27/08/2020 22:00
Serbia rout Poland to complete #EuroVolleyU19W semis line-up
CEV U19 Volleyball European Championship 2020
Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, August 27, 2020. On Thursday, Belarus claimed top spot in Pool I of #EuroVolleyU19W in Zenica after securing a fourth straight victory in as many matches, this time storming to a comprehensive 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-10) score in their matchup with co-hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina. Belarus will play Pool II runners-up Turkey in the semis on Saturday. In a direct clash for a spot among the top four of the competition, Serbia routed Poland 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-21) to finish second in the pool and challenge Pool II winners France in the semi-finals. Poland and Slovakia finished third and fourth, respectively, in Pool I and will contest the classification matches 5-8 later this week in Osijek, together with Bulgaria and Croatia.
Serbia vs. Poland 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-21)
In an all-important match, Serbia delivered a very strong performance to rout Poland in three sets and secure their spot in the semis of the tournament where they will be playing the surprising winners of Pool II, France. Poland, on the other hand, will travel to Osijek and play Croatia in the classification matches 5-8.
Milan Gršić, head coach of Serbia: “We knew we could deliver a good game. Despite the loss, even the match with Belarus was not so bad. There were mistakes but we knew we could do better. It was very important for us to deliver such a strong performance. The girls withstood all the pressure we had, and I can only congratulate them on such a quality game. We can be happy and have regained confidence. The semi-final match with France now awaits us on Saturday. We have a day off to recover, to forget today’s game, and to redirect all our efforts towards that match.”
Belarus vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-10)
Belarus completed a clean sweep of their matches in Pool I routing Bosnia and Herzegovina to cement their first place in the group and play Pool II runners-up Turkey in the semis.
Volha Palcheuskaya, head coach of Belarus: “We are obviously happy with such good games, victories and our spot in the semis. This is a big step for us, and this match was very important for us. With the victory, we secured first place in the group. Now we need time to rest and prepare for the semi-final match with Turkey.”
Armin Bukvić, assistant coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina: “In general, we did not expect such a strong Belarus team but they showed that they work really well and they deservedly finished first in our group. In the first and second sets, we offered maximum resistance, and we tried to play as good as we can. We failed to some extent, since we wanted to take at least one set from them. This European Championship is a big thing for us. God willing, our long-term goal is to work on developing our national teams and achieve good results.”
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