The German national team successfully began its participation in the first week of the Women's Volleyball Nations League. In a Group 1 match played in Quebec City, the Germans prevailed over host Canada with a score of 3:1 (28:26, 22:25, 25:18, 25:18).
The match began with an extremely even first set, in which the two teams exchanged leads until the very end. However, in the decisive moments, Germany showed more composure and snatched a 28:26 victory. The Canadians responded in the second set, and after solid offensive play, they equalized the score with a 25:22 win.
After the middle of the match, the German team gradually asserted its will. Germany's squad was more effective in attack and more stable in defense, which allowed them to win the third and fourth sets with identical scores of 25:18, making the final score 3:1.
The top scorer for the winners was team star Grozer with 24 points (daughter of the legend Georg Grozer, editor's note), while Weitzel added another 15. For Canada, Gray scored 23 points, and Van Ryk finished with 16.
The match statistics also show the advantage of the German squad:
| Metric | Canada | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 54 | 62 |
| Block | 11 | 12 |
| Serve | 5 | 3 |
| Points from opponent's errors | 17 | 23 |
| Total points | 87 | 100 |
| Digs | 61 | 76 |
| Reception | 91 | 77 |
| Rallies | 127 | 123 |
The Germans finished with eight more points from attack and won the blocking battle. Even more important was the difference in points from opponent's errors – 23 versus 17. Also notable are Germany's 76 digs against Canada's 61, which indicates better defensive organization and more won prolonged rallies.
The first referee of the match was the best Bulgarian referee, Ivaylo Ivanov.
With this success, Germany made a strong start to the tournament in Quebec City, while Canada will try to catch up in its next matches in front of its home crowd.
photos:volleyballworld.com
