Altay bring in block party for 3-0 win against VTV Binh Dien Long An
Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, July 14, 2018 – Kazakhstan’s Altay defeated Vietnam’s VTV Binh Dien Long An in straight sets (25-17, 25-21, 25-15) on Saturday for a classification match of the SMM 2018 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship at the Boris Alexandrov Sports Palace.
Natalia Sharshakova led all scorers with 14 points, from 5 attacks and 9 deflections, that helped define Altay’s strong blocking game. Olga Drobyshevskaya added another 12 points (9 attacks, 3 blocks). The team delivered a total of 21 blocks in the match.
Altay captain Sana Anarkulova said “Our team had much focus on this match. I am happy that we are able to give a good performance for today.”
The host team started the match, imposing their strong presence at the frontline. Sharshakova converted with well-timed blocks. The Vietnam club enlisted stronger pressure on their serve that threw off the hosts’ tempo in reception. They also utilized N.T.N. Hoa at the middle. Altay adapted to this and set-up Drobyshevskaya at the left flank. VTV Binh Dien Long An looked to Tran Thu Thanh Thuy for firepower but was often deflected by the home team. Altay capitalized well on their momentum to gain 25-17 in the first set.
In the second set, the Vietnamese side needed to address their opponents’ formidable blocking. They surely had the height to match, but they needed to vary their plays with more unpredictable options. They tried to run combination plays and succeeded on several instances, to help take the 16-15 edge at the second technical time-out. VTV Binh Dien Long An kept running their fast plays and sustained their narrow lead. Altay quickly addressed this with good read blocks from Sharshakova and Heloiza Pereira, to help overtake until 23-19. The Vietnam side inched closer with a service winner, but Pereira launched an ace of her own to seal the second set at 25-21 for the home team.
By the third set, the Kazakh side managed to reap more benefits of a well-organized block formation. They relied on Sharshakova and Drobyshevskaya, even for quick tap-ins down the middle, to help take a healthy 16-11 advantage at the second TTO. The Vietnam club seemed to run their plays hurriedly, but not as precisely. Meanwhile, the hosts continued to clamp down on their opponents’ attacks, and sustained good tempo all the way to a 25-15 finish in the final set.
VTV Binh Dien Long An coach Nguyen Quoc Vu said “We have tried our best in this match but we encountered issues in our reception which affected the outcome of the game. The Altay team has really good blockers and this is a good win for them.”
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