Russia edges Dominican Republic in five sets

 

YOKOHAMA, Japan, September 19, 2019 – Russia defeated the Dominican Republic 3-2 (25-16, 25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 15-5) for their fourth victory at the FIVB Women’s World Cup on Thursday and coach Sergio Buscato said his team overcame fatigue to win.

 

Russia improved its record to 4-1 while the Dominicans dropped to 2-3.

 

Russia’s Nataliya Goncharova and Kseniia Parubets led the winners with 26 and 22 points, respectively. Bethania de la Cruz led the Dominican Republic with 27 points, including three blocks and three aces, followed by Brayelin Martínez with 23.

 

Russia coach Sergio Busato: "I’m very satisfied. Five days is very difficult physically and mentally. They have two leaders in Martinez and De La Cruz. We showed character to win today. We prepared well for the Dominican Republic. It was difficult because we played one of the best teams in the tournament. Every team is getting tired now including my team. 

 

Dominican Republic coach Marcos Kwiek: "Nobody is happy to lose, but we did get one point. That is an achievement. We came back from 0-2, but we lost the fifth set by a large margin."