Luxembourg, May 30, 2018.  In two consecutive legs of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Silver European League - Women, the teams of Sweden and Estonia engaged in epic five-set dramas in the matches between them. Once again, the away team, this time Estonia, emerged on top in the tie-breaker. While the Pool A battle for the Final Four spots is getting really fierce, in Pool B Austria claimed their fourth win to stay unbeaten and well within reach of a ticket to Nyköping.


POOL A

Sweden vs. Estonia 2-3 (25-20, 18-25, 25-21, 25-27, 6-15)

•    Both Sweden and Estonia entered determined and inspired to the court. With the set score being 1-1, the spectators in Nyköping were enjoying high speed Volleyball, expecting to relive a “Volleyball Déjà vu” (on Saturday Sweden and Estonia made a real spectacle, that lasted five sets).
•    Sweden took the third set and were really close to winning 3-1 with a comfortable point difference after having had the lead for almost the whole fourth set. However, Estonia showed a real fighting spirit, tidying up the game and completing an amazing comeback (24-24, 25-25) to eventually emerge victorious and extend this match to a tiebreaker.
•    Estonia were “flying on their wings” during the tiebreak after turning things in their favour in the previous part and emerged victorious at 15-6.
•    Swedish opposite Isabelle Haak, the top scorer so far in the Silver European League, added another 30 points and now has a total of 105 points in four games this far in the competition.
•    Thanks to the victory, Estonia is now closing in on the top spot in Pool A. Sweden still sits atop the table, one point ahead of the Baltic side.
•    This was the first European League match ever held in Nyköping.



Rebecka Lazic, player of Sweden: “We fought hard and well, but unfortunately we lost some really important rallies. And when it comes to reception, we clearly had some problems. But we also had moments where we played really well, so we take the positives with us into the next game versus Kosovo.”

Anu Ennok, player of Estonia: “Our teamwork made the difference here today. The great start to the fifth set was also a key to this victory for sure. We played much better in both attack and defence today. Having in mind that we were so close to winning back home in Estonia, this feels like a revenge.”

Kosovo vs. Switzerland 0-3 (18-25, 20-25, 15-25)

•    Switzerland continued their good results head-to-head with Kosovo, beating the same team in three games, including a World Cup qualifying encounter.
•    Laura Kuenzler (SUI) led the Swiss team with 11 points.
•    Maja Storck (SUI) had 7 winning spikes, a true tribute to the national team.
•    Entela Muqolli (KOS) made her debut on the Kosovo national team.



Lorik Ilazi, coach of Kosovo: "For us this was a great adventure, taking part in the CEV Silver European League for the first time. And here we finish the campaign in front of our fans, looking forward to the next/last two games. Switzerland was very strong even though they weren’t complete. For us, it’s important to see a progress and to improve our game."

Rukije Muja, player of Kosovo: "We tried to do more than we did in our first game in Rossemaison (SUI). We were more focused and well rested for this game, so as you saw, we managed to score more points. For sure each tournament is a big experience for us, and this one was also a special one. Thanks to the fans we were strongly motivated and we promise to do more in the future."

Timothy Lippuner, coach of Switzerland: "It was the first time being in Kosovo and it was a good experience for us. We have traveled with only 10 players, and as after the first game with Kosovo, we were counting to be favourites in this match. We did great and now we’re focused on the next games against Estonia and Sweden, where our fate will be decided."

Laura Kuenzler, captain of Switzerland: "It was a great game played by our group. Kosovo was better than in the first game. Now we hope to qualify for the Final Four, as we will be prepared for the next two games. It’s good that both games against Estonia and Sweden we will play at home, that’s a plus for us."


POOL B

Albania vs. Israel 3-1 (25-23, 25-19, 27-29, 25-16)

•    This was not an easy home victory for Albania although the Eagles had won in straight sets three days ago in Raanana. The emotions and the desire to not disappoint the fans affected the Albanian players, but in the end they deserved the win.
•    This was the first win for the Albanian team at home in front of their fans, after two victories away.
•    Erblira Bici made 28 points for Albania to become the best scorer of the game. Polina Malik, with 20 points, topped the charts on the Israeli side.



Altin Martiri, coach of Albania: “It was not an easy victory and we know this. Today we did not play only to win, but also for the qualification to the Final Four, so the emotions were very high. We started this adventure in the European League three years ago and now we are virtually qualified. I want to thank the girls, who showed their best.”

Giuseppe Cuccarini, coach of Israel: “We have a team of young players in this competition, which today played better than in the last fixture against Albania. I think we received good signals from the players for the future.”

Austria vs. Georgia 3-1 (25-21, 25-16, 23-25, 25-16)

•    Austria remain unbeaten in the 2018 CEV Volleyball Silver European League after they won their home fixture versus Georgia on Wednesday.
•    The Austrians extended their winning streak to four matches in the group stage in Pool B, leading the table three points ahead of the second-placed Albania, who defeated Israel in four sets. On Saturday, the two teams will be playing each other in the Sporthalle Enns. If Austria win the match, they will secure both first place in Pool B and their spot in the Final Four.
•    With 27 points scored for Austria, Monika Chrtianska showed an excellent performance. Katharina Holzer and Nikolina Maros chipped in with 18 points each for the hosts. Gvantsa Ulumbelashvili was the top scorer for Georgia with 16 points.



Katharina Holzer, player of Austria: “The Final Four was our goal from the beginning of the competition, but it is only now, that we are starting to realise, how close we are to it. We made too many simple mistakes in the third set and it was simply our fault, nothing else. A lot of things have changed under the wings of our coach Svetlana Ilic, we did an extended summer programme and more intensive training. Nothing better could happen to us than her becoming our coach.”

Svetlana Ilic, coach of Austria: “We are three points closer to reaching the Final Four with this victory. We did not serve as well as we could in the third set, so Georgia took this chance. While considering our chances to reach the Final Four - I was very good at maths in school, but in sport I prefer to be more cautious. I think we already have one foot in the Final, but watch out, everything is possible in sport. So, our focus now is just on the next match against Albania.”

Paata Ulumbelashvili, coach of Georgia: “We showed a good fight. In the course of the game, we became better and better and rewarded ourselves by winning one set. But at the end, it was not to be."

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