Luxembourg, May 25, 2019. It was a busy day as 14 teams from both genders made their debuts on the opening day of the CEV Volleyball European Silver League 2019. Playing for both a berth to the finals and the chance to qualify for the 2020 edition of the European Golden League helped showcase the drive and determination of many teams, who decided to make a statement early on. Volleyball fans from across the globe can follow all of the action on the CEV’s very own OTT platform EuroVolleyTV.
MEN
Pool A
Hungary vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-23, 25-17)
• The first set belonged squarely to the home team, with Hungary giving a truly dominating performance.
• In the second, Bosnia and Herzegovina changed their game to confidently take control of the set and equalise the match.
• This momentum was carried over into the third set, but Team Hungary was able to fight their way on top. This energised them going into the fourth set, where they seized the opportunity to secure the eventual victory.
Edin Bakovic, head coach of Team Bosnia and Herzegovina: “It was a very important match for us. This team is the new generation so I am happy that we had a chance to win the match. But in the end, the Hungarian team was able to win.”
Bogdan Tanase, head coach of Team Hungary: “I am very proud of the guys, they struggled and fought really well. It will give us a big boost for the future.”
Csanád Dávid, MVP of the match and player of Hungary: “I am very happy that I was able to deliver such a performance and that we were playing very well together before this great Hungarian audience.”
• Ahead of the upcoming European Silver League finals, Austria started off with a convincing home win in their opening match at the Olympiahalle arena in Innsbruck, Austria.
• Head coach Michael Warm guided Austria to their victory, defeating a determined and eager Greece 3-1.
• The game marked the return of Team Austria’s Alexander Berger, Paul Buchegger and Thomas Tröthann after being sidelined for several months with injuries.
Michael Warm, head coach of Team Austria: “Despite the win I was not happy with the mentality of the players. We have to bring the right attitude onto the court. Thankfully [Paul] Buchegger infected the team with his emotions. At times we played too calmly.”
Dimitrios Andreopoulos, head coach of Team Greece: “It was a tight game. Austria was better in the first two sets, especially in reception. As it went on, we became stronger and stronger and learned. So, in the end the result is okay.”
Pool B
Denmark vs Georgia 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-12)
• There was excitement as Denmark played in their new venue. A crowd of over 600 spectators came out to support them at the newly appointed home court in Slagelse.
• Denmark led the game from the very beginning, showing great variety in their attacks and making it difficult for Georgia to mount any sort of defence. The game became more even over time, but Denmark had momentum that just could not be stopped. They had a total of 14 kills in the third set alone.
• Oskar Madsen was Denmark’s best scoring player (11 points), while Georgia’s Daviti Tskhomaria kept his team in the game with an impressive 21 points.
Kristian Knudsen, head coach of Denmark: “We did not play our best game in the first two sets, where we had a hard time finding our level. Only in the third set did we really play freely, allowing ourselves to play on the level I know we can. We finished the match off the way we wanted and had a great start to the tournament.”
Sulkhani Akhvlediani, head coach of Georgia: “It’s the first time that the Georgian men’s team play in the European Silver League. Our team is young and it will be a very good experience to play in the tournament and no matter the result, we are looking forward to gaining more experience and developing the team further.”
Azerbaijan vs. Romania 1-3 (25-23, 21-25, 18-25, 22-25)
• Team Azerbaijan squared off against Team Romania at the Volleyball Center in Baku, Azerbaijan. Both teams were fresh and had good starts. Although they kept mostly even at first, the better attacking of Azerbaijan secured the first set 25-23.
• Romania took advantage early in the second set. After that they could not be caught, and had the clear initiative for the rest of the match.
• Romania demonstrated decisively that their better attacking allowed them to walk away with the win.
Farid Jalalov, head coach of Azerbaijan: “We showed a good performance and won the first set. However, my team could not continue to play in such a way and our mistakes produced a loss. Romania is a team with good attack and blocking skills. We had problems in defence and reception. We are going to play Georgia in the next match and our goal is not to repeat the same mistakes.”
Rasul Ibragimov, player of Azerbaijan: “The opponents were strong. Romania is one of the strongest teams in our group. They made fewer mistakes than us and this brought them the victory.”
Laurentiu Lica, captain of Romania: “At the beginning of the match we had some difficulties. It took us more effort than we expected but we could eventually win the match. Azerbaijan always play good at home. Probably I am the oldest player of this competition, but I will do my best for the victory of my team. Like every team, we have only one goal, which is to win. Thanks to Azerbaijan for the good organisation.”
WOMEN
Pool A
Cyprus vs Israel 1-3 (18-25, 19-25, 27-25, 19-25)
• Cyprus put up a fight in their historic European League debut but eventually had to accept a 1-3 loss to the more experienced Israeli team.
• After participating in the Games of the Small States of Europe, Cyprus will next play against Georgia in early June.
