By Natalie Cholohei, Port Moresby 2015 Games News Service
PORT MORESBY, July 12 – Wallis and Futuna have staked their claim for a Port Moresby 2015 Pacific Games volleyball medal after beating New Caledonia 3-0 at the BSP Arena on Sunday.
Wallis and Futuna opened up the first set strongly, putting New Caledonia quickly on the back foot with stellar attacking play, taking the first set 25-18.
The New Caledonians got off to a much better start in the second set, sparking a fiery encounter between the teams, but their efforts were not enough to contain the flamboyant Wallis and Futuna outfit who managed to get ahead 25-22 to take out the second set and build a 2-0 lead.
The third set saw Wallis and Futuna hit cruise control, sprinting to a 7-1 lead in the first five minutes of the third set and making the New Caledonians play catchup.
Unforced errors and a seeming lack of stamina robbed the New Caledonians of a chance to get back into the match, allowing Wallis and Fortuna to sweep their opponents away 25-14 to take a 3-0 win.
Wallis and Futuna captain Samuele Tuia said the win would build the team’s confidence.
“We are all very happy to beat New Caledonia 3-0. It was important for us to win this game because we knew New Caledonia could have the possibility to get medals,” he said.
This was the second win for the team after they beat American Samoa 3-0 on Saturday.
Despite their unbeaten record Tuia said his team still has a lot of improvement left.
“We have a lot of things we need to improve inside the court – especially our positional play – so that in our next games we can show the level we can play.” said Tuia.
Both teams next play on Monday with Wallis and Futuna meeting Fiji at 15:00 while New Caledonia take on Tuvalu at 13:00.
GNS nc/jf for more information visit www.portmoresby2015.com
