Sofia, Bulgaria, April 15, 2018. The Netherlands come back in their match vs. Ukraine and after losing the first set, were able to take the next three and this way claimed their first victory in the 2018 U17 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women. The players headed by Eelco Beijl showed that they are able to find motivation even if they don’t start well. This was the third loss in a row for the team of Ukraine who is placed now sixth in Pool II. Italy continued their triumphal campaign in that same Pool. Today the girls of Marco Mencarelli managed to take a 3-1 win over Turkey and are on the top of the standing in their group with a clean record of three wins and nine points. Italy is followed by Germany, who also remain unbeaten after winning 3-0 over Romania. Tomorrow is a rest day for all the teams.
The Netherlands vs. Ukraine 3-1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-16, 25-18)
• The girls headed by Eelco Beijl made a remarkable comeback and defeated Ukraine by 3-1.
• The Ukrainians started really well in the match and with good serving won the opening set by 25-18.
• Led by Iris Vos who finished as top scorer with 21 points, the Netherlands started to play better and took their first three points.
• Anna Zijl added 14 points for the winners.
• For Ukraine Marta Fedyk contributed 15 points.
Eelco Beijl, head coach of The Netherlands: “The team of Ukraine managed to put us under pressure in the first set and we lost it. We were in a difficult situation but we tried to stay focused and to be the better team on the court. It was not easy at all but we started to serve a little bit better and better. We pressured them, which gave us the opportunity to play better with our block – defence and counter-attack which were the key for our first win.”
Viktor Perebyynis, head coach of Ukraine: “We lost against a strong team. Yes, we won the opening set but after that we didn’t manage to show enough character in attack. The Netherlands deserved to win today.”
Turkey vs. Italy 1-3 (15-25, 16-25, 25-14, 18-25)
• Italy continued their outstanding campaign in Pool II at the #EuroVolleyU17W with a 3-1 win against Turkey.
• Marco Mencarelli’s girls dominated in the first two sets and played like a real Volleyball machine controlled by one great captain – Sofia Monza. The Italian setter was absolutely amazing near the net and took the right decisions to end all the long rallies.
• In the third set Turkey took a huge eight points advantage by 12-4 thanks to the good serving by Sude Hacimustafaoğlu. The Italians started to make a lot of mistakes and the players coached by Bülent Gunes were back in the game after storming to a comprehensive 25-14 win in this part.
• In the fourth set Italy took back the control of the game and won it by 25-18.
• Loveth Oghosasere Omoruyi finished as top scorer for the winners with 17 points.
• For Turkey Elif Su Eriçek scored 11 points.
Bülent Gunes, head coach of Turkey: “We started really bad in this match. We made too many mistakes in reception. I’m not happy because we didn’t manage to show our game. Tomorrow is a rest day so we will have more time to recover and to come back here on Tuesday when we play Germany. We have two more matches in Pool II, we are in a good position and will try to qualify for the Finals!”
Marco Mencarelli, head coach of Italy: “Today both teams played Volleyball only in the fourth set. Because in the first two parts we served really hard and the Turkish team struggled in reception and had problems with their side-out. In the third set the situation on the court was the same but in the opposite way. In the fourth set we started again to serve well, Turkey showed a great defence but they made too many mistakes in counter attack and for us it was easy to have a four, five-point advantage and to win that set in the end.”
Germany vs. Romania 3-0 (27-25, 26-24, 25-15)
• Germany claimed an impressive third win in a row in Pool II after scoring a 3-0 against Romania.
• Julia Wesser finished as top scorer for the winners with 15 points.
• Amelie Busch and Iane Henke added 13 and 11 points to the German count, respectively.
• For Romania, Alexia Ioana Carutasu finished the match with a tally of 20 points.
Jens Tietböhl, head coach of Germany: "The battle in the first two sets was equal because we weren’t stable enough in the crunch times. In the third set we started to play with great confidence as a team and claimed a really important victory. We know that the two strongest teams in Pool I are in front of us right now, so we need to prepare well for these two matches against Turkey and Italy. But we also know that we have two chances to secure our spot in the Finals, so we will try to make this happen."
Marius Macarie, head coach of Romania: "We have a mental problem because too many sets during our first three matches here were finished with a two-point difference in the end. We are losing ourselves in the decisive moments. We didn’t manage to recover the girls mentally and physically. I hope to do this tomorrow and after that we will start our campaign again trying to achieve good results."
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