04/02/2014 14:09
Volero faces tough Russian challenge on the eve of the Sochi Olympics
2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League - Women
Zurich, Switzerland, February 4, 2014. Just one day before the Winter Olympics open in Sochi, Switzerland and Russia will fight for supremacy on the volleyball court in Zurich on Thursday. Volero ZÜRICH, the dominant team in the Swiss championship, will welcome the Russian leaders Dinamo KAZAN in a 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League - Women Playoff 6 clash.
In the first leg of the home and away tie on February 6, 2014, the club from Zurich will have to put down enough of a marker in terms of points to ensure that it has a chance of reaching the Final Four after the return fixture just five days later in Kazan. Following its shocking defeat on Saturday in the Russian Cup final against Dinamo MOSCOW (1-3), the team from Tatarstan will be all the more motivated for the trip to Zurich.
“Dinamo Kazan certainly made more errors than normal for once”, Volero assistant coach Jan Lindenmair revealed. “But drawing conclusions from this game is very difficult for us. What is certain is that Dinamo will be under much greater pressure due to this defeat. It is also evident that this match is a big challenge for us. But we will do everything we can on Thursday. After all, we are under no pressure to win and we have nothing to lose!”
For Volero, it was already sensational to get in among the top teams in Europe on the occasion of the club’s sixth appearance in the Champions League and, as a “reward”, they now have to face one of the competition`s pre-favorites with their superstar Ekatarina Gamova. “We must once again focus on our serving because, alongside Gamova, there are two other players, the receivers Jordan Larson-Burbach and Antonella Del Core, who share the responsibility in offense”, Volero head coach Dragutin Baltic said analyzing the opponent. “Somehow, we have to disrupt these two players when they receive the ball on Thursday in order to break up Dinamo’s compact attacking game. Ekatarina Gamova will score her points either way.”
Volero has to play five matches within a period of nine days. The important CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League game against Dinamo lies between two intensive weekends, each featuring two matches, including two encounters with the club’s main national rival, Volley KÖNIZ. The first energy-sapping doubleheader featured games against the teams ranked second and third in the national league - Volley KÖNIZ (3-2) and Kanti SCHAFFHAUSEN (3-1). Since Monday, the focus has been on Volero’s preparation for Dinamo KAZAN. The domestic calendar will then provide another doubleheader in the shape of an NLA fixture and the cup semifinal. “This schedule is not ideal for our team, as there are too many domestic games in the national championship during the most important period of the elite-level competition”, Dragutin Baltic said with regard to the tight playing schedule. “We also had to schedule the cup match on February 9 in a way that enabled us to set off on the long trip to Kazan on the same evening.”
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