WARSAW, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Poland kept up their winning streak by beating South Korea 25-17, 25-18, 25-16, while Turkey outplayed the Dominican Republic 3-2 in a five-set thriller at the 2022 FIVB Women's World Championship in Gdansk, Poland on Wednesday.
The clash between Turkey and the Dominican Republic had a perfect scenario for the spectators as the winner wasn't known until the very end. Outside hitter Elizabeth Brayelin led the Dominican Republic to victory in the first set scoring six points, while opposite Gaila Gonzalez added one less and the side coached by Marcos Kwiek edged the opening part 25-21.
However, Turkey responded in the best possible way to win two consecutive sets. Opposite Ebrar Karakurt turned out to be unstoppable, scoring eight points in the second part. Two good spikes by the 22-year-old allowed Turkey to close the set 25-21. Then they continued the momentum to make it 2-1 in sets.
The Dominicans were able to move the game into the tie-break mainly thanks to Gaila Gonzalez. The spiker made three mistakes in the serve area, but she regained her efficiency in attacks to score five.
The last set was very tight as none of the team could build a safe advantage. Turkey couldn't find a way to block Brayelin Martinez but the players led by Italy's Giovanni Guidetti had the last word in Gdansk. Karakurt, who produced a match high of 29 points for the winners, kept the tension under control in the crucial moment to effectively finish three attacks in a row. Turkey won tie-break 15-13 to seal their second victory in the tournament.
Croatia are still waiting for their first points in the tournament as on Wednesday they lost to Thailand in straight sets 18-25, 13-25, 21-25 in Gdansk. Outside hitter Ajcharaporn Kongyot was the most prolific scorer with 22 points, while Chatchu-On Moksri added 14. Croatian skipper Samanta Fabris delivered 13.
In the evening match in Pool B there was no surprise as Poland beat South Korea 25-17, 25-18, 25-16. Magdalena Stysiak was top scorer for Poland with 15 points. The co-hosts of the competition are in first place of Pool B with nine points, followed by the Dominican Republic and Turkey.
Also on Wednesday, China extended their perfect start of the tournament with 3-0 (28-26, 25-17, 29-27) victory over Japan in Arnhem, the Netherlands. Cai Bin's players stayed unbeaten in the first phase of the competition with three wins of three, nine points and a 9-0 set ratio.
