22/06/2016 13:39
Two ‘Golden Matches’ coming up on Wednesday afternoon after Italian rookies fail to cause sensation
2014-2016 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup - Final
Stavanger, Norway, June 22, 2016. On a sunny Wednesday morning the 2014-2016 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Final got underway in idyllic Stavanger with the first round of matches on schedule for the women’s competition. Austria needed to contest only two games to progress to the quarter-finals without dropping a set whereas a ‘Golden Match’ will be played later in the afternoon to determine the winners of the ties starring Italy vs. Poland and Czech Republic vs. Slovakia. The eventual winners of the tournament to be crowned on Saturday will claim a quota for their country to the women’s Beach Volleyball competition of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
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Actually it looked like Italy were going to secure their spot in the quarter-finals bypassing the ‘Golden Match’ as well but after winning the opening frame Monica Lestini and rookie Giulia Saguatti – who is playing in Stavanger her first major international competition – could not capitalise on a 9-5 lead in the second set and ended up losing at the tie-break to Poland’s no. 1 team Dorota Strag and Jagoda Gruszczynska, still young and yet with quite a wealth of experience on their resume – including a gold medal from the 2014 U22 European Championship.
“Giulia stepped in for Agata Zuccarelli who is injured and the two have been training together for only three days,” Italy coach Lissandro Carvalho said. “Frankly speaking, I did believe in their chances up to the very end of the match but after all I am quite happy especially with what Giulia did. This is her international debut and she showed a great attitude, I liked her approach to the competition very much,” he continued. “This game is all about your attitude and mental strength; of course technique and physical conditioning play a role as well, but I am happy with what Giulia showed earlier today, I saw she’s got a lot of potential and we can work on it. This is truly impressive for somebody who is a real rookie at this level.”
Italy will rely on their best team, Laura Giombini/Rebecca Perry in a ‘Golden Match’ set to follow later in the afternoon and where they will take on Strag and Gruszczynska. “They are more stable, at least I hope, since they have more experience,” Carvalho continued, even though the American-born Perry is also playing her first season on sand after switching allegiance from the USA to Italy and playing in Italy’s and Germany’s top national leagues.
The afternoon session will provide a very exciting clash to cap the ‘derby’ between the Czech Republic and Slovakia. 2016 European silver medallists Marketa Slukova and Barbora Hermannova will be playing Natalia Dubovcova/Dominika Nestarcova who just won bronze at the Olsztyn Grand Slam in what is surely the most anticipated showdown of the opening day in Stavanger. Slukova/Hermannova claimed a close first set (25-23) and were made to work hard also in the early stages of the second set of their matchup with Lubica Siposova and Nina Herelova before stamping a 21-16 win. Later on, Dubovcova/Nestarcova lived up to the expectations claiming their match with Slukova’s former partner, Kristyna Kolocova, and Michala Kvapilova in two sets (21-13, 21-13) as well.
Everything went just easy for Austria – Barbara Hansel/Stefanie Schwaiger and Katharina Schützenhöfer/Lena Plesiutschnig did not drop a set in their matches with Pigi Anna Metheniti/Anna Spanou and Vasiliki Arvaniti/Panagiota ‘Penny’ Karagkouni to secure their spot in the quarter-finals and wait now for the winners of the tie opposing pre-favourite Russia to France.
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