Klara Vrabic powered Slovenia to a 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-14, 25-22) victory against Rwanda in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games women’s sitting volleyball tournament at North Paris Arena on Saturday.
Vrabic was unstoppable, racking up 24 points with 15 crushing attacks, three blocks and six service winners. The 22-year-old’s standout performance was backed by captain Lena Gabrsceks 16 points. Rwanda’s Liliane Mukobwankawe led her team with 12 points, all from attacks.
“I’m happy to learn that I scored that much, but I am here to play alongside my teammates. We are one team. My personal score is just a bonus,” Vrabic said.
“I think it was a challenging game. But I think we can play with every team, only if we are a hundred per cent. Everything is possible if the team is at the right kind of power mentally, physically.”
The first set began with Slovenia taking an early lead, driven by strong serves from Jana Ferjan and Sasa Kotnik Hren. Rwanda fought back, with Mukobwankawe and Marie Adeline Mucyo leading their efforts, particularly in attack and serve. Despite Rwanda’s resilience, they struggled with consistency, committing several errors that allowed Slovenia to maintain their edge.
As the set progressed, Slovenia capitalised on Rwanda’s errors, with Vrabic and Gabrscek playing crucial roles in both defence and attack. Rwanda called for a timeout at 22-18 in a bid to regroup, but Slovenia’s momentum was too strong. Slovenia closed out the set 25-19 after a series of well-executed serves and attacks, with the final point coming from a reception error by Rwanda.
Slovenia initially gained the upper hand in the second frame, using strong serves and consistent attacks to build a lead. Key contributions from Suzana Ocepek and Gabrscek helped the European side maintain the advantage, despite the African side’s efforts to stay close in the scoreline.
However, Rwanda began to claw their way back into the game, as Mucyo’s serves and Mukobwankawe’s attacks played pivotal roles in the comeback. With the score tied at 21-21, Rwanda capitalised on Slovenian errors, pulling ahead to 24-23 after a critical block by Claudine Murebwayire. Rwanda maintained their composure in the final moments, with Mucyo delivering a decisive serve that led to a reception error from Slovenia, closing out the set 25-23 and levelling the match at 1-1.
The third set began with Slovenia quickly establishing control, leveraging their strong serves and effective…
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