Women u20 2021

Turkey and Argentina with easy victories

Turkey and Argentina start on the right foot in Pool G

Published 07:22, 13 Jul 2021

Turkey and Argentina claimed easy victories against Pool G underdogs Rwanda and Thailand, respectively. In the first match of the day, Turkey did not face any big problems against Rwanda, outclassing them quickly in three sets. In the other fixture, Argentina did the same, beating Thailand at 3-0.

Turkey v Rwanda 3-0 (25-10, 25-9, 25-16)

Turkey stormed out for a 10-0 lead in the beginning of the match. Facing no big problems, the players of Sahin Catma easily took the first two sets. In the third, the team of Rwanda put some pressure on Turkey with some successful play on the block, while the Turkish players had lost concentration for a moment. However, Turkey responded quickly, and claimed the victory. Ege Melisa Bukmen and Nur Hanife Ozaydinli of Turkey topped the charts, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively.

“Easy matches sometimes turn out to be harder than the others, but we are very happy that we won in three sets. The atmosphere in the team is very relaxed, we are looking forward to the next challenges," Bukmen, opposite hitter of Turkey commented.

Argentina v Thailand 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-18)

On Tuesday, Argentina and Thailand closed the action in Pool G. The Panthers seized a 3-0 win, claiming total control of the game in the first two sets, while showing good performance on the block (12 in total for the match). In the third set, Thailand showed improvements in their game, but still lost the decisive balls, struggling in reception. Argentina, on the other hand, started making some unforced errors, but quickly found back their motivation and closed at 23-18. Argentina’s rising star, Bianca Cugno shined again, scoring as many as 12 points.

“We are very happy because we could emerge victorious in three sets. The third set was a close call, but we found a solution, so we are very satisfied. Tomorrow we play against Rwanda, we know them already. We will try to remain focused on our game and always give the best," said Argentina middle blocker Julieta Holzmaisters.