12/12/2017 08:45
Agel and Vizura to host #CLVolleyW League Round season openers
2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Women
Luxembourg, December 12, 2017. The group stage of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Women will get underway on Tuesday late afternoon with two matches in the Czech Republic and Serbia where the respective hosts, Agel PROSTEJOV and Vizura RUMA, will be trying to use the home-court advantage to upset their rivals from Turkey and Poland. Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL and Chemik POLICE are the reigning Turkish and Polish national champions, so the task ahead is a challenging one for both Agel and Vizura – but you can be sure that the Champions League will start with a ‘bang’ and bring a lot of excitement to all fans!
Agel PROSTEJOV (CZE) vs. Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL (TUR)
• Agel PROSTEJOV and Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL will open the programme of the women’s League Round with their matchup starting on Tuesday at 5.30 pm at DDM Sports Centre.
• The Czechs are the underdogs in Pool B – and Fenerbahce the clear-cut favourites in the group.
• PROSTEJOV and Fenerbahce have played each other six times in recent years – with Fenerbahce claiming all of these matches, dropping only one set along the way.
• Agel PROSTEJOV have made it to the Playoffs 12 of Europe’s elite club competition as many as four times. Fenerbahce, on the other hand, are the gold medal winners from the 2012 edition – and silver medallists in 2010 and bronze medal winners in 2011; this season they have clearly set their sights on Europe’s most coveted Volleyball crown.
Jan José De Brandt, head coach of Fenerbahce: “We are definitely not looking so far at the moment. We have to focus on the upcoming match with Agel PROSTEJOV. We realise they are a tough team and we recognise their quality. We have to be careful. But of course, we want to win our first match in this competition.”
Miroslav Cada, head coach of Agel PROSTEJOV: “Fenerbahce is by all means one of the hottest favourites in the Champions League. Their roster includes plenty of stars who come from different parts of the world, and their strength is quite overwhelming. That means our intention is to try to make the match as close as possible and try to give them some hard time at least.”
“We never give up in advance, everything is possible in sports,” stresses Kathleen Weiss, the captain of the Czech team.
Vizura RUMA (SRB) vs. Chemik POLICE (POL)
• The Serbian “Sharks” will start their fourth straight campaign in the pool stage of the CEV Champions League against Chemik POLICE, i.e. the team that last season finished the competition in ninth place.
• The young but experienced team of Vizura is ready to host the reigning Polish champions in their new ‘home’ in Ruma where they still have not lost a single set.
Zoran Radojicic, club President of Vizura RUMA: “In the first match of this year’s Champions League we will face Chemik POLICE at home. We do not know them very well, but they do not know us either, so we will see who will win in the end. I really believe that we will celebrate a victory and present ourselves in the right way in the Champions league. With this victory, we will have a great chance to finish the pool stage in second place and move on to the next round. We all believe in that and we will do our best to make it happen.”
Sladjana Eric, team captain of Vizura: “We have started every season in the Champions League with some surprises, or better said with a win and honestly, I believe that this season will be just the same. When you take into account such young players, their big hearts and desire to win, but also the home-court advantage and the fans on our side, I do not see why we should not take the first points. We are aware of who the players in the Polish team are, but what really matters is the heart, not the names displayed on the shirts. I know that these young girls live for these games, as much as I do, even though I am 34 years old. Playing in the Champions League is the dream of every athlete and it is a special feeling. We will play for each point because every rally, every set and every match are equally important.”
Vizura coach Dejan Desnica stressed that Chemik can count on many experienced players, including two former players of his own team, Bianka Busa and Sladjana Mirkovic, as well as the best middle blocker of this year’s European Championship, Stefana Veljkovic. “Our strength is the collective. They are a good team, but I think we have a real chance. The level of our game is much higher and we are first in our national championship. I am sure it will be a good game and I believe that everyone will enjoy it,” he said.
How to follow the matches...
Watch them live: http://cev.laola1.tv/
Click here for a comprehensive TV schedule.
Live score, statistics, reports and photos: all available on www.cev.lu
Social Media: Follow via the official event hashtag (#CLVolleyW) with the most regular updates coming on our competition Twitter account @CEVolleyballCL
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