Pregowska-Bekier of Poland suffers the home loss at Mazury Orlen Grand Slam – Volleyball News

Agnieszka Pregowska and Renata Bekier from Poland opened the 2012 SWATCH FIVB Mazury Orlen Grand Slam on Wednesday, August 15 and played two matches on the opening day of the tournament.

Despite having the competitive advantage of playing at home, the local pair failed to impress the audience and ended the day with devastating 0-2 result. Home duo was challenged by powerful teams from USA and Brazil, which did not allow the Polish ladies to delight their homes fans.

In the first fixture of the day, Pregowska/ Bekier crossed their ways with top-ranked American duo of April Ross and Jennifer Kessy. The Americans took a solid start in the match and influenced the hosts with a variety of attacks. They served with precision and hit the ball with great accuracy. The ball frequently landed on Polish side and raised the score of visiting pair by leaps and bounds. US tandem finished the opening stanza with eight points at 21-13.

Visitors carried the momentum into the following set and did not slow down. They hit the ball from all angles and availed every opportunity to score points. Polish duo totally collapsed in the second set and managed to score only six points, while the opposite side claimed the match points (21-6). Kessy/Ross pulled off success in the first match in only 29 minutes.

Following the loss of opening match, Pregowska/ Bekier came into contest with Brazil’s Maria Clara and Lili in second fixture of the day. 16^th-seeded Brazilian pair also launched power on the hosts and the home duo once again dropped the decision in straight sets 2-0 (21-14, 21-13).

Maria Clara formed a good combination with Lili and attempted successful attacks. On the other hand, Polish duo could not get the real form to lead the scores. Better digging and diving of Brazilians allowed them to save crucial points, while Poles dropped easy shots and suffered the set-back. The visiting team closed the first at 21-14 and dug up success in the next frame with similar margin, 21-13. Brazilian pair earned winning status whereas Poles received second defeat in a row.
Next up, the Polish team is scheduled to go against Slovakia’s Dubovcova-Nestarcova in the third match on Thursday. Local ladies are determined to demonstrate a better performance in the next match. Let’s wait and see if they manage to outdo the 17^th-seeded Slovak pair, which already has one victory in hand.