Lima, Peru, July 25, 2011 – The FIVB Volleyball Women’s Junior World Championship Peru 2011 second round starts on Tuesday with eight matches spread out over two pools in Lima and Trujillo, Peru.
The second round features four groups of four teams playing round-robin contests July 26 through July 28. The top eight teams are divided into two groups – Pool E and Pool F – and are in the hunt for the gold medal. The top two teams in Pools E and F advance to the semifinal round. Meanwhile, the bottom eight teams continue to play second round matches for places 9-16 in Pools G and H.
Host Peru captured Pool A with a 3-0 record in Trujillo and has transferred to Lima for their Pool E second round opener against Italy on Tuesday at 20.15. Italy finished second in Pool B with a 2-1 record after losing to Brazil on opening day. Peru’s only medal in the tournament was a silver in 1981, while Italy earned the silver in 1997 for their only medal. Peru’s top scorer Brenda Uribe ranks 23rd in the tournament with 36 points. However, the host country has three of the top 10 Best Spikers in Uribe (42.6 success rate for eighth-best), Vivian Baella (41.8 for ninth-best) and Grecia Herrada (40.8 for 10th best). Uribe leads the Best Server category with 1.11 aces per set. Italy has two 202cm players in Valentina Diouf – the seventh-best scorer in the tournament – and Floriana Bertone. Italy’s Caterina Bosetti, just 17 years old, is the 19th best scorer and fourth-best receiver in the tournament.
Pool B winner Brazil face Belgium at 18.15 on Tuesday at Gran Chimu Coliseum in Trujillo to open the second round. Brazil won all three first-round contests, while Belgium won their final two contests to finish second in Pool C. The contest is a contrast in opponents as Brazil have played in all 16 FIVB Women’s Junior World Championships with six titles and 10 medals, while Belgium are making their first appearance. The match features the top scorer in the tournament in Belgium’s Lise Van Hecke with 95 points, while Brazil will counter with Gabriela Souza’s 48 points for fifth place in scoring and Samara Almeida’s 44 points.
Pool D winner China open the second round against Pool A second-place finisher Slovakia on Tuesday at 18:15 at Trujillo. China won all three first-round matches, while Slovakia lost to host Peru on the final day of Pool A. China has appeared in all 16 FIVB Women’s Junior World Championships and seek their second gold medal in the event. In contrast, Slovakia is playing in the tournament for the first time under their own flag after three other appearance with the Czechoslovakia flag. China’s Zhou Yang is ranked third in scoring during the tournament and leader in Best Blocker, while Slovakia’s Nikola Radosova is 11th in scoring and second in Best Server.
United States and Dominican Republic start the second round Pool E on Tuesday in Lima at 18.15 in an all-NORCECA contest. The Americans, who finished with a 3-0 record in the first round, are seeking their first-ever podium finish in the event. Dominican Republic reached the title match in the last edition in 2009 and finished with the silver, their only medal in the tournament. Dominican Republic finished second in Pool D with a 2-1 record. United States’ Haley Eckerman ranks 10th in scoring in the tournament and leader in the Best Spiker category with a 52 percent success rate, while libero Natalie Hagglund ranks as the top libero in the tournament. Dominican Republic’s Elizabeth Martinez, who turns 15-years-old in September, is the fourth-best scorer in the tournament, while Brenda Castillo is the top rated player in Best Digger and Best Receiver.
Korea and Cuba meet on Tuesday at 9.30 in Lima to start the second round 9-16 classification matches. Cuba finished fourth in Pool B with an 0-3 record, while Korea finished third in Pool C with a 1-2 mark. Cuba’s Sulian Matienzo is sixth in scoring for the tournament, while Korea’s Ji-Soo Kim is tied for eighth.
Tunisia and Japan challenge each other at 11.30 in Lima to begin second round classification matches. Tunisia captured their first-ever win in the tournament to cap Pool A with a 1-2 record, while Japan finished Pool D with a 0-3 record. Japan’s Fumika Moriya is 12th in scoring during the tournament and second in Best Spiker with a 47.83 success percent. Sumiko Mori is the second in Best Digger and Best Receiver. Tunisia’s Ghalia Ouderni is 28th in scoring , while Ahlem Trayi is fourth in Best Digger.
Russia and Egypt start the second round with a 9.30 contest in Trujillo during Pool H play. Russia was third in Pool D, but ended on a high note with a victory on the final day of the first round. Egypt, 0-3 in Pool A, nearly won their first-ever FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship match on the final day of the first round but lost in a five-set thriller to continental rival Tunisia. Russia’s Natalia Malykh is 12th in scoring during the tournament, while Valeriya Safonova is eighth in Best Blocker with a 1.00 average. Egypt’s Yasmin Hussein is 24th in scoring.
Serbia and Poland take to the court at 11.30 in Trujillo to begin the second round phase of the tournament in Pool H. Serbia ended the first round 1-2 and in third place in Pool B. Poland was 0-3 in the first round Pool C. Serbia’s Maja Savic ranks 19thin scoring during the tournament, while also ranking third in Best Blocker with 1.27 per set. Despite a 1-2 first round record, Serbia’s Danica Radenkovic is the third-best setter in the tournament. Poland’s Zuzanna Czyzniewleska ranks second overall in scoring with 66 points in the first round, while teammate Aleksandra Sikorska is second in Best Blocker with a 1.62 average.