Dominican Republic prevail in a thrilling five-setter against Czech Republic
Brno Czech Republic, June 12, 2016, Brayelin Elizabeth Martinez and Annerys Victoria Vargas Valdez scored 15 points each to lead Dominican Republic to a five-set victory (25-22, 15-25, 25-21, 24-26, 15-8) over Czech Republic in Brno on Sunday.
Today's win helps Dominican Republic extend their FIVB World Grand Prix winning streak to five matches in a row. Before the beginning of the streak, the Dominican team had lost 15 consecutive World Grand Prix battles.
The block was the key factor in the first set as their dominance on the net helped Dominican Republic snatch an early 11-5 lead. Even a good streak on serve did not allow the hosts to fully come back in the set, as they eventually lost, 25-22.
The second set was a very one-sided affair. An outstanding all-round performance by the Czech team gave them a swift 25-15 win.
The third set saw neither team able to build a good advantage. It was the Dominicans who prevailed in the end, thanks to two impressive blocks from Isabel Pena and a couple of unforced errors from the hosts, with the set finishing at 25-21.
The fourth set was the most closely contested with both setters displaying variety in their passing game. The Czech Republic's game rested on the shoulders of the youngster Petra Kojdova, who eventually finished the match with 28 points to her name. After 30 minutes of rough battle, the hosts took the match into a tiebreak with a 26-24 win in the fourth.
Powerful serves from Marianne Fersola helped Dominican Republic win the first four points of the final set. It was smooth sailing for the visitors from then on as they raced away to snatch the tiebreak, 15-8.