Brazilian Maria Clara-Lili finish the opening day with mixed results – Volleyball News

Brazil’s Liliane Maestrini and Maria Clara Salgado entered the Mazury Orlen Grand Slam women’s beach volleyball tournament in the Main Draw. They appeared in two matches on Wednesday and ended up with mixed result of 1-1.

Maria Clara-Lili attended Country Quota Playoffs and qualifying stages of various SWATCH FIVB World Tour events in the season, but rarely got a chance to reach the Main Draw. However, Mazury Orlen Grand Slam created a great opportunity for Brazilian pair to take part in the Main Draw.
First off, they were challenged by Slovakia’s Natalia Dubovcova and Dominika Nestarcova, who sent Maria Clara-Lili to first loss in the tournament. The Slovaks ladies came strong on the competitors and jumped to an early lead in the first set. They added quick points and inched their way to the first-set win at 21-13. Brazilian duo hit back aggressively in the second set and managed to overcome the opponents. They posted 21-17 and levelled the game score (1-1). In the third decisive set, Slovaks played better and clinched success with four points (15-11). The match ended in the favour of Slovakian pair, while Maria Clara-Lili suffered the loss.

After dropping the first match, Brazilian duo displayed a match-winning performance against Poland’s Pregowska-Bekier in the second fixture of the day. They claimed first victory of the tournament in 30 minutes by sending 21-14 and 21-13 on board.

Maria Clara shared her views in the following manner: “For me it is really good to be in the main draw. The whole season I’ve played country quota and qualification, it’s quite annoying, but you learn from it.” Speaking of her team’s overall performance, Clara said: “In the first match we played really good in the first set, but didn’t in the second and they deserved it (the win),” Maria Clara said. “I’m happy to be here, I didn’t plan to come originally, but I always enjoy playing here.
Likewise, her team-partner Lili expressed delight for being in the Main Draw of the Mazury Orlen Grand Slam. She hoped to do well in their next match against US team. Brazilian duo is scheduled to meet April Ross and Jennifer Kessy on Thursday. It will be a daunting task for Maria Clara-Lili to cope with the power of rival team that is ranked No. 1 in the competition. The top-seeded Ross/Kessy gave out an up to mark performance in their first two matches and claimed 2-0 record on Wednesday. Seemingly, they are in better shape to take away the next match. Check back for more news and updates.