18/05/2018 19:00
Sweden and Austria host Silver #EuroLeagueW season openers
2018 CEV Volleyball Silver European League - Women
Luxembourg, May 18, 2018. The 2018 edition of the Silver European League commences on Saturday and the competition features eight teams per gender, playing home and away matches. The group stage includes a total six legs before the Final Four tournaments will determine the eventual winners. The Finals will feature the organisers, i.e. Sweden for the women’s division, plus the respective pool winners, and the best runner-up across the two preliminary pools. Sweden open the programme on Saturday when hosting Switzerland in Örkelljunga, as Austria play host to Israel in Klagenfurt.
The eventual winners of the Silver European League will move up to the Golden European League in 2019, thus replacing the lowest ranked team from the 2018 edition of the Golden EL.
Pool A
Sweden vs. Switzerland
• Swedish opposite Isabelle Haak will play her first game in Sweden since finishing her superb season with Serie A1-side Savino del Bene SCANDICCI. The teenager was the top scorer of the regular season with 491 points in 22 games and was crowned “La Regina di Svezia” by both fans and media.
• This is the first women’s European League match in Forum Örkelljunga, home of Örkelljunga VK who finished as bronze medallists in Elitserien, the men’s top-flight division in Sweden.
• Sweden and Switzerland locked horns a year ago when they challenged each other in two friendly matches in preparation for last year’s edition of the European League as well as the European qualifications to the 2018 World Championship. There and then, Switzerland came out as victors in both the first and second game.
• When they now square off once again, the young and talented Swedish team has grown stronger and wiser of experience, much thanks to their European League debut a year ago. With the 18-year-old Serie A1-superstar Isabelle Haak, the Swedish team has set sights on making the most of the League Round, preparing for the Final Four which will take place on home soil in Nyköping on June 16-17.
“I am excited to get going and to take on Switzerland. To play with the national team at home in Sweden in front of the home crowd and friends and family is for sure a special thing, and it has been a while since, so I am really looking forward to it. We hope to see the stands filled to the limit,” said Isabelle Haak prior to Saturday’s game.
Pool B
Austria vs. Israel
• The Austrian Volleyball Federation (OeVV) is looking forward to a series of home games. In total, there will be three CEV Silver European League double headers. Klagenfurt is the perfect starting point, as the Sportpark has already staged Champions League games before.
• Austria’s women national team will open their CEV Silver European League campaign against Israel and want to continue the progress made under head coach Svetlana Ilic.
• The CEV Silver European League is a welcomed opportunity to raise the status of Austrian women’s Volleyball in Europe. Reaching the Final Four would give the team a boost ahead of the European Championship qualifiers due to start later this summer.
Svetlana Ilic, head coach of Team Austria: “In my three years with the team we have made huge steps forward. Israel is a tough opponent, but within our reach.”
Srna Markovic, Austria’s first female Volleyball player competing in Italy: “I gained a lot of experience this season. The level of play in Italy is very high and I hope that my experience will help the team in the upcoming games.”
Gottfried Rath, OeVV Sports Director: “We hope to see top-level Volleyball on Saturday and that our national teams can start the CEV Silver European League with wins over Israel and Latvia.”
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