MATCH INFO

Lima, Peru, July 22, 2011 - The six time world champion Brazil got an important victory in its debut in the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Junior World Championship Peru 2011 that is placed in Peru. In the first game of Pool B in Lima, Brazil beat Italy in four sets (23-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-16) after a difficult beginning.

Brazil's Gabriela Souza led all scorers in the match with 22 points, while Ana Beatriz Correa added 15 points with a match-high eight blocks. Valentina Diouf paced Italy with 15 points, while Caterina Bosetti added 10 points. Brazil held a 17-8 block advantage in the match.

In the second day of pool B on Saturday, Italy is going to play against Cuba in the first term of the day, and in its ending, Brazil is going to play against Serbia.

The beginning never predicted how would be the first set. Brazil took faster advantages on the first technical time out for 8-4 with Samara’s attacks. The winning team of the bronze medal in 2009 increased the advantage in the second technical time out to five points and until there it did not seem the result to be in danger. However, Italy, with good digs, good blocking and a good distribution of its setter Letizia Camera, started to approach and tied on 20. From there, it was a set played point by point and the mistakes were the ones which defined the set favoring Italy 23-25 in 24 minutes.

Brazil came out to play another match in the second set, recovering from the first one. They got the minimum advantage in the first technical time out and extended to four in the second time out with a great effectiveness of Ana Beatriz Correa. It was hard for Italy to get points in the attack because the Brazilian block stopped everything allowing the South American players to keep the advantage until the end with the 25-20 in 27 minutes.

Brazil decided to follow its recovering way in the third set. Point by point, with good actions in the attack, the first technical time out got 8-7 for Brazilians, who kept the leadership in the second technical time out 16-14 with a great distribution by its setter Juliana Carrijo. The Europeans, world championship runners-up in 1977, started suffering lots of troubles in the reception after the second technical time out.

Brazil appealed to all its attacks, counterattacks and speed variation’s resources with the ball. Gabriela Souza gave to her team the set ball point with a good attack in four zone and after a service mistake and another one in the attack, Ana Beatriz defined the set 25-18, in 25 minutes.

Minimum advantages were reflected in Brazil again at the beginning of the fourth and definitive set. However, Italy started to make lots of mistakes from its reception and attack. Brazil took distance of 13-9 and the South American players imposed their strength in the block and did not let to the Italians play a good match. With the actions of Ana Beatriz, they stretched to the maximum difference for 21-13. With a good rotation system, Brazil got the victory of the match in 24 minutes with a 25-16 score and therefore got their first three points in the championship.

For more information on the tournament, visit the tournament home page.