VNL 2024: Dominican R 3-1 Germany, Secure 3rd Win

In the first match of Week 3 Pool 5 held in Hong Kong, the Dominican Republic began their third week with a victory over Germany, winning 3-1 (26-24, 21-25, 25-21, 25-21). This win improved their win-loss record to 3-6 and earned them 4.73 World Ranking points. The Dominican team had a strong start in the final set, leading 8-0. Although Germany quickly closed the gap to 13-12, the Dominican Republic ultimately clinched the set and the match. Both Germany’s middle blocker Weitzel and Dominican Republic’s outside hitter Peña Isabel were the top scorers, each contributing 18 points to their teams.

In a post-match interview in the mixed zone, the Dominican Republic’s team captain Niverka Marte expressed her happiness about starting the week with a win, especially in Hong Kong, where the fans are amazing. She acknowledged the pressure put on them by the German team and was pleased with the opportunity to start young players, commending their performance.

Marte commented on the 8-0 lead and Germany’s quick comeback to 13-12, noting that even a 10-point lead offers no guarantee. She emphasized the importance of maintaining focus and admitted that her team lost concentration at critical moments, which led to struggles and getting stuck mentally.

Looking ahead to their next match against Türkiye, Marte recognized the strength of the Turkish team but expressed confidence in her own team, promising they would give their best effort.

Our journalist also interviewed Germany’s top scorer of the match, Camilla Weitzel, in the mixed zone post-match. Weitzel praised the Dominican Republic as a very physical team and admitted that her team struggled with defense and blocking, but she appreciated their fighting spirit.

Reflecting on the fourth set, where Germany trailed 8-0 before closing the gap to 13-12, Weitzel expressed pride in her team for fighting until the end and not losing hope or faith. She acknowledged the difficulty of being satisfied with a 3-1 loss but saw improvements from their practice week, believing they could build on that progress.

Video interviews after the match:

(Reported by Boris CHUNG Bok Man)