Ankara, Turkey, August 15, 2015 – Japan stopped Dominican Republic’s winning streak at 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women’s U23 World Championship by beating the Caribbean side 3-1 (25-20, 25-18, 16-25, 25-19) in Pool B on Saturday evening.
After four competition days, the Dominican Republic, Japan as well as China share the lead in Pool B with a 3-1 win/loss record each.
Arisa Inoue led the Asian side with 24 points, including two blocks and an ace. Captain Brayelin Elizabeth Martinez was the top scorer for the Dominican Republic with 19 winners.
9-5 errors were one of the key elements why Japan jumped out to a well-deserved 1-0 set lead versus the Dominican Republic. Compared to their outstanding performance the day before against China, the Caribbean showed less determination. Japan, on the other hand, displayed an excellent defense with spectacular saves to clinch the first set 25-20.
The Asian side kept the upper hand in the second set as well. The Dominicans still struggled with their offense (23%) while Japan continued their run with a sophisticated gameplan. Inoue was the leading force for her team with eight points in the second set. The Caribbean side did their best to come back but couldn’t stop the strong Japanese (25-18).
Even though the Dominican Republic bounced back to win the third set 25-16, it was not good enough. Japan regained control in the early stages of the fourth set and never looked back until 25-19.