04/01/2019 23:00
Tickets to #EuroVolleyW up for grabs with nine matches in one day!
CEV EuroVolley 2019 Women
Luxembourg, January 4, 2019. There are as many as nine #EuroVolleyW qualifiers due to take place on Saturday and there is much at stake since some of Europe’s up-and-coming teams will fight with everything they have in order to compete at the historic event that Turkey, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia will be co-hosting later this year. Make sure you follow all of the action on EuroVolleyTV, where the streaming of all matches is available for free! The matchup between Czech Republic and Finland will be drawing most of the attention since the Czechs (pictured) desperately need a win in order to stay in contention for a ticket to EuroVolley 2019 Women.
Pool A
Slovenia vs. Iceland
• Slovenia and Iceland so far only met once when these two teams played the 2nd Round of qualifiers for the EuroVolley 2019 in Kopavogur last August, with Slovenia recording a 3-0 away victory.
• Iceland’s opposite Thelma Dögg Gretarsdottir shone in front of the home crowd with 14 points, while Pia Blažič was the strongest weapon of Slovenia’s team with 13 points to her name.
• Unfortunately, Blažič will not be able to help the national team this time due to a knee injury. Nika Blagne is another player on which Alessandro Chiappini will not be able to rely on, due to health issues. On the other hand, Lana Ščuka and Sara Hutinski are back with the team.
• The young Volleyball players from Slovenia’s U16 team, which is preparing for their first-ever international appearance, the qualifiers for their own #EuroVolley, will be among the spectators in Sports Hall Ljudski vrt on Saturday, cheering for their idols.
Slovenia expect a home victory from their home match with underdogs Iceland.
Alessandro Chiappini, head coach of Slovenia: “My players have come to Maribor in a good shape and that was really important. We did not have a lot of time to prepare for the matches against Iceland and Israel but thanks to the extremely good work they have done with their clubs, we could focus only on our playing system and tactics. We are strongly motivated, and I am very satisfied with the attitude of my players. I am happy about the way we are preparing and we all hope for a positive outcome.”
Saša Planinšec, player of Slovenia: “Our goal is to play both matches at the highest possible level. It is true that we did not have a lot of time to prepare, but we are in the middle of the club season and we only need to focus on our team performance. We are motivated and we are looking forward to delivering two good performances.”
Pool B
Croatia vs. Switzerland
• Croatia have won four matches in a row in the pool to secure their ticket to EuroVolley 2019 Women with two rounds to spare.
• The hosts will contest this match without Ana Grbac, Ivana Prokopić and Sanja Popovic-Gamma, who are key players for the team.
• Last summer Croatia beat Switzerland 3-1 in Schönenwerd.
Austria vs. Albania
• Austrian Volleyball fans and especially those living in Graz can prepare for a spectacle as Austria host Albania on Saturday in the fifth leg of the EuroVolley Men 2019 qualifiers at the brand-new Raiffeisen Sportpark Graz with a capacity of 3,000 spectators.
• Croatia have already secured a place in the finals. Switzerland rank second in Pool B, but cannot lay back as Austria are still able to turn everything around by sweeping two victories in the upcoming matches. It is very likely that the fixture featuring Switzerland and Austria on January 9 will determine which team will be moving further.
• Austria won in Albania (3-0) in the second leg back in August and hope to use the home-court advantage to claim another three points.
• Austria’s women do not have any problems with injuries, opposite to their men’s national team, who are missing a number of their star players.
Svetlana Ilic, head coach of Austria: “It has been a long journey. My team has made a huge progress in the past three years. Now we have reached a crucial stage. The players are in good shape and are able to perform on a high level. We desperately want to play in the European Championship. A successful qualification would be a high point for this young team.”
Pool C
Ukraine vs. Montenegro
• This is an all-important match since after four rounds Ukraine and Montenegro share the same record with two wins and two losses and six points.
• With Greece on top of the pile, this is a direct clash for a ticket to EuroVolley.
• Back in August, Ukraine beat Montenegro 3-0 in Bar.
• Ukraine have been working together since December 25 ahead of the EuroVolley matches with Montenegro and Norway.
Ukraine coach Gariy Yegiazarov portrayed during a timeout.
Gariy Yegiazarov, head coach of Ukraine: “There have been some changes to our roster compared to last summer, since some players are nursing injuries while Hanna Kyrychenko did not respond at all to our invitation to join the team. On the other hand, Olesia Rykhliuk is back with the team after improving her physical condition and she is in good shape again. It is very important to us that she decided to join us, thus sacrificing some Turkish national league matches with Besiktas ISTANBUL. We absolutely need a victory over Montenegro and as a result, Olesia did not hesitate to make up her mind and choose us. Moreover, I have invited two young players, Kateryna Tkachenko and Daria Velykokon, as well as Lyubov Uzhva from Volyn University. Those players who are readier to perform will be taking to the court.”
