France off the mark in Hiroshima with win over Czechs
Pujol and Exiga celebrate another France win
France
vs
Czech Republic
3
-
0
November 25, Hiroshima: France began their second round campaign with a straight sets victory over European rivals the Czech Republic.
The French punctuated their 25-19, 25-23, 25-18 victory with periods of unstoppable volleyball, but a spirited Czech team made them work hard until the end.
The Czechs were ultimately made to pay for their slow start to each set, however, as France fuelled their ambitions of claiming a semi-final spot in Tokyo.
Both teams began the match with tentative attacks, with little to separate the two after the first bout of sparring.
Czech captain Martin Lebl and wing spiker Jan Stokr tested the water with points at the net, while Frantz Granvorka and Guillaume Samica did the same for the French.
A Pierre Pujol ace registered one of the few successful service runs in the opening exchanges, and an 8-7 French lead at the first TTO showed how little there was between the teams.
Things changed dramatically after the restart, as France grabbed the bull by the horns. Spikes from Romain Vadeleux and Granvorka ignited the French attack, and before long the Czechs found themselves trailing by seven points at 16-9.
A Marek Novotny ace and a slam at the net from Michal Rak worried France coach Phillipe Blain enough to call a time-out, but soon the cushion the French had given themselves returned.
Samica prodded a lob over the Czech blockers to take the score to 20-13, but the Czechs weren't ready to throw in the towel just yet.
Jiri Popelka rescued points for the Czechs as they reduced the deficit to 22-19, but soon France had recovered to reach set point.
Samica surged down the left wing, and France had the first set in the bag. Vadeleux started the second set in style with an ace from service, and added another as France took a quick 3-0 lead.
Dominating blocking by Samica helped his side extend that advantage to 6-1, leaving the Czechs dazed by the early onslaught. Lebl and Rak eventually recovered to find a way through, but France were comfortably in the lead by then. An Oliver Kieffer block made sure it stayed that way, although Rak was relentless in trying to drag his team back into contention.
Samica fired France into the second TTO 16-12 ahead, but a skewed Granvorka spike and a David Konecny drive soon after narrowed the gap to just one point.
Eventually the Czechs' hard work paid off, making back the early lost ground at 18-18. What should have been straightforward for the French had now become a real problem, although Samica and Kieffer were doing their best to solve it with ruthless spikes.
And once they had regained their lead, France would not let it slip again. A missed Czech service brought up set point, and another error handed the second set to their opponents.
Brilliant serving by Vadeleux again helped France to an early lead in the third set, leaving the Czechs with it all to do if they wanted to save the match.
Another ace, this time by Samica, took the score to 7-2, and soon the French had reached double figures at 10-5 with a spike from captain Stephane Antiga.
A barrage from Granvorka added more points, and soon the French had the finish line in sight. Rak made sure they would not reach it immediately, but with Granvorka constantly raiding down the right wing, the Czechs could not hold out forever.
Samica brought up match point at 24-17, and a long serve by Czech Ondrej Hudecek gave France an opening victory in Hiroshima.
