11/05/2013 22:00
Italy one step away from World Champs ticket
2013 FIVB Volleyball Women’s U20 World Championship - European Qualification
Cividale del Friuli, Italy, May 11, 2013. Italy scored their second consecutive win on Saturday to delight some 800 home fans in Cividale del Friuli by downing Spain in three straight sets (25-13, 25-18, and 28-26) thereby making one step forward on their way to qualify for the 2013 FIVB Volleyball Women’s U20 World Championship scheduled for late June in Brno and Prostejov, Czech Republic.
After pocketing the first couple of sets with real ease, the “Azzurrine” were challenged by their opponents from Spain in the third but eventually got the upper hand after a very close final rush (28-26). Myriam Fatime Sylla (pictured) top scored for the home side with 21 points while Jessica Rivero and Amelia Portero registered 13 apiece for Spain in their losing effort.
In the other match of the day Slovakia claimed their first win in the competition by edging Finland 3:1 (25-21, 25-20, 26-28, and 25-23). After a very close start up to 15 all, the girls mentored by Eva Kosekova – who on Friday had lost to Spain – changed gear going for the provisional 1:0 (25-21). Slovakia dictated the pace of the game all the way through also in the second set (25-20) before a real fight unfolded in the third with the Finns celebrating a happy end at 26-28. The plot of the game did not change much in the fourth set where the teams played point for point before Slovakia cashed the 3:1 win at 25-23. Iida-Emilia Kivimurto top scored for Finland with 18 points while Andrea Strbova and Veronika Richweissova paced Slovakia with 15 and 13 respectively.
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