Volleyball Update: Panama captures the third victory in a row
Panama’s Women’s Volleyball Team clipped a wonderful 3-0 (25-14, 26-24, and 25-11) victory over Honduras on third day of the XVI Central American Cup. The match was held on Tuesday, 30th November, 2010 in Panama City. It seems as if Panama is
getting full advantage of home support. They have displayed an outstanding performance so far. The team has earned absolute success in their first three matches without losing a single set. They held off Honduras for third consecutive victory and built an
overall score of 3-0. The spectacular game of home team conveys a clear message to all other teams in the tournament that they are set to capture the title.
Match overview
Panama opened the match with strong jump serves. Joanna Arroyo, the captain of Panama’s team proved to be a good leader for team. She hit excellent shots and set a direction for other players to do the same. In the meanwhile, Katerina Taju also put her magic
in the game and added quick points in Panama’s score. The home team comfortably picked up a lead and put pressure on the opponents. Honduras’ team lagged behind duo to the poor communication among players. Too many unforced reception errors and frequent camp-fires
caused a lot of damage to them. Panama dominated the game in first set and restricted Honduras to a low score. Team Honduras collapsed after scoring only 14 points, while Panama achieved the match points and closed the set with victory.
Honduras badly needed to break the rhythm of Panama’s team. They formed a different strategy in second set and put up the struggle with new spirit. The situation got better as Maria Fernanda Rodriguez supported the team in the need of hour. The explosive
spikes of Maria did the damage to Panama’s team and raised Honduras’ score. Panama’s team was also aware of the hostile reaction of Honduras’ team after dropping the first set. The home team continued with hard-hitting and didn’t take any pressure off the
game. The score shifted up with a close difference of points, while both teams traded the lead at certain points. The see-saw battle kept the fans entertained for whole time. Finally Panama got the opportunity to hit the finish line and crushed Honduras-side
with a score of 26-24.
It was surely Panama’s day as Honduras failed to beat them despite of putting so much effort. The game entered the third set and home team was thrilled with the sense of victory. Honduras really slowed down in third set and they played half-heartedly. Panama’s
hitters showed no mercy to Honduras and added quick points. Honduras became irresistible in front of Panama’s team. The local ladies worked out exquisite shots and clawed their way to victory by winning third set. It was Panama’s third straight victory at
the XVI Women’s Central American Cup.
Key players
The captain girl of Panama’s team, Joanna Arroyo played a vital role in Panama’s success and registered 12 points, while her teammate Katherine Taju really outshined with her 14 points. In the failing squad, Maria Fernanda Rodriguez worked out 14 points
and remained top scorer in Honduras’ team.
Comments
The assistant coach of Panama’s team, Reynaldo Ortega appreciated the team work of players and expressed his views after the match, “Our team had a slow start and that resulted in a complicated second set but the experience of some of our players helped
to get the win.”
Honduras’ María Fernanda Rodríguez acknowledged the strength and skill of their opponents. She said, “Panama is a strong team, and it is a shame we couldn’t close the second. It was a chance to change the final result.”
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