Nanjing, China, July 7, 2019 – The United States claimed their second successive FIVB Volleyball Nations League title following their 3-2 (20-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-21, 15-13) win over Brazil in the final at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre on Sunday.
Annie Drews scored 33 points to help USA to complete a five-set comeback after losing the first two sets against two-time Olympic champions Brazil. Gabi Guimaraes and Lorenne Geraldo Teixeira made 20 points each on a losing effort.
Brazil won the first two sets, but USA fought back to win the next two as Drews stepped up on her game. The fifth set went down the wire as Brazil managed to cut down the USA lead to one at 14-13, but the spike by Brazil hit the antenna, effortlessly giving the North American side the title victory for the second time.
Last year, USA also had to overcome a five-set match against Turkey before taking home the inaugural title of the VNL.
In the bronze medal match, China rose to the occasion and delighted their home fans with their 3-1 (25-23, 25-15, 20-25, 25-21) win over Turkey for their successive third place finish at the VNL.
Liu Yanhan and Gong Xiangyu provided a good scoring tandem to power the Chinese victory. Liu Yanhan top scored for China with 23 points, while Gong added 20 markers.
Young Turkish player Ebrar Karakurt led all scorers with 31 points, but her team gave away 30 points off errors to their opponents.
Quick links - Volleyball:
FIVB.com - Volleyball Nations League
FIVB.com - Volleyball
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