10/05/2013 22:06
Italy and Spain open with convincing wins in Cividale del Friuli
2013 FIVB Volleyball Women’s U20 World Championship - European Qualification
Cividale del Friuli, Italy, May 10, 2013. Italy and Spain caught a good start in their quest to qualify for the 2013 FIVB Volleyball Women’s U21 World Championship coming up in late June in Brno and Prostejov, Czech Republic. After Spain had opened the program of the tournament edging Slovakia 3:1 (25-18, 25-18, 21-25, and 25-16), Italy celebrated a good debut by cruising past Finland with the same score (3:1; 25-13, 26-28, 25-19, and 25-17).
Spain could be happy with their first game in the competition as all players showed good Volleyball while their wing-spikers Jessica Rivero and Amelia Portero top scored with 21 and 12 points. Spain claimed the first couple of sets without major difficulties but Slovakia fought back to make it 2:1. It looked like a tie-break could follow as Slovakia went up 15:11 in set 4 but the players mentored by head coach Jose Miguel Serrato reacted well turning the score around and finishing it off with a 3:1 win. Veronika Richweissova top scored for Slovakia with 14 points.
Though sidelined by the absence of their captain Cristina Chirichella who is nursing an abdominal injury, the “Azzurrine” started out strong (25-13) in their game with Finland but their opponents showed great determination to claim a very close final rush of the second set (26-28). After a close start, Italy re-asserted its supremacy in the third set (25-19) and after some more ups and downs the group coached by Davide Mazzanti could finish the job with a 25-17 in the fourth set. Alessia Fiesoli paced Italy with 22 points well supported by team captain Elena Perinelli with 17. Sonja Laitinen and Iida-Emilia Kivimurto top scored for Finland with 16 points apiece.
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