15/07/2019 20:50
Turkey, Italy, Russia record third wins at #EuroVolleyU16W
2019 CEV U16 Volleyball European Championship - Women
Trieste/Zagreb, Italy/Croatia, July 15, 2019. The 2019 edition of #EuroVolleyU16W continued on Monday with a full set of six matches and with Turkey keeping their perfect record in Pool II in Trieste, where they are yet to drop a single set. Italy boast a record of three wins in as many matches as well, after routing the young Yellow Tigers of Belgium in three sets. Serbia opened the programme of the day with a 3-0 shutout of Romania. Over to Zagreb, in Pool I France routed Finland 3-0, while Slovenia completed a terrific comeback to edge co-hosts Croatia at the tiebreak. Russia are the only team with a spotless record in Pool I after their comprehensive victory over Germany – in a match where they conceded 30 points only across three sets.
Pool I in Zagreb
France vs. Finland 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-19)
With France and Finland on the losing side on Sunday, both of these teams needed a victory to stay in contention for a spot in the semis and medal matches due to take place later this week in Trieste. France caught a flying start to the match and claimed the first and second sets quite comfortably. Finland never really recovered from such a setback, and France eventually stormed to their second victory in the tournament. Maeva Schalk was again – for the third day in a row – the top scorer for France with 13 points; Vaiteani Vaki scored eight winning spikes and Nora Legrand stood out with eight aces.
Mikko Korhonen, head coach of Finland: “Congratulations to France, they played very well. We prepared for this game, but they had a very good serve, which caused problems at our end, with our reception. The better team won, but I feel bad for the girls, since it is hard to lose this way.”
Croatia vs. Slovenia 2-3 (26-24, 26-24, 18-25, 26-28, 8-15)
Two neighbours, Croatia and Slovenia, delivered a very close battle as from the first set no team allowed the other to claim a real edge. Point by point, spike by spike, the hosts managed to take the first set 26-24. History repeated itself in the second set, with the two teams pushing hard and Croatia once again finding their way to another 26-24 win. In the third set, after the score stood at 7-7, the Slovenians pushed even harder and eventually secured a 25-18 close. The thriller continued in the fourth set, as Slovenia completed their comeback for a 28-26 win. As the final set started, the Slovenians, carried by the momentum from the previous set, won easily 15-8, leaving the hosts heart-broken. Slovenia’s Taja Gradišnik Klanjšček played a phenomenal match, recording 25 points, including 20 winning spikes.
Živa Cof, head coach of Slovenia: “In the first two sets we were still shaken from the last two matches, where we lost to Russia and Germany. The girls were sad, especially after yesterday’s tough loss, so we had to work on lifting their spirits. Croatia played an exceptionally good game, both in defence and offence, but our girls responded bravely. I think this game will be a great lesson and experience for both teams.”
Germany vs. Russia 0-3 (8-25, 11-25, 11-25)
Germany and Russia fought for the provisional first place in Pool I as these teams had a record of two wins in as many matches from the weekend. After a close start up to 7-7, Russia started to execute their attacks perfectly, and with a terrific 15-0 streak, they conceded only one extra point to Germany up until the end of the set. Russia looked dominant in the second and third sets as well, where Germany could only score 11 points. Team captain Arina Fedorovtseva set the pace for Russia with 10 points, as Anastasiia Kapralova recorded two blocks and three aces to add even further to Russia’s supremacy in the game.
Arina Fedorovtseva, captain of Russia: “Today we tried to stay focused and not to repeat any of our mistakes from the last two matches. We played very well in every aspect of the game and that is why we won so comfortably. We are satisfied, but we need to prepare for the next match, and - I hope - for the finals as well.”
Pool II in Trieste
Romania vs. Serbia 0-3 (23-25, 22-25, 16-25)
Serbia opened the programme of the third competition day in Trieste by recording their second straight victory in the tournament. Actually, Romania set the pace of the game in the early stages of the first set but Serbia fought their way back to draw level at 18-all after cancelling a seven-point deficit. After a close final rush, Serbia emerged victorious at 25-23. The two teams struggled with their passing in the second set; after another close race, Iva Sucurovic secured a first set point for Serbia and her side cashed it with a thunderous spike (25-22). The third and last set followed the plot of the previous two and Serbia closed the match after 77 minutes of playing, conceding only 16 points to Romania. After three straight losses, Romania are out of contention for a spot among the top four teams of the championship.
Zeljko Scepanovic, head coach of Serbia: “This was a difficult game for us, since we had to win if we want to stay here in Trieste for the semi-finals. Therefore, my girls played a little bit under pressure even because we faced Romania only six days ago winning 3-0 in the Balkan Championship. Today we won 3-0 as well and it may look like this was an easy game but it was not.”
The Netherlands vs. Turkey 0-3 (21-25, 19-25, 22-25)
The third competition day at Pala Chiarbola continued with Turkey keeping their perfect record in the competition after storming to a 3-0 victory over the Netherlands. Turkey started well but the young Oranjes displayed a very solid performance, and their good passing paved the way towards the spikes killed by Nicole van de Vosse and Emily Silderhuis. Turkey answered with an efficient performance from Dalia Wilson and eventually closed the first set with an ace (25-21). Turkey claimed an early lead in the second set but the Netherlands found back their game. The Dutch team closed in at 18-21 before Turkey broke away again to seal a 25-19 win. Even though the Netherlands did not stop putting up a fight, Turkey dominated the third set, thus securing their third victory in as many matches. Pelin Eroktay was the best player of the match, scoring 17 points for Turkey. On the losing side, Tess Leemreize scored 14 times for the Netherlands.
Rasit Berk Inanc, head coach of Turkey: “I am quite happy, this match represented a great opportunity to make it a step closer to reaching the semi-finals and we won it. This is a very intense tournament and now we are going to give the opportunity to play to all the girls who are waiting for their moment to shine.”
Belgium vs. Italy 0-3 (20-25, 18-25, 18-25)
Italy played Belgium in the third and last match of the day in Trieste. Thanks to this victory, the ‘Azzurrine’ are just a step away from reaching the semi-finals. The hosts used to their advantage the many mistakes made by the young Yellow Tigers and secured the first set at 25-20 with a spike killed by Giulia Polesello. Belgium put up a fight in the second set but Italy responded well, breaking away to 19-13 and that was enough to double their lead in the match with Sara Bellia sealing a 25-18 win. Italy closed the match with a 25-18 close in the third set after previously failing to cash two match points. Belgium did not surrender until the very end but the defending champions were too much to stand for the Tigers.
Pasquale D’Aniello, head coach of Italy: “Today we are happy, because the team showed their skills and potential, even though some of the players have been dealing with a flu. We are Italy, and this shirt gives us a lot of energy. I want to dedicate this result to my girls who demonstrated that they know how to overcome difficulties. Today we never gave up and now we have to think about the next match versus Serbia, which is coming up in two days.”
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