- Chile 3 (25-21, 31-29, 25-14) New Zealand 0 in Concepcion
- Watch a full replay of game three
The Volley Blacks went within touching distance of their first set win on tour, pushing the home side to 31-29, with multiple chances to seal it.
After another close first set that finished 25-21, the second came down to a battle of nerves, with the tourists coming from behind to level things up at 24-24.
From there the team scrambled well, with Johann Timmer's power and Mana Placid's subtle touches at the net winning some big points. The desperation to claim a win led to a series of missed serves, potentially costing the team a the chance at the set.
“Service pressure wins us the game. We missed a lot of serves when it mattered," said skipper Luke Hulston.
At 29-all with the serve, the ball went in the net, and was followed by a missed kill at the net to hand the set to Chile.
The third and final set ended 25-14, but the team certainly showed they can put Chile under pressure and are not far away taking a set and a match.
“We’re a bit closer than we thought we were - we’re working them out slowly, that second set was as close as we’ve come so far. We still couldn’t quite get there but tomorrow’s another day," said Luke Hulston.
“Tonight was awesome, the crowd was electric - they’re different when we’re hot on the heels of the home team, but it’s a great crowd."
Chile lead the tour series 3-0, with the next match at 12pm Wednesday NZ time.
