The World Today
The Spanish women's volleyball team fell this Saturday 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-23) in their debut at the World Championship, which is being held in Nakhon Ratchasima (Thailand), against the current European champion, Turkey, which has spoiled the return of the Spanish team to a world championship after 43 years.
Pascual Saurín's team shook off their early nerves and stood up to the Turkish team, which made the most of its solidity, with Melissa Vargas and Erlek dominating the offensive game, to prevent the Spanish team from having any chances at the end of the set.
In the first set, the Ottoman team relied on Vargas's power and the Ottomans' excellent blocking performance to take a six-point lead that proved insurmountable for Spain. In the second set, after a brief dominance by the Iberians, Turkey intensified its success in serving and smashing to leave them with no chance.
The third set was much more even, with Pascual Saurín's team, with Ana Escamilla and Lucía Varela playing at their best, forcing their opponents to react, but they were unable to break away. Only with the score tied at 21 did the European champions pull out all the stops, dominating the exchange of action and closing out the match with an attack from Melissa Vargas. After a rest on Sunday, Spain will face Canada in their second preliminary round match on Monday.