• Israel needed 24 minutes to win the first set where they set the tempo from start to end (7-2, 11-3, 16-13, 25-18).
• Cyprus responded well by leading the way in the second set (12-10, 18-13) before Israel fought their way back to double their lead in the match (25-19).
• The third set was a truly dramatic one with Cyprus scoring five times in a row to lead 18-13, before Israel fought back to 20-20 and 23-23. After 33 minutes, Cyprus sealed their first set win 27-25 with the help of Manolina Konstantinou.
• Cyprus trailed 2-5 early in the fourth set and could not make up for this deficit, eventually losing it 19-25, with Israel celebrating a 3-1 victory.
Giuseppe Cuccarini, head coach of Israel: “We controlled the match from start to end with the only exception being the third set where we had some problems with our outside hitters. Cyprus has very good players and I was particularly impressed with Katerina Zakchaiou, whom we know plays for Olympiacos PIRAEUS in Greece. Andrea Charalambous is a very good opposite hitter too.”
Andri Iordanous, player of Cyprus: “We were stressed and we did not fight as we wished, but I believe that when we go to Israel, we will do better. As for the other teams in the pool, Georgia is within our reach, Romania is at a higher level but our goal every time is to do our best and fight. The loss of the second set affected us a lot even though we regrouped and won the third one. We need to work for the next targets.”
Ioannis Nikolakis, head coach of Cyprus: “Without playing any friendly matches before, I am pleased that we have fought so much with a group with experience and that has high-level players. We fought well. It is good for the kids, and I think the result would have been different if we had had a couple of friendlies. It takes patience and a lot of effort. For the next games with Georgia and Romania, we know these will be difficult since they are very high-level teams with experience and we should do what is possible as a federation and national team.”
Romania vs Georgia 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-20)
• On Saturday, Romania started their 2019 CEV Volleyball Silver European League campaign with an important victory at Sala Polivalenta in Alexandria. The hosts claimed a definite 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-20) win against Georgia.
• Under the guidance of head coach Maurilio Anfuso, Romania controlled the game impressively from the beginning to the end. They thus secured their first win in the tournament.
• Ariana-Cristiana Pirv and Rodica Buterez were the most prolific players for Team Romania with 11 points each. Ana Tevdoradze of Team Georgia finished the match with 12 points.
Maurilio Anfuso, head coach of Team Romania: “It’s an honour for me to be part of this team. I’m pleased with how my team played today but of course there is room for improvement. We have a lot of young players that were on the court today and that’s good for the future of the team.”
Alexandra Romela Trica, captain of Romania: “I am very happy that we won today. We had some strong emotions but we managed to cope with them. We were brave and together we succeeded and claimed this victory.”
Ana Tevdoradze, top scorer of Georgia: “This match was a good experience for us. Today it is what it is, we are going to learn and do better next time.”
Pool B
Portugal vs Greece 0-3 (20-25, 17-25, 19-25)
• Portugal had reason to feel confident going into the match, but Greece came out strong thanks in large part to Anthi Vasilantonaki and Olga Strantzali.
• Despite being tied at 17-17 in the first set, Greece was more effective on the attack and closed it out 25-20. In the second set, the Greek serve allowed them to prevail again 25-17.
• In the third set, Portugal’s good reception allowed them to stay neck and neck with Team Greece and hold their own. Ultimately though, Greece took control of the match to win 25-19.
• Anthi Vasilantonaki, with 17 points, was the best scorer of the match, while Julia Kavalenka, with 10 was the best scorer from Portugal.
Francisco dos Santos, head coach of Team Portugal: “Greece was stronger, but we are working well as a team. Greece has two very strong players in the service and our reception suffered for that. We also missed a lot of attacks and they scored five points through our errors.”
Guillermo Naranjo Hernandez, head coach of Team Greece: “Our goal is to grow from match to match. We only had a week of training and we did not have much information about Portugal, because Francisco dos Santos' entrance changed many things. We are working well, but it is still early to make us the favourites in the pool.”
Slovenia vs. Estonia 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-23)
• Slovenia aimed to enter the CEV Silver European League with a win against Estonia in front of their home crowd and supporters.
• After a solid first set, things got a little more complicated when the visiting team started to improve their game and showcase their fighting spirit.
• Solid planning and a refusal to panic allowed the home team to claim the win to the delight of their fans in Maribor.
Julija Mõnnakmäe, captain of Team Estonia: “At the end of the sets, when the score was tight Slovenia didn't make the stupid, easy mistakes we made. They played their balls correctly and they were just the better team today.”
Leja Janežič, player of Team Slovenia: “We trained very hard from the beginning of the preparation period, and today we also fought really hard. Although there are many new players on our team, including myself, I think we have already found the right chemistry. I am really happy with the win.” Together with Eva Zatkovič, Eva Pogačar, and Nika Markovič, she was one of four Slovenian players to celebrate her national team debut today.
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