One last thriller as Olympic qualifier in Japan draws to a close

Tokyo, Japan, May 22, 2016 – A final day of of the Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament that was threatening to meander to its logical conclusion was sparked back into life by a thrilling five set victory by Japan over The Netherlands on Sunday night.

With final Olympic qualifiers decided 24 hours earlier, Sunday’s fixtures threatened to become a way of passing time until it was time to visit the airport, but it turned out to be anything but.

A raucous home crowd lifted Japan to a gripping 3-2 (20-25, 25-13, 21-25, 32-30, 15-11) win as the evening turned into a celebration of Olympic qualification, for both teams.

Both could well have been forgiven for hanging their hats back on the peg after locking up Rio spots 24 hours earlier, but instead opted to slug out a five-set epic which left fans almost as exhausted as the players themselves.

It might have been a dead rubber, but it didn’t stop the Japanese fans once again packing the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium to cheers on their Olympic-bound team, and when the fourth set dragged out to 32-30, Japan’s way, the roof was nearly lifted off.

Italian teenager Paola Egonu further enhanced her reputation as one of the most exciting young players in women’s volleyball after helping her team to a 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-19) win over Kazakhstan.

17-year-old Egonu finished the match with 21 points, while Kazakhstan will go home without a win but plenty of hope for the future.

Two teams at opposite ends of the qualification table not surprisingly took different approaches to the match.

For Kazakhstan it was all about winning it’s first match, while Italy adopted the same approach as other teams already qualified, and gave chances to players who had not seen a lot of court time in Japan.

Thailand finished the Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament with a 3-0 (25-17, 26-24, 25-23) win over Peru to consolidate fifth place on the ladder.

There were emotional scenes among the Thai players after the match, with the dream of a first ever Olympics at least another four years away.

Two teams who 24 hours earlier were still in the mix to make …

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