Cuba had an excellent blocking game against Peru where they outscored the latter 16-3 in the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup at the Park Arena Komaki on Saturday.
Komaki, Japan, September 5, 2015 – Heidy Margarita Rodriguez and Sulian Caridad Matienzo Linares teamed-up to power
Cuba’s 3-1 (13-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-19) win over Peru in the third round of the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup at the Park Arena Komaki on Saturday.
Rodriguez and Matienzo recorded 19 and 18 points, respectively, while Karla Ortiz and Katherine Regalado scored 15 and 13 points for Peru. The Peruvians served 14 aces but Cuba’s 50 attacks and 16 blocks were key to their victory.
Peru had a superb start on offence and defence as they held Cuba to an 8-2 score in the first set. Alexandra Munoz’s stint in the service line extended the lead of Peru as Cuba struggled heavily to pass and set-up their plays. Peru’s coverage on defence allowed them to set-up good counter-attacks. Peru grabbed the first set win on an attack error by Cuba 25-13.
Cuba came off strong and succeeded with 25-16 and 25-18 victories in the next two sets. The Cubans enjoyed a complete turnaround as they found their rhythm and started nailing their attacks, while their counterparts’ defence faltered. In the fourth set, Cuba mounted tough blocks on the Peruvian attackers and then countered with strong swings from Rodriguez and Matienzo on both flanks. Peru sparked a run to reduce the Cuban lead to within two points at 19-17, but Cuba raced to the end of the set and match 25-19.