09/07/2017 13:31
It’s Germany vs. Russia for the gold medal in Laholm!
2017 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellite - Laholm
Laholm, Sweden, July 9, 2017. It is Russia against Germany in the final of the CEV Satellite in Laholm. Alexandra Moiseeva/Ekaterina Syrtseva of Russia and Katarina Schillerwein and Cinja Tillmann of Germany will fight for the top honours in the historic, first CEV women’s Satellite held on Swedish soil.
It is the final competition day in Laholm and the expectations are rising on the centre court at Mellbystrand. Alexandra Moiseeva and Ekaterina Syrtseva from Russia were the first out this windy morning against top-seeded Kim Behrens and Anni Schumacher of Germany. The experienced Russians started in the qualification round on Thursday and they have won all their matches so far in the tournament. The matchup against Behrens and Schumacher was no exception to this positive trend (2-0; 23-21, 21-14).
“We like it windy. These conditions are perfect for us. We live in Saint Petersburg and we are used to windy courts, but the players normally hate it,” says Alexandra Moiseeva who represented Russia at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and is a former European champion – in 2006 – under her maiden name Shiryaeva. Together with her partner for seven years, Ekaterina Syrtseva, she is ready for the final later today and does not feel any pressure. “We beat the top-seeded team and now we can beat anybody, we feel no pressure but we know that we will not have any advantages in the final. It will be a tough match.”
Katarina Schillerwein and Cinja Tillmann won their fifth match in the tournament and sent Martina Bonnerova/Sarka Nakladalova of the Czech Republic to the ‘small final’ (2-0; 21-17, 21-14). Schillerwein suffered a minor foot injury during the game but that is nothing that will affect her in the final game she says. “I am used to twisting my ankles and this was not so bad and we go for the gold medal, definitely; that is our aim,” she said.
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