Serbia is still undefeated and is going to the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship with a perfect 9-0 record counting both pool stages.
The current champions, Serbia, overcame their big European rivals, Turkey, in the last round of Pool F in Łódź, Poland, to finish the second phase of the Women’s World Championship 2022 in the best possible way and move on with great confidence to the quarter-finals to which they secured a place two rounds back.
The Serbians, the only unbeaten team in the competition, won their fourth and final second pool stage match against the Turkish side with ease (3-0: 25-20, 25-21, 25-23) to claim their ninth victory in as many games in the World Champs. Actually, the bronze medalists from the Tokyo Olympics finished the second round of the event with the best record out of the 16 teams competing for a spot in the quarter-finals, with nine victories, 26 points, 27 sets won, and only two sets lost. The Turkish team secured a spot in the following round too by winning six of their nine games and accruing 17 points. Giovanni Guidetti’s side was pushed by Poland’s 3-2 win over Canada yesterday.
The star opposite, Tijana Bošković, scored a match-high of 23 points. Derya Cebecioğlu top-scored for Turkey, who entered the court in a combined line-up, with 13 points.
Even though their top 8 hopes were buried yesterday, Canada played for their pride and defeated the Dominican Republic in five sets, thus preventing their rivals to qualify for the playoffs. Poland benefitted from a defeat of the ‘Caribbean Queens’ to complete the composition of quarter-final participants from Pool F. The team commanded by Stefano Lavarini achieved so for the first time in 60 years. Poland learned about a defeat of the Dominicans during their match against Germany, which they won 3-2 anyway.
Italy knocked down China in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to earn first place in Pool E ahead of the quarter-finals for which they stamped a slot earlier. As for the Rio Olympics winners, they only held up in the first set and fought to cancel three set points, before giving up. Thus, China will have to seek playoff promotion on the last day of Phase 2 in a direct duel with Belgium.
Brazil rejected Belgium in four sets in Pool E in Rotterdam and is through to the top 8, along with Italy, but from the second place. Tainara Santos (22 points) and Ana Carolina Silva ‘Carol’ (6 blocks) stood out for the No. 1 team on the FIVB World Ranking. As for the ‘Yellow Tigers’, they’ll battle against China, as we said, for a place in the next phase.
Japan, who had a day off, is also in contention for one of the remaining two spots in the quarter-finals from Pool E. They’ll play against the ‘Oranje’ tomorrow.
2022 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship – Phase 2, Day 5:
