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The winner of the Ostrava’s group B Italy fulfilled the role of favorite and in the round of sixteen defeated Latvia convincingly 3:0 (25:14, 25:13, 25:16). They were better from the start and benefited from their great service.

The beginning of this match was quite catious from both sides. Italy were stronger in attack but risked a lot on serve which resulted in making many mistakes. After Daniele Lavia’s monster block they created a two point lead (11:9) which they later extended by Giulio Pinali‘s ace. Another two points were scored by Alessandro Michieletto on the block. Latvia weren’t confident on the reception and their best player on the tournament opposite Hermans Egleskalns was substituted in the middle of the opening set. Italy managed to win with a massive difference (25:14).

Italian players had a better start to the second set and took an early lead (9:4). Latvia’s reception wasn’t good and they were unable to compete on the block. In addition, they produced too many unforced errors to stay competitive. Italy kept their cool, pushed Latvia with strong serves and thanks to opposite Giulio Pinali safely finished the rallies. The score difference raised a little more than in the first set.

Only in the third set did the Latvians gain a two point lead. Thanks to successful blocks they pleased a the Latvian fans who arrived in Ostrava. After that it was Italian team which simply played their game, quickly regained the lead and reached the victorious end.

Avo Keel, Latvian coach: “It was a real difference between both teams. When you face such a strong team as Italy, you can clearly see variances in every playing activity. When the opponent is weaker, those variances aren’t that big. Italy is a technique team and play very quick. We are happy for being a part of the round of sixteen.”

Daniele Lavia, Italian outside spiker: “It was a very good match from our side. I think the key factors of today’s win were our serve and blocks. Latvia played very well on this tournament so I didn’t expect it to be that clear. However we were strong today and this is why we defeated them.”