Maria Koleva and Brazilian Dentil Praia were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Women's Club Volleyball World Championship in Sao Paulo after a convincing 0:3 loss to Italian Savino Del Bene Scandicci.
(25:23, 26:24, 25:19).
The Italian team controlled the key moments in all three sets, demonstrating greater stability in attack and on serve.
Maria Koleva finished the match with 3 points from attack, having limited opportunities against Scandicci's well-organized block.
Fingal was the top scorer for the Brazilian team with 17 points, and Caffrey added another 16, but this proved insufficient to counter the Italian power.
For the winners, Ekaterina Antropova was once again outstanding, scoring 20 points
16 from attack, 1 block, and 3 aces. Skinner supported her excellent performance with another 16 points, as Scandicci dominated both in serving and in the decisive rallies.
Scandicci reached the final without dropping a set in the tournament and awaits the winner of the other semi-final between Prosecco DOC Imoco Conegliano (Italy) and Osasco São Cristóvão Saúde (Brazil).
Should Conegliano, led by Daniele Santarelli, live up to its role as favorite, spectators will witness a repeat of the Champions League final. We recall that in Istanbul, Conegliano triumphed over Scandicci with a 3:0 victory.
The other semi-final is played later this evening, and the intrigue is whether Osasco will manage to stop the Italian dominance or if Europe will once again produce an undisputed world champion.
photos: .volleyballworld.com
