The 2014 WEVZA Girls Tournament being held in Swiss city of Schaffhausen ended on Saturday after an exciting last day of competition. In addition of the clashes to top the championship, the four teams engaged in the Classification matches provided an outstanding show and stated the quality of their squads.
Final for seventh place
France 1 – Portugal 3 (25:22, 19:25, 21:25, 15:25)
Portugal finished in seventh position of the tournament, after beating France 1:3 in a disputed match. The Portuguese squad was able to come back from a first set to end up wining the three following periods and thus finishing the competition in high note.
French squad aimed for the victory and imposed a high level of performance in the first period. The efficiency by Les Bleus girls produced a 25:22 in the first period. However, Portugal reacted in the second set and took away the domination of the game from its rivals. The 19:25 in the period gave wings to young portuguese players, as this partial victory paved the way to victory for the Iberian squad.
France tried to stop its rivals’ efficiency in the third period, which was very disputed, but Portugal managed to close the set 21:25, a result that would end up deciding the game. Young portuguese players clearly dominated the fourth period and avoided any kind of reaction by France with a convincing performance, certified in the 15:25 that meant the final 1:3 and the seventh position for Portugal.
Final for the fifth place
Spain 3 – Switzerland 0 (25:22, 25:19, 25:20)
The fifth position of the tournament went to Spain, as Spaniards beat Switzerland 3:0 in the qualification match. The young players directed by Jose Miguel Serrato presented efficacy in defense to overcome the locals’ intention to finish their tournament with a victory.
The powerful serves from the Spanish serving line conditioned the first set. Spain soon took the lead and despite Swiss efforts, the Iberian players closed the period 25-22. The starting 8-3 in the second set marked the way of Spain to a partial victory. Switzerland tried to come back and, regardless the difference of seven points, locals fought to turn the tables, but Spain did not waver and put the 25-19.
The third period was tied until Spanish block took prominence in the game. Spain stopped Swiss attacks, which together with the reds’ serve, contributed to give Spaniards the advantage in the period. Switzerland could not avoid the final 25-20 that put Spain in fifth position of the tournament.
