Sofia, Bulgaria, April 18, 2018. Italy and Turkey from Pool II proceed to the semifinals of the 2018 CEV U17 Volleyball European Championship - Women after having won 3-0 vs. Germany and 3-1 vs. The Netherlands, respectively.  The Azzurrine finished at the top of Pool II with five wins out of five matches, while Turkey claimed the second position on a record of four wins and one loss.  On Friday, Italy play Bulgaria while Turkey will have to meet the powerhouse of Russia in the semis. Ukraine played their last match at #EuroVolleyU17W on Wednesday but finished on a positive note having seized a 3-2 win vs. Romania.

•    Italy finished the domination in Pool II at #EuroVolleyU17W with a 3-0 victory against Germany.
•    The players headed by Marco Mencarelli controlled the game from the beginning and claimed their fifth win in the tournament after just 66 minutes.
•    Loveth Oghosasere Omoruyi finished as Top Scorer putting 14 points to her name, while Alessia Bolzonetti and Sara Cortella added 12 and 11 respectively to the Italian count.
•    For Germany Amelie Busch scored seven points.

Marco Mencarelli, head coach of Italy: “Today we did a great job! I’m satisfied with the way we played both tactically and technically. We were really focused and the girls made the right things on the court. I think Germany did not perform on their top level which they showed in their previous matches, maybe they were a little bit tired, I don’t know. I hope we will continue with this level of performance in the Finals and we will play even better Volleyball!”

Loveth Oghosasere Omoruyi, player of Italy: “We played great today. We still have to improve some aspects in our game but one thing is for sure – we will be ready for the Finals. I expect to play even better. Of course, we have great memories from here after last year when we won the U16 title, now our goal is the same and I hope we will achieve it.”

Ukraine vs. Romania 3-2 (22-25, 25-20, 14-25, 25-23, 15-12)

•    Ukraine shocked Romania in another five set thriller in Pool II at #EuroVolleyU17W.
•    The players coached by Viktor Perebyynis were one set behind and 20-22 down in the fourth part but didn’t give up and gave their best to celebrate their first victory at the tournament being held in the Bulgarian capital.
•     Valeriia Nudha finished as Top Scorer for the winners with 19 points, as Marta Fedyk and Anhelina Khmil added 17 and 14 respectively.
•    For Romania Alexia Ioana Carutasu played another amazing match and contributed 32 points but her efforts were not enough to secure a second pool victory for her side.

Viktor Perebyynis, head coach of Ukraine: “We won! Finally we achieved our first and only victory! But it is better late than never, right? I’m happy and satisfied with the way we played today. Yes, we don’t qualify for the next phase but every match here was a great experience for these girls. We had our chances in the previous matches too but for one or another reason, we lost. Today we are the winning side and I’m glad that we were able to finish the tournament this way.”

The Netherlands vs. Turkey 1-3 (21-25, 19-25, 25-21, 18-25)

•    Turkey finished in second place in Pool II at #EuroVolleyU17W thanks to a great 3-1 win over The Netherlands.  
•    The players coached by Bülent Gunes didn’t make any mistakes in the first two sets and had a four-point advantage in the third when leading 17-13. At this stage, however, The Netherlands showed a lot of character and determination and thanks to their great efforts in defence managed to take a 25-21 set win.
•    In the fourth part the Oranjes were really close to completing another amazing comeback but Turkey showed they had learnt the lesson from the previous set. They closed it by 25-18 and secured a place in the battle for the medals.
•    Sude Hacimustafaoğlu and Damla Tokman were the most prolific players for the winners and finished the game on 14 points each. 
•    For The Netherlands Jolijn de Haan also scored 14 times.

Bülent Gunes, head coach of Turkey: “I’m very happy with our victory tonight. We played really good Volleyball in the first two sets. In the third we made some mistakes, but after that our girls showed that their place is in the semifinals. I’m so happy because last year we were really close to making it to the next stage at the #EuroVolleyU16 but we didn’t achieve it. Now we will play for the medals. Our next opponent is Russia, a strong team for sure. Our goal now is to prepare well and to show our full strength. Let us see what will happen on Friday.”

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