11/06/2016 22:40
Slovenia complete clean sweep, Greece await results from other groups
2016 CEV Volleyball European League - Women
Megalopolis, Greece, June 11, 2016. Slovenia completed their triumphal march in the first stage of the 2016 CEV Volleyball European League – Women by sweeping six matches in a row in Pool C. They did so after pulling out three straight wins last week in Nyiregyhaza, Hungary and repeating the same feat this weekend in Megalopolis, where on Saturday they routed Romania in three sets. Greece beat 2015 gold medallists Hungary to settle for second place in the pool and will now have to wait for results from the other groups in order to know if they also move on to the next round as the second-placed team with the best score across all pools.
Romania vs. Slovenia 0-3 (17-25, 18-25, 13-25)
Slovenia completed their clean run in Pool C with a compelling victory in their matchup with Romania. Slovenia scored as many as 12 aces throughout the match and did not find any resistance from the other side of the net. They secured their leadership already at the second technical time-out of each set and their 3-0 win followed easily.
Romania coach Bogdan Paul said: “Unfortunately it is not easy to play without a goal, when there is no motivation or so. We had problems in reception whilst Slovenia served really good and this loss comes as a result of these factors.”
Slovenia coach Bruno Najdic commented: “We are happy with our qualification to the next round. We played a perfect match. Now we will be waiting to know the name of our next opponent and start preparing accordingly.”
Hungary vs. Greece 0-3 (14-25, 17-25, 21-25)
Greece bid farewell to their crowd in a fantastic atmosphere created by 800 fans in attendance to sweep the young team of Hungary aside in three sets.
Both coaches made some changes to their respective starting six but Greece played in the best way from a tactical point of view to secure an easy win. Hungary posed a threat only in the third set where they briefly edged ahead 10-8, but the hosts quickly fought back and finished the match in three frames.
Middle blocker Georgia Lamprousi, MVP of the match, said: “I am happy with this victory and now we wait for the results from the other pools to see if we qualify for the next round. I want to thank the fans here in Megalopolis who have been supporting us with so much passion for the last three days.”
Greece coach Ioannis Kalmazidis said: “I am satisfied with our performance in this competition where we claimed two wins with Hungary and another two with Romania. Now we have to wait for the results from the other pools. The people of Megalopolis supported us with all of their hearts for the last three days and this is definitely something we cherish very much.”
Hungary coach Jan De Brandt commented: “Congratulations to Greece. I decided to rest three of my starting players because they have played 12 matches in 22 days, so I did not want to take any unnecessary risk. I am happy with our performance and especially with what we did in the second and third sets. We love coming here in Megalopolis where everything is really well organised and the atmosphere extremely friendly. I like it here and my team loves it too.”
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