25/09/2011 21:58
Host Serbia outclass Ukraine for second win
2011 CEV Volleyball European Championship - Women
Belgrade, Serbia, September 25, 2011. There was no doubt about the winner of tonight’s duel between Serbia and Ukraine as the hosts booked an easy 3-0 win (25-18, 25-18, 25-14) in front of 3,400 spectators at SC Pionir sports hall in Belgrad. Serbia improved their win-loss record to 2-0, whilst Ukraine stay at the end of Pool’s A ranking with zero points.
Best player of the match was Jovana Brakocevic with 15 points. Ganna Lisieienkova scored seven kills for Ukraine. Serbia will face Germany in the “final” match of Pool A, determining the winner of a direct ticket for the quarterfinal. On the other side, Ukraine and France will battle for the last second round spot from Pool A.
After 20 minutes, Jovana Brakocevic smashed the last winner into the Ukrainian court in set No. 1. The Serbs proved too strong for the inexperienced Ukrainian squad in the first period. An undisputed 25-18 was the consequence of two completely different teams. While the hosts showed their powerful qualities at the net and in defense, the Ukrainians found no solution to overcome the well-organized Serbian playing system.
Ukraine experienced the better start into the second set with a two-point lead at the first technical timeout, but Brakocevic and Milena Rasic paved the way for Serbia to come back. At the second technical break, the hosts had turn tables with more power at the net. Not only the Serbian attacks were more powerful than the Ukrainian ones, but also the block work was much more effective (7-0). As in the first set, Serbia finished 25-18.
Things didn’t change in the third and final set as Serbian head coach Zoran Terzic gave reserve players Tijana Malesevic, Nadja Ninkovic, Ana Antonijevic and Sanja Malagurski some playing time. They took prompt advantage, leading their team to the second success in Pool A. Malagurski closed the match out with a spectacular winner from the left.
Serbia head coach Zoran Terzic: “I don’t think we played better tonight, since yesterday we easily won. Tonight, we did make some mistakes, but the girls were very good; still, they need to be more relaxed, like we played at the Grand Prix. The reception was a bit low, and as soon as we improve that part of our game, the results of the upcoming matches will be, for sure, in our favor.”
Serbia captain Jelena Nikolic: “We played better tonight, I’m sure we did. It seems that the Ukrainian team doesn’t have enough experience, but their defense was good. But as I said, I think we played better tonight and more relaxed, and that will give us confidence for tomorrow’s match.”
Ukraine head coach Volodymyr Buzaiev: “Congratulations to the Serbian team on tonight’s victory and a great match. They played strongly, so we didn’t expect any different result. I have to point out that we played as good as possible, but I hope we’ll do better tomorrow, as we will play against France.”
Ukraine captain Iryna Komisarova: “Congrats to the team of Serbia, they were amazing tonight, their skills were more than perfect. I think our team has to learn more, to improve every aspect of the game, and I hope we will do better tomorrow; we have to if we want to go to the next round.”
|