The Brazilian women's national team started the 1/8 final poorly, but qualified for the next phase of the World Volleyball Championship eliminations. The 'Seleção' prevailed 3:1 in sets over the Dominican Republic, showing character and an impressive change after the first set.
Bad start and complete turnaround
The Brazilians started the match extremely hesitantly and lost the first set after as many as 11 errors. In the next three sets, however, the team committed only nine inaccuracies in total, which allowed them to impose their style. Reducing errors did not mean less risk on serve – on the contrary, the strong serve and defensive organization proved to be the key to the comeback.
The setter Roberta bears great credit for the change. Entering as a substitute in the second set, she started with an impressive serving run and repeated her effectiveness in other key moments. With her appearance, the serve started working, and Brazil's block began operating at high intensity.
Dominican Republic without solutions
Gradually, the Dominican Republic team lost its main attacking weapons. The big star Brenda Castillo failed to stabilize the reception, and the attackers were neutralized by the Brazilian block.
Bethania de la Cruz Peña finished with only 3 points and 23% efficiency.
Brayelin Martínez was left with only 8 points and 28%.
Match statistics
| Attacks | Brazil | Dominican Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 46 (Gabi 17, Rosamaria 10) | 40 (Gayla Gonzalez 13, Jineiry Martinez 7) |
Brazil imposed superiority in attack thanks to Gabi, who was an undisputed leader, while Rosamaria brought important points as a substitute. The Dominican Republic relied almost entirely on Gonzalez, which made it easier for the Brazilian block.
| Block | Brazil | Dominican Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 14 (Diana 5, Julia Kudiess 3, Gabi 3) | 8 (Geraldine Gonzalez 3) |
The excellent work of middle blockers Diana and Kudiess reversed the trend after the first set and allowed Brazil to dictate the pace.
| Serve | Brazil | Dominican Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Points directly from serve | 6 (Roberta 3) | 1 (Jineiry Martinez) |
Roberta's serve proved crucial – besides the direct points, it unsettled the opponent's reception and gave the block a chance.
| Errors | Brazil | Dominican Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 20 | 27 |
The reduction in Brazilian errors was also key to the comeback. The Dominicans, for their part, continued to make inaccuracies at crucial moments.
Brazil:
Macris, Kisy (2), Julia Bergmann (12), Gabi (21), Julia Kudiess (6), Diana (10) and Marcelle (libero).
Substituted in: Roberta (4), Rosamaria (11), Tainara.
Head coach: José Roberto Guimarães.
Dominican Republic:
De la Rosa, Gaila Gonzalez (15), Pena (3), Brayelin Martinez (8), Jineiry Martinez (9), Geraldine Gonzalez (5) and Castillo (libero).
Entered: Caraballo, Guillen (3), Perez, Matos (6).
Head coach: Marcos Kwiek.
With this success, Brazil advances to the quarterfinals with the ambition to confirm its position as one of the main favorites for the medals. Their opponents will be France, who caused an upset by eliminating China in the Round of 16.
