The teams of Italy and Germany will play the big Final of 2014 WEVZA Girls Tournament. The two squads earned the ticket to play for the title of the competition after winning the two semifinals, two very different matches that showed the excitement of the competition being held in Swiss city of Schaffhausen. The Netherlands and Belgium will fight for third position while Spain and Switzerland will try to finish the tournament in fifth place and France and Portugal will clash for the seventh spot.
Spain 3 – France 2 (25-10, 25-23, 17-25, 22-25, 15-11)
Spain gave a step forward towards the fifth position of the tournament after beating France 3-2 in a disputed game full of alternatives. Spaniards starred in a sensational start of match and achieved a spectacular 15-1 to overcome French initial desires to put opposition to its rivals. The efficiency of Spanish serve, with Lucia Pol as main reference put Spain in an early lead and the young spanish girls closed the period 25-10.
France tried to react in the second period but Spain maintained its momentum in the set. The defensive system of Spaniards made possible to the girls directed by Jose Miguel Serrato to control the game in this period and after a successful rally with Lucia Ballve at the serve, so to achieve the 25-23 that put them close to victory. However, France hadn’t said its last words in the match. The reaction by French side came through the improvement of the offensive actions featuring the young receivers of the team. France soon took the lead and avoided the three setter defeat 17-25.
The fight for the spot to clash for fifth position of the tournament turned fierce and both teams gave their best performances in the fourth period. The tie persisted until 18-18, when the spanish players’ mistakes sentenced young Spaniards in the period. France put the 22-25 and forced the tie-break. In the fifth set, Spain soon took the lead 5-1. France tried to recover and Spain retrieved the defensive efficiency to put the final 15-11 that gave Spaniards the victory and the possibility to search fifth position.
Switzerland 3 – Portugal 2 (25-23, 14-25, 25-16, 22-25, 15-13)
Switzerland will face Spain in the clash for the fifth position of the tournament after beating Portugal 3-2 in another spectacular match. The game was characterized by continuos changes in the lead and a nonstop struggle for dominance in the play.
The tie persisted throughout the first period, with both teams engaged in their intentions to finish the tournament on high note. In a disputed end of period, local squad proved to be more accurate in its actions and got the 25-23. Portugal reacted shortly after that, and imposed a pattern of play in the second period that Switzerland was unable to follow. 14-25 and the tie returned to the match.
The coming and goings would turn out to be the key of the game. The local squad took use of a dubitative start of third period by Portuguese players and recovered the lead in the game. Portugal tried to put a stop to locals’ efficiency but young Swiss players got the 25-16.
When Switzerland seemed about to reach the final victory, Portugal returned to its efficient balance of serve and attacks and in a disputed fourth set attained the 22-25 that represented the tie-break. The last set was heart-wrenching as both squads engaged in a continuos exchange of spectacular offensive actions. With the scoreboard tied in the decisive part of the period, Switzerland maintained the calm and acquired the 15-13 that helped young local players to aim for fifth position in the championship.
Italy 3 – The Netherlands 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-13)
Italy confirmed its condition of favorites to title with an impressive victory in three sets in the first semifinal against The Netherlands. The Dutch squad could not find resources to stop the outstanding performance by azzurrini.
Italy certified its intention to go for the final from the very beginning, with an excellent start of match. Young Italian players continued with their good performance in defense and attack to take the lead of the period as Italians controlled rivals’ intention to disturb azzurini, so to present their candidacy to final with a convincing 25-18 in the first period.
Dutch players did all they could to try to turn the tables, but Italy showed no signs of doubt. After the first technical timeout of the second set, Italians broke the period through their excellence in spikes. The Netherlands could not help but seeing how Italy put the 25-17 in the period. The story of the match ended at this moment, as the third period was completely dominated by Italians. 25-13 and 3:0 and Italy made the biggest possible entrance in the Final.
Germany 3 – Belgium 2 (23-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-10)
Germany will play the Final of the 2014 WEVZA Girls Tournament in Schaffhausen after beating Belgium in a extraordinary semifinal. Germans were able to come back from a 0:2, so to force the tie-break and win in a heart-breaking final of the match.
The first period was absolutely exciting. Both teams presented an excellent performance in the set and the exchange of points became the main sign of the period. In an equaled end of set, Belgium had luck on its side and achieved the 23-25. Belgium continued on a roll after the recess and managed to take a lead in the set after the second technical time out. German players managed to recover at the end of the period but could not avoid the 0:2 (19-25).
However Germany, one of the great dominators of the tournament in the initial stages of competition, did not give up and with 0:2, aimed for the tie-breaker. The blocking system by Germans paid off in this period and the 25-20 gave hope to the German squad. Belgium tried to recover its status in the match but Germany showed a great level of performance that allowed young German players to achieve a slight advantage in the scoreboard during the fourth period. Despite Belgic attempts, Germany did not cede and closed the set 25-21, hence sending the match to the tie-breaker.
The momentum was clearly on German side, since, after coming back from a 0:2, it also lead the game in fifth set. Belgium managed to recover and forced the equality after the technical timeout 9-9. Nontheless, after that moment, Germany performed a sensational end of set and created a +4 advantage thanks to an extraordinary collective efficiency. Belgium could not help but seeing how Germany outperformed them in a sensational end of tie-break. The 15-10 represented the final 3:2 and the position in the final.
The Final match will be played on Saturday, at 19.45, between Germany and Italy.