WARSAW, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- There was no surprise at the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland as Serbia beat Puerto Rico in straight sets 26-24, 25-21, 25-16 at the 2022 FIVB World Championships on Monday.
Before the game, the Puerto Ricans openly admitted that they came to Poland to learn from stronger teams. However, on Monday they were close to winning the opening part. Outside hitter Pedro Molina delivered five killing attacks and two aces, while Igor Kolakovic's side responded by Nemanja Petric's spikes, with Serbia finally winning the first set 26-24.
Serbia continued their momentum as Ossie Antonetti's Puerto Rico side weren't as effective as in the first set. Opposite Aleksandar Atanasijevic led his side to their second victory in the tournament with 12 points, while Marko Ivovic poured in just one less as he coped with Puerto Rico's block in eight attacks.
Klintan Lavrence Vidal earned 16 points for Puerto Rico but his stunning performance turned out not to be enough to beat Serbia.
In the second match of the day at the Spodek Arena, Ukraine thrashed Tunisia 25-21, 25-19, 25-15. Outside hitter Oleh Plotnytskyi contributed a match-high 14 points, including five aces. Elyes Karamosli scored 10 for Tunisia.
In Pool A of the 2022 FIVB World Championships, Serbia sit top with six points. Ukraine and Tunisia each have three points, while Puerto Rico are still waiting for their first tournament win. ■
