16/09/2019 23:59
Poland, Serbia join EuroVolley eighthfinalists
CEV EuroVolley 2019 Men
Luxembourg, September 16, 2019. Poland and Serbia became the next two teams to secure their spots among the best 16 of CEV EuroVolley 2019 Men. On Monday, each of them mastered their third consecutive victory and joined the likes of Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Russia and Slovenia among the eighthfinalists, with another eight tickets to the next round still up for grabs. North Macedonia beat Belarus in Ljubljana, with a fantastic 37-point contribution from Nikola Gjorgiev, to celebrate their first ever EuroVolley victory.
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Click here for a comprehensive TV schedule of the matches due to take place on Tuesday, September 17.
France’s Julien Lyneel spikes over a Bulgarian two-men block
Pool A
• After recording three losses each, Greece and Romania faced each other in a battle for a first EuroVolley win. After a very tight match, Greece prevailed in four sets to make a step closer to surviving for the next stage of the tournament.
• Greece’s Nikos Zoupani, with 19 points, and Romania’s Robert Adrian Aciobanitei, with 18, were the best scorers of the match.
• France achieved a solid win over Bulgaria, stunning the Balkan team emphatically in straight sets. This was the fourth victory for the unbeaten hosts, while their opponents suffered their first defeat of the tournament.
• France’s Julien Lyneel totalled 18 points, including two aces and one stuff block, to become the best scorer of the game. Tsvetan Sokolov, on 10 points, was the only one to reach double digits on the Bulgarian side.
Match Centres:
ROU vs GRE 1-3 (25-23, 24-26, 25-27, 21-25)
FRA vs BUL 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-14)
Serbian setter Nikola Jovovic sets the ball for middle blocker Marko Podrascanin
Pool B
• Germany achieved their first win at EuroVolley 2019. In their third Pool B game, coach Andrea Giani’s men defeated neighbouring Austria in three sets to stay well in contention for a spot in the next round. Already on a 0-3 win-loss record, the Austrians are lagging behind, but can still hope for a miracle to help them into the eighthfinals.
• On an 18-point tally, including two of Germany’s 13 stuff blocks and two aces, Simon Hirsch was the best scorer of the match, while Alexander Berger finished with 16 for Austria.
• Serbia came back from a set down against Spain to claim a four-set victory and a spot among the best 16 of EuroVolley 2019. This is the third win for the Balkan side and they can no longer be pushed below the cut-off. Spain showed some beautiful Volleyball, but not enough to score their first victory.
• Serbia’s Aleksandar Atanasijevic put away an impressive 23 points, including three stuff blocks and two aces, to claim the match top scorer honour. Aleksandar Okolic delivered six of Serbia’s 13 blocks in the game. Augusto Renato Colito, on 17 points, was Spain’s most prolific player.
Match Centres:
AUT vs GER 0-3 (23-25, 15-25, 16-25)
ESP vs SRB 1-3 (25-21, 19-25, 19-25, 20-25)
Macedonian players overwhelmed with joy for the historic victory
Pool C
• Russia shut out Finland to stay unbeaten in four matches played so far at EuroVolley 2019. The Finns dropped to 1-3, but still hold a shot at the eighthfinals.
• Victor Poletaev was the best scorer of the match, with 19 points. The only other player into the double digits was Dmitrii Volkov, with 15.
• Finnish fans did have something to celebrate though as it was announced that Finland would be co-hosting EuroVolley Men in 2021 along with Czech Republic, Estonia and one more country to be confirmed in due course (click here for more info).
• North Macedonia achieved a historic victory, their first ever at European Championship finals, mastering a 3-1 come-from-behind win over Belarus. Each of the two teams is on a 1-3 win-loss record and the situation in Pool C is such that a fierce battle for the two remaining spots - two have been taken by Russia and Slovenia already - in the next round may be expected and no team is out of contention.
• A brilliant Nikola Gjorgiev finished the match with a fantastic tally of 37 points, of which 36 spikes and one ace. Sub-in Radzivon Miskevich came up with 12 points for Belarus.
Match Centres:
RUS vs FIN 3-0 (25-17, 26-24, 25-22)
BLR vs MKD 1-3 (25-23, 19-25, 27-29, 20-25)
Once again, a fantastic Polish crowd at the Ahoy Centre in Rotterdam
Pool D
• Ukraine secured their second win in three Pool D matches after beating the brave team of Montenegro in four sets. The Balkan side drops to a 1-2 win-loss record.
• Ukraine’s Oleh Plotnytskyi impressed with 17 points, including five aces and three blocks. His teammates Dmytro Viietskyi and Yurii Semeniuk added 16 each. Captain Vojin Cacic was the best scorer on the Montenegrin side, with 16 points.
• In a one-sided game, world champions Poland crushed neighbouring Czech Republic in straight sets to extend their perfect record to three victories and book a ticket to the eightfinals. For the Czechs this was the second defeat in three matches played.
• Wilfredo Leon scored 15 times, including three aces and two stuffs, for the winners to top the scorers’ chart of the match. Mateusz Bieniek was responsible for five of Poland’s 10 blocks towards an individual total of 13 points.
Match Centres:
MNE vs UKR 1-3 (25-19, 18-25, 15-25, 19-25)
POL vs CZE 3-0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-15)
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