NANJING, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Reigning world champions USA started their 2018 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League finals on Wednesday, with a nervy yet ultimately dominant 3-2 win over Turkey. USA finished their game in five sets (17-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-15, 15-11).
The team rallied with their wing spiker Michelle Bartsch-Hackley taking control over the last three sets and ending up with 21 points, including 19 kills from 41 attempts.
Support also came from opposite Kelly Murphy with 17 points and skipper Jordan Larson's 14 points which included five aces. USA was the top ranked side in the regular season of the inaugural event, winning 11 of their 13 matches. Turkey and Serbia were the only teams to beat them. The Turks overwhelmed their opponents with sustained pressure early on.
Wing spiker Meliha Ismailoglu took the honors with 18 points, while middle blocker Eda Erdem Dundar was also a major player with 14 points.
"The USA was a better team today and we could not keep up with their rhythm all the time. Hopefully we can get better in the next match," Turkey's captain Larson said. Turkey's head coach Giovanni Guidetti said that the first two sets were possibly the best sets they have ever played in the tournament.
"We gave them time to come back into the match. We didn't take the advantage. But this match proved that we can play," he added.
The Turks will have to quickly brush off the disappointment and line up against the Serbs on Thursday. The Americans now have a day's rest, as they prepare to take on Serbia on Friday; the only other team to have beaten them in the VNL this season.
