“This match was very similar to the one we recently played against Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Golden League,” said head coach Lauri Hakala. “Mexico were very strong on defense and extremely quick on offense and we got too frustrated that our game wasn’t flowing. But we stuck together and came back. We probably made it more difficult than it should have been, but we managed to win it.”
Haak, the Most Valuable Player and top scorer of the 2022 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship, recovered from a slow start and ended the match with an impressive 33 points (28 kills, four blocks, one ace) – 28 of which registered in the last three sets.
The Swedish also got 12 points from Haak’s sister, Anna, and fellow outside hitter Alexandra Lazic, while middle blocker and team captain Joanna Wasserfaller tallied ten.
Opposite and team captain Andrea Rangel was the leading Mexican scorer, with 22 points (18 kills, two aces, two blocks). Outside hitters Grecia Castro and Aimé Topete, who’s just 17, produced 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Volleyball Challenger Cup – Match Schedule and Results
On the second match of the day, Colombia topped Kenya 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-23, 25-19) to advance to the Challenger Cup semifinals for the third time in three appearances - the South Americans were second in 2018 and fourth in 2022.
