NANJING, June 28 -- World No.4 Brazil claimed a convincing 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-23) victory over the Netherlands in the Volleyball Nations League finals on Thursday.
Brazil showcased their aggressive attack and their star Tandara Caixeta garnered a match-high 17 points, including 16 kills from 29 attempts.
Support also came from Brazil's imposing pair of wing spikers Gabriela Guimaraes and middle blocker Ana Beatriz Correa, with 14 and 10 points respectively. The Netherlands seemed a little shell-shocked after Chinese superstar Zhu Ting dismantled their defense the night before.
They could hardly keep pace with the imposing performance of Caixeta and Brazil's fierce attack. With two losses in the finals, they had to end their finals journey.
"Our goal was to be in the Final 4, but we didn't play good enough. In the preliminary phase we did a good job, so it's disappointing that we ended up like this in the finals," said Jamie Morrison, head coach of the Netherlands.
Brazil will have a blockbuster match against China on Friday. Head coach Jose Roberto Lages said they are looking forward to tomorrow's game against China. "To stop Zhu Ting is the key," he said, "It's a joke, but they are really very good team."