Outside hitters Olga Strantzali and Effrosyni Bakodimou added another 14 and 12 points, respectively. 21-year-old middle blocker Kyriaki Terzoglou also reached the double digits with 11 points.
“I think that Puerto Rico just didn’t play that well in the first two sets. They came back and played amazingly in the third. So, we had to push more in the fourth set. It was a difficult game, but we were very focused throughout the match,” Greece’s captain Strantzali told VBTV. “I am very happy! It was our first win at the World Championships after so many years. We definitely deserve to be here. I am so proud of my team. We came here as the last seed, but we proved to everyone that we are not the last here and we can do something big. Now we hope to advance. I am excited about the next match. We have a very important game against France. It is going to be difficult, for sure, but I believe in my team.”
Outside hitter Valeria Vazquez was Puerto Rico’s most prolific player with 14 points, while 15-year-old opposite Decelise Champion delivered 12.