Czechia, led by the exceptional performance of Gabriela Orvosova, held its composure to defeat Puerto Rico 25-23, 25-20, 18-25, 25-18 on Sunday, clinching the gold medal at the 2024 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Challenger Cup held at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Orvosova, 23, delivered an impressive 25 points for the world No. 15 Czech team. The match lasted 103 minutes, culminating in Czechia securing a spot in the 2025 Volleyball Nations League.
Czech coach Ioannas Athanapoulos praised his players’ calmness, attributing their final set success to their composed demeanor, especially in front of the 856-strong crowd, primarily composed of Filipino fans.
“Now, we celebrate our success. This is another level. I think in this tournament, we were the better team. We deserved to win,” Athanapoulos stated. The Philippine National Volleyball Federation and its president, Ramon Suzara, organized the event.
Orvosova was particularly dominant in the last set, contributing eight key hits, including three during a critical 7-0 run that pushed Czechia from an 11-9 lead to a commanding 18-9 advantage.
For Puerto Rico, Paola Lopez scored 23 points, helping her team claim the third set 25-18. Lopez’s successful attacks against Czechia’s blocks allowed Puerto Rico to secure their only set win of the match.
Michaela Mlejnkova added 18 points for Czechia, marking their first gold medal in the history of the competition. The Czech team also recorded 16 kill blocks, effectively countering Puerto Rico’s offensive efforts.
Helena Havlikova contributed 12 points for Czechia, which celebrated its second medal in the competition, following a silver medal finish in 2019. Puerto Rico earned its first silver medal, having previously secured bronze medals in 2018 and 2022.
In the bronze medal match, Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen unleashed another solid game in leading Vietnam to a 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17 victory over Belgium. The 24-year-old Tuyen scored an impressive 35 points in the 98-minute encounter.
