in third round but they kept the urge of good status alive in their hearts. The Czech Republic is now fighting for the 9th spot in the FIVB rankings. They played against France in the first match of final round
of FIVB Championship on Friday, 8th October, 2010 in Florence, Italy. The victory graced Czech Republicans and they qualified for the final for 9th position. The Czech Republic ousted French team in straight three sets.
Czech Republic vs. France 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, and 25-16)
It was the second meeting of these two teams in this championship. They clashed in the first round once and staged a breath-taking performance. The match lasted for five sets and France proved its steel in that particular match. Therefore, it was a better
chance for Czech Republic to take revenge from France. On the other hand, France seemed determined to post another victory over Czech Republic. They had the psychological edge on Czech Republic’s team.
First Set
France opened the first set in usual fashion. They produced nice floaters and convincing serves. Guillaume Samica of France spotted the gaps in opponent’s court and hit the ball with perfect timing. Czech defence expert exhibited great temperament to tackle
the shocking spikes. France tried to influence the young force from Czech Republic with long rallies. Somehow, Peter Platenik of Czech Republic put duty and responsibility to his role and raised team’s score. He displayed outstanding play and received huge
applause from the spectators. Jan Stokr also contributed valuable points and supported the team status. Czech Republic slightly rose up and left France behind.
French setter floated a ball in the air, which dropped on the net and scored a point for Czech Republic’s team. France fell back on account of bad ball reception, while Czech Republic claimed the first set with a score of 25-21.
Second Set
After dropping the first set, France stormed Czech Republic’s court with heavy shots. Le Roux developed good chemistry with the setter and added points in France’s score. On the other side of the net, Czech players worked out a nice plan to kill the French
side. They came from back row attack and hit back France in the same tone. The combat became more aggressive and ball remained in the air for most of time. Czech Republic built a lead of 8-5 after the first technical timeout. France failed to grasp the game
plan and continued making mistakes. Czech side maintained the lead and stretched the gap of points to 16-12 after the second technical timeout.
France was drafted under immense pressure from Czech Republic. They produced better shots and further pushed France behind the line. They quickly grabbed few more points and secure the second set at 25-20.
Third Set
The clear direction was defined for the Czech Republic’s team after success in two consecutive sets. Jan Stokr continued with his powerful line shots and provided enough damage to the frustrated French side. Czech Republic easily achieved the set point and
closed the set at 25-16.
Czech Republic has the next big challenge to deal with Argentina in the final match for 9th position in the FIVB championship. The final is scheduled to be played today (Saturday) in Florence, Italy.
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