Almaty, Kazakhstan, June 26, 2016 – Germany served their way into a 3-1 victory (20-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-14) against Spain in Group 3 of FIVB Volleyball World League at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace on Sunday.
Christian Fromm (17 points) and Simon Hirsch (15 points) provided the armoury for Germany as they head for the Group 3 Finals at home in Frankfurt.
Germany started off with effective execution of their offence. Fromm delivered power with his attacks up front. Spain had some issues with the first ball and had limited options in offence. They resorted to their game in the middle with captain Jorge Fernandez picking up points from blocks. Daniel Rocamora tried to stage a run late in the first set, but the feat proved futile as Germany won 25-20.
Spain worked on their reception and ran better plays in the second set. Rocamora went to work at his spot in the right wing. Germany had the advantage in blocks but could not fully utilize their deflection against the speed of Rocamora’s swings. While Spain still suffered from lapses in passing, they geared up for a 25-21 win with Alejandro Vigil’s slammer in the middle.
Spain continued to have the upper hand in attacks, but Germany served up some pressure into the game. Simon Hirsch was also getting in more points from his attacks. The German side likewise employed a formidable presence at the net and converted deflections into points to race away with 25-16 the third set.
By the fourth set, Germany was getting more of their powerful serves in, while Spain struggled with their reception and passing. Andres Villena tried to pick up some points but Spain could no longer handle the pressure of the German block and service.