• Submitted by: manso
• Sports
• 06 / 10 / 2011

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OSCAR SÁNCHEZ SERRA. ALTHOUGH Cuba’s team reached a higher level of play during the second weekend of the 2011 World Volleyball League tour, the young men could not advance beyond their third place spot in Group B of the tournament, behind Italy in first place and South Korea, second.

In its debut on Italian soil, the team was left with two setbacks at the hands of the host country. The first 3-0 and the second after a dramatic back-and-forth game decided in five sets.

If something positive came of the young volley ball players appearances in Ancona and Andria, it is that the team led by Orlando Samuels clearly showed it can beat any adversary within this group. The proof was seen in the second game against the most experienced team in the D grouping.

The team showed that, despite placing third, back by five and seven points, classifying is not the chimera it once appeared to be, if they can maintain the level of play demonstrated in the second game against Italy.

Of course, in order to accomplish this, they will have to defeat France twice this weekend and then do likewise with South Korea, plus at least split the two second round games with Italy and finish with two victories over France.

If this happens, the Cubans will end up with eight victories and four defeats, a record which in the history of this competition has been enough to classify. What are the main obstacles to accomplishing such an ambitious goal? First, recognizing that it is ambitious. Second, playing at 100% consistently and third being aware that their rivals may also be growing stronger over the course of the tournament. If they hope to classify, however, this is the only way to do it.

Within the two duels with Italy, the third set played in Ancona stands out, going to a score of 27-25 and, of course the meeting in Andria which included, in my opinion, the best set (the fourth) played between any two teams in the World League so far, not to mention the fifth which was the first to be played in Group D. In this confrontation, both teams displayed the combativity of good volleyball, each team coming back from behind to overcome the opponent. Impressive was Italy’s final comeback, after being down 14-12 and all appeared lost, but the Cubans couldn’t get to 15 to deal the final blow.

The Cuban team’s inability to close that game was, in great measure, due to its failure to control the game, to make the last point, something which comes with the many court appearances that this young team has yet to make.

After two meetings in South Korea, where the team split the honors and fell behind, as was expected, in Italy, although they didn’t win, they certainly emerged as a convincing team.

Source: Granma Internacional