Peru blocked Colombia to conquer a bronze on their Group 3 FIVB World Grand Prix 2016 campaign
Almaty, Kazakhstan, June 19, 2016 – Angela Leyva proved to be Peru's main weapon in their conquest of the bronze in Group 3 of the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix. The Peruvian squad bested Colombia in five thrilling sets (25-17, 21-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-6) at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace on Sunday.
Angela Leyva blasted away from all sides of the court to pick up a massive haul of 32 points.
Early on in the match Peru vividly displayed their prowess in attack. Leyva was an easy pick for the setter, but Maguilaura Frias and Mirtha Uribe were getting into the picture. Colombia had the advantage in blocking but Peru simply enjoyed the vast array of offensive options they had in their armoury.
Colombia coach Eduardo Guillaume tried to address the lack of offensive sparkle in the second set. While he heavily relied on Kenny Moreno and Madelyanne Montano, Maria Martinez also had some good swings from left.
Colombia captain and setter Maria Alejandra Marin looked to her hitters while Peru simply lost grip of the second set with their errors.
The Leyva scoring machine was deployed once more in the third set but Colombia could not choose to be far behind. Moreno and Montano were in the zone, and they just needed to capitalise on this.
Colombia was replicating what Peru was doing, as teams went on an all-out attack fest. It was only a matter of which team was quicker with the plays, and Peru ended up with 25-22 win in the third set.
Colombia continued to be aggressive in their attack and imposed a tight defence at the net to shun the opposition. They led by as much as 7 points at the 21-14 mark. Peru were patient enough to work each and every play and build a good run until 23-23. Moreno took two points to force a decider.
Both teams went on with their fine attacking form until Moreno had to limp her way out of the court. It was evident that Colombia lacked the firepower they needed to sustain their momentum. Peru pulled away in the tie-break to win the bronze.