“Unfortunately, due to the holiday season, we could not play any friendly matches and I have to say that the timing for these last qualifiers is not the best one. We have been working on our own on the chemistry among the players and the tactical side of the game. The mood is good and my players have been working hard. As far as I know, both Montenegro and Norway will be missing some key players from the summer matches and as a result, we cannot really estimate how strong they are. We will see that only once we play them but we definitely want to secure our qualification to EuroVolley on Saturday against Montenegro.”
Pool D
Georgia vs. Denmark
• Georgia have a record of one win and three losses in the competition this far. Denmark, on the other hand, have lost four matches in a row.
• Both teams are out of contention for a spot to compete at EuroVolley.
• Back in August, Georgia secured a 3-1 away victory over Denmark in Ikast.
France hope to extend their winning streak when hosting Portugal.
France vs. Portugal
• French setter Oriane Amalric suffered an injury three days ago and she will not be able to contest this match.
• Margaux Bouzinac, Manon Moreels and Clara Martin are all celebrating their first cap with the ‘Bleues’.
• The French roster includes sisters Clara and Pauline Martin.
• The city of Belfort hosts the third match in as many EuroVolley qualifiers played by France on home soil.
• Both France and Portugal have already secured their EuroVolley participation.
Emmanuel Fouchet, Manager of Team France: “It was a tough game in Portugal in August, and I remember the first set was very tight. Our goal is to keep winning and claim the first place in the pool. We also want to show great Volleyball to our public.”
Pool E
Czech Republic vs. Finland
• This very important match for the home team will be taking place in Jindrichuv Hradec, South Bohemia. The Czech players have some good memories from the venue where last year they claimed a 3-0 victory over Belarus during their participation in the Golden European League.
• The Czechs are in a very difficult situation but they are still in contention for a spot to compete at EuroVolley 2019 Women. They have only one victory to their name this far and three losses.
• The organisers expect a full house to help the Czech team secure a much-needed victory.
• The home team is missing some great players such as Helena Havelkova, Lucie Smutna or Pavla Smidova, but there is a chance for other, younger players to show their best performance. The Finnish team is missing Pauliina Vilponen, who retired from the national team last August.
• Finland have already qualified for the Final Round.
It is a D-Day for Czech Volleyball when they play Finland on Saturday.
Barbora Purchartova, captain of Czech Republic: “We still have the chance to qualify, so we must fight for the victory. I hope the fans will help us and together we will make the next step.”
Zdenek Pommer, head coach of Czech Republic: “We will focus and concentrate only on our performance and step by step we will fight and do our best for the victory. There is no other way to make it to EuroVolley. Our team is well prepared and we must show it during the match against Finland.”
Tapio Kangasniemi, head coach of Finland: “We will play with a good Czech team, but anyway we want to win no matter the team we are playing against. We want to show a great performance and be better than our opponent.”
Pool F
Romania vs. Spain
• The home match with Spain will be the first international Volleyball event held in Alexandria, a city that starting with this year will be hosting one of the Olympic Centres of Romanian Volleyball.
• Since this is the only pool where both of the qualified teams for EuroVolley are not known yet, the match tonight is going to be an intense and interesting one.
Romania’s coach Nikolay Ivanov knows that his team is well aware of the importance of this match: “We started our preparation in December and everything has been done at a good level. We do not have any health issues and all of my players are ready for this important match. We are ready to play and to enjoy Volleyball!”
Latvia vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
• The Latvian team consists of players from seven different cities across the country.
• Two of these players are playing abroad and one more is attending college in USA; they all returned home to play the last two EuroVolley qualifying matches for Team Latvia.
• Libero Liene Simkuse just celebrated the first birthday of her son, and the little boy has showed up to support his mum at the training sessions and he will be there for the match with Bosnia and Herzegovina as well.
• Three new players have joined the team for the first time for the EuroVolley matches with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Spain.
• Latvia are still waiting for their first win in the pool, while Bosnia and Herzegovina have two wins and two losses to their name this far, meaning they are still in the race for a spot in the Final Round.
Inguna Minusa, head coach of Latvia: “The Latvian National team is young, all girls have been playing for just six months together, and for the team any international experience lays the foundations for future victories.”
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