Berlin, Germany, September 14, 2013. Less than two hours left before the start of the much-awaited medal duels of the 2013 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women. At 17.00 (local time), titleholder Serbia will challenge the ‘yellow tigers’ from Belgium who played an outstanding tournament so far. At 20.00 (local time), host Germany take on 2010 world champions Russia. Since several days, Berlin’s Max-Schmeling-Halle is sold out for today’s final duels.
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Germany head coach Giovanni Guidetti was obviously very happy after Friday’s hard-fought semi-final win versus the resilient Belgians: “It is an amazing feeling. We won against a very strong team. Congratulations to my players; even in the most difficult moments of the match they believed in their chances. Moreover, it was a victory for our supporters. More than 7.000 fans pushed us beyond our limits. I am sure today we will have again their full support.”
If Guidetti’s team wins gold tonight, it would be the third title for Germany at CEV Women's European Championships. In 1983 and 1987, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) had finished twice on the top of the podium. On the other hand, Russia top the all-time ranking of European championships. Since 1949, powerhouse Russia collected 24 medals: 17 times gold, 4 times silver and 3 times bronze. Russia head coach Yuriy Marichev said after the semifinal with Serbia: "I'm very satisfied. We had an excellent preparation. Our plan works as expected.”
After their deception at the 2012 London Olympic Games (out in the quarterfinals), the Russians built up a completely new team. “We needed to play faster and benefit more from our strong blockers”, explained Marichev. No other team had more block winners than Russia at EuroVolley 2013. Furthermore, with Nataliya Obmochaeva and Tatiana Kosheleva, the Russian head coach counts on two of the world’s best spikers.
The records speak for themselves for today’s gold medal clash: Russia had won 48 out of 53 duels at international competitions. At European championships, Russia has edged Germany 22 times and lost only three matches. “In ten duels versus Russia, Germany would probably lose nine. However, I am confident that today it might be the one we win. I strongly believe in my players" home mentor Giovanni Guidetti concludes.
Final matches (Max-Schmeling-Halle Berlin):
Saturday, 17.00 (local time) – bronze medal match: Serbia v Belgium
Saturday, 20.00 (local time) – gold medal match: Russia v Germany
The winner of the CEV Volleyball European Championship will qualify for the 2013 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Champions Cup featuring a total of six teams per gender with the hosts Japan being joined by the continental winners from Asia, Europe, NORCECA and South America with an additional country selected by the FIVB.
With Germany and Russia, the two best-ranked teams of the 2013 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women as well as organizer Italy have qualified for the 2014 FIVB Volleyball World Championship.
The five best-ranked teams of the 2013 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women as well as the organizers from Belgium and the Netherlands have qualified for the 2015 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women.
Final Ranking of the 2013 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women
1. Germany/Russia
2. Germany/Russia
3. Belgium/Serbia
4. Belgium/Serbia
5. Croatia
6. Italy
7. Turkey
8. France
9. The Netherlands
10. The Czech Republic
11. Poland
12. Belarus
13. Bulgaria
14. Switzerland
15. Azerbaijan
16. Spain
CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women
Records of the last five editions
2011 in Italy/Serbia: Serbia (gold), Germany (silver), Turkey (bronze)
2009 in Poland: Italy (gold), the Netherlands (silver), Poland (bronze)
2007 in Belgium/Luxembourg: Italy (gold), Serbia (silver), Russia (bronze)
2005 in Croatia: Poland (gold), Italy (silver), Russia (bronze)
2003 in Turkey: Poland (gold), Turkey (silver), Germany (bronze)
CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women
All-time medal table (Gold/Silver/Bronze)
1. Russia (17/4/3)
2. Germany (2/5/3) *including GDR
3. Poland (2/4/5)
4. Italy (2/2/2)
5. Czech Republic (1/4/4)
6. The Netherlands (1/2/1)
7. Serbia (1/1/1)
8. Bulgaria (1/0/2)
9. Croatia (0/3/0)
10. Hungary (0/1/3)
11. Turkey (0/1/1)
12. Romania (0/0/1)
12. Ukraine (0/0/1).
For further information visit www.eurovolley2013.org and www.cev.lu for a detailed match schedule of the final four.