29/05/2018 22:00
Austria and Sweden up to defend perfect record in Silver #EuroLeagueW
2018 CEV Volleyball Silver European League - Women
Luxembourg, May 29, 2018. Austria and Sweden will be trying to register their fourth wins in as many matches in the pool stage of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Silver European League – Women this far. Austria host the still winless Georgia in Pool B in Amstetten while Sweden are up for a repeat of their spine-tingling away game with Estonia where they cancelled seven match points and came back from two sets down to keep their perfect record in Pool A.
Pool A
Sweden vs. Estonia
• Sweden and Estonia will clash for the second time in just five days. When they faced each other this past Saturday, the fans could enjoy some fantastic Volleyball that made a truth out of the proverb “it ain’t over ‘till it’s over”. The Estonians took home the first two sets in stellar fashion, but Sweden somehow fought their way back into the contest in the third set. After saving seven Estonian match points, Sweden came out as winners in the third act via an astonishing 35-33 victory.
• From there and on the Swedes raced on winning another two sets to win the match 3-2. If Wednesday’s match between the two sides turns out to be anything like the last, fans in Nyköping are in for a treat.
• Swedish opposite Isabelle Haak is the best scorer so far in the Silver European League with 75 points in three games and with an average of 6.82 points per set.
• Kertu Laak is the top scorer for Estonia with 50 points. She ranks fourth overall in the competition.
• If Sweden are victorious, they will take huge steps in their attempt to finish as one of the top two teams in Pool A.
Jonna Wasserfaller, captain of Sweden: “It may be the case that we are the favourites to win the pool now, because of the victory against Estonia. We have to keep on focusing on our game plan and work hard on the things we are doing great and things we have to do better. Coming in to this week unbeaten feels extremely good and now we have two straight games on home soil coming up.”
Kosovo vs. Switzerland
• Kosovo women’s national team will be playing their first-ever European League match in the country’s capital, Prishtina.
• The hosts will not be able to count on the top player from their own national league, Adelajda Prenga, who is currently completing her transfer of allegiance from Albania to Kosovo.
• On Saturday, Kosovo lost to Switzerland 0-3 in Rossemaison. They will be trying to make amends for that setback when playing in front of the home crowd.
• Kosovo have lost three matches in a row and they are yet to win a set in the competition.
• Switzerland, on the other hand, have lost to Sweden and Estonia but beat Kosovo in the last round of the competition to secure their first-ever #EuroLeagueW victory.
• It is the first time in history that a Swiss Volleyball national team pays a visit to Kosovo.
Lorik Ilazi, head coach of Kosovo: “We have been experiencing many difficulties since this is the first time that we are competing at this level. However, our home match against Sweden was quite encouraging to me and I hope to see the same level of performance on Wednesday against Switzerland. They are a good team but we will be trying to put them under pressure, learning from the experience we had in the match we played with them on Saturday.”
Pool B
Albania vs. Israel
• Albania will be trying to repeat the result from Saturday’s away match in Ra’anana where they beat Israel 3-0.
• Albania have a record of two wins and one loss in the competition this far and sit in second place in Pool B.
• Israel, on the other hand, have two losses to their name and one win from their home match with Georgia.
Austria vs. Georgia
• Austria women’s national team have lost only one set in the three matches they have contested in the European League this far. Therefore, they are full en route towards qualifying for the Final Four of the competition.
• They now face the still winless Georgian team at Johann-Pölz-Halle in Amstetten.
• Last Saturday, Austria easily beat Georgia in Tbilisi 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-14).
• If Austria claim their two remaining home matches, they will secure their participation in the Final Four due to take place in Nyköping, Sweden on June 16-17, 2018.
Nikolina Maros, player of Austria and top scorer (18 points) in the previous match with Georgia: “Three victories in a row is just sensational! Now we look forward to the double home round together with our men’s national team in Amstetten and Enns. The Final Four is within our reach.”
Gottfried Rath, Sports Director of the Austrian Volleyball Federation: “The performance of our women’s national team has been outstanding. We are currently the best team across both groups. Obviously, the intense programme and the travelling that goes with it are exhausting. For that reason, we focussed on regeneration and mental training after the match in Tbilisi. On Wednesday, we hope to celebrate yet another victory.”
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