Overview: Penultimate day of the U21 Women's World Championship
The U21 Women's Volleyball Championship is entering its decisive phase. Today, the three medalists of the World Championship in Surabaya, Indonesia, will become clear: Italy and Japan will compete for gold, while Brazil and Bulgaria will vie for bronze. Our team's match is at 12 PM Bulgarian time. The penultimate day of the tournament brought a lot of emotions, decisive clashes, and final answers for the standings.
The final is set: Italy vs. Japan
Italy was the first to reach the final, decisively outplaying Brazil with a 3:0 (25:16, 25:21, 25:19) victory. Despite their own errors, the Europeans demonstrated full dominance in attack and a stable block. The leaders in offense were Nicole Piomboni and Teresa Maria Bosso with 13 points each, while Merit Adigwe added 12.
Shortly after, Japan joined them, eliminating Bulgaria with a 3:0 victory. The strength of the Asians was again their defense – libero Ami Uchizawa recorded 14 digs, and Anna Uemura – 11. Their counterattacks gave them a serious advantage. For Bulgaria, Iva Dudova was the most productive with 15 points, but it was not enough.
Battle for 5th place: Poland failed against China
Poland played a spectacular five-set duel with Turkey, which ended 3:2 and a 17:15 tie-break. Thus, the Polish team had to play for fifth place against China, who crushed Argentina 3:0 (25:12, 25:20, 25:21). The leader for the Asians was Li Hanyu with 21 points, while their opponents suffered from low attack efficiency. However, China gave no chance to the Polish team and won the battle for fifth place.
Thus, the winners for places 5-6, 7-8, 11-12, and 15-16 in the final standings table became clear:
| Position | Team 1 | Team 2 | Result (sets) | Set scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5–6 | China | Poland | 3:1 | 23–25, 25–21, 25–23, 25–17 |
| 7–8 | Argentina | Turkey | 3:0 | 25–21, 25–18, 25–21 |
| 11–12 | Thailand | Croatia | 2:3 | 25–21, 25–21, 21–25, 16–25, 12–15 |
| 15–16 | Indonesia | Puerto Rico | 2:3 | 25–17, 26–28, 25–15, 23–25, 15–17 |
The penultimate day of the championship arranged the whole picture before the final chord. Italy and Japan confirmed their status as the strongest teams, Bulgaria got a chance for bronze against Brazil, and the other teams already know their places. The tournament shows a clear trend – Asian teams win through exceptional defense and discipline, while European teams win through powerful attack and stable block.
The final day promises to be a true volleyball celebration.
