Germany shut out Argentina to improve to 1-1

Rome, September 24, Italy, 2014- Germany claim their first victory in the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship Italy 2014 against Argentina winning the match 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-14).

After yesterday’s long match, Germany answered positively at the second court test facing Argentina that only in a few moments at the beginning of the first and second set caused problems to Germany captain Margareta Kozuch’s companies.

Key facts

- Kozuch was the top scorer of the match with 16 points, while Maren Brinker added 13 points. Emilce Sosa paced Argentina with 10 points.

- Germany met Argentina for the fourth time in a World Championship and Germany won all the three matches before. In 1960 West Germany won 3-2, in 1990  both West and East Germany beat Argentina 3-0.

- Germany out-served Argentina 11-2 in aces.

- In the second set Germany’s percentage of attacks efficency after negative reception is an high 75%

- The match lasts only 1 hour and 8 minutes




The first set began with long rallies, as the importance of the match say, being the second match of the competition and both teams came from a defeat in the first day match. The first technical timeout saw Argentina leading the score at 8-6.  An excellent rally scored by Margareta Kozuch, followed by her ace, tied the score for Germany at 9-9. Argentina was forced to call another timeout at 12-9 after opponent’s break. Guillermo Orduna tried also the opposite-setter double substitution for a short phase but they found on their path a shining Heike Beier. Two aces by German spiker Mareen Apitz closed the set at 25-12 with Argentina that underlined difficulties in spiking section.

The start of the second set saw a good block and an efficient spike by Argentina’s middle-blocker Emilce Sosa allowing her team to take two points of advantage, situation immediately overturned by Germany that arrived at the second timeout two points ahead in the score.  The set took the German path with a seven-point lead at the second technical timeout. Again Ordona tried the setter-opposite substitution attempting to change some attacks direction to confuse opponent’s block. But Germany kept playing its game. The new entered Jennifer Geerties scored two aces in a row for Germany and with another difficult serve made Kozuch claim the 25th point and close the set with opponents left at 13 points.

Coach Orduna immediately wanted to stop Germany calling an early timeout with his team 5 points down in the score in the third set and changed the setter. His athletes couldn’t find the right way to break the opponent’s block and Germany regulated and increased the gap at 14-6 when Orduna used his second optional timeout. Germany because of the score took the liberty of making some errors and closed the match at 25-14.

Tomorrow Germany will face Tunisia, while Argentina will challange the host team Italy.