USA advance undefeated to Montreux semifinals

MONTREUX, Switzerland, May 30, 2014 – USA finished pool play with an unblemished record after outclassing Dominican Republic 25-19, 25-15-25-14 in last match on Friday at the Montreux Volley Masters.

The Americans held margins of 11-1 and 10-1 in the blocking and aces categories.

Kelsey Robinson finished with 13 points in the victory while Kristin Hildebrand and Rachael Adams each contributed 10 points. Gina Mambru topped the Dominican team with 9 points.

In the first match of the day in Pool A, Russia crushed hosts Switzerland 25-19, 25-13, 25-15 improving their win-loss record to 2-1 and a tie with China and Brazil.

The three teams had also the same record in points gained by their wins and set ratio but China and Russia qualified first and second, respectively, based on a better point-ratio.

The Russians blanked their opponents 7-0 in the aces department and held an 11-4 margin in blocks.

Yana Shcherban led the winners with 16 points, followed by Natalia Malykh, Anastasia Shlyakhovaya and Irina Zaryazhko each with 10 points. Mandy Wigger finished with 13 for the defeated team.

In the second match, Germany qualified for the first time for the semifinals of the Montreux tournament after beating Japan 3-0 (25-15, 27-25, 25-16) on Friday. Margareta Kozuch (18 points) and her teammates overwhelmed Arisa Inoue (10 points) and the Japanese.