Cuba Sinks Serbia, Faces Brazil in VB Finals

By Circles Robinson

HAVANA TIMES, Oct. 9 — Cuba’s men’s volleyball team has returned to the top of the pack in the World Championships taking place in Rome.  After getting by Serbia three sets to two on Saturday (22-25, 25-17, 31-29, 22-25, 16-14) the Cubans now face Brazil on Sunday for the title.

The last time Cuba made it to the championship finals was back in 1990, when they finished second.

The team was lead by 17-year-old Wilfredo Leon who had 23 points, along with Yoandy Leal  21, and captain Robertlandy Simon with 17.  Serbia got a spectacular 30-point performance from Ivan Miljkovic.

Cuba has had a tough time with the Serbians in recent matches having lost eight of the last ten times the teams had faced each other.

Meanwhile, Brazil appeared to regain top form with a four set win over Italy also on Saturday (25-15, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17).  Against Cuba the South Americans will be seeking their third consecutive title.

For a more detailed rundown on the Cuba-Serbia match visit the official World Volleyball Federation report.