Italy finished fifth in the 30th edition of the Montreux Volley Masters with their 3-1 defeat of China
Montreux, Switzerland, May 30, 2015 – Italy finished in fifth place with their 3-1 (27-25, 25-21, 15-25, 25-16) victory over China, which settled in seventh place, at the 30th edition of the Montreux Volley Masters at the Pierrier Sports Hall on Saturday.
China captain Liu Yanhan topscored with 21 points, while Indre Sorokaite charted 18 markers for Italy.
Italy and China were persistent in the first set, not being able to gain upper hand until the score was set at 17-all, when Liu Yanhan scored on three consecutive attacks. Italy challenged this effort and started their own scoring run. Italian youngster Paola Egonu scored some crucial points to close the 27-25 win in their favour.
The Italian hitters had a field day in the second set as Egonu, Sorokaite, Miriam Fatime Sylla and Raffaella Calloni all had their moments to shine in scoring against the Chinese side. Italy were able to hold on to their lead and took the second set 25-21.
China broke the momentum of Italy for a commanding 25-15 win in the third set.
Italy entertained the crowd with a display of excellent volleyball that reached almost midnight, until Raphaela Folie’s kill sealed the 25-16 match victory.