28/09/2015 23:05
Croatia stop Russia in forceful win, Belarus beat Bulgaria in nerve-racking battle
2015 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women
Rotterdam, Netherlands, September 28, 2015. While the breathtaking journey to glory in the 2015 CEV DELA Volleyball European Championship – Women went through its last day of the preliminary pool phase, an intense battle took place in the four venues with teams wishing to continue their journey in the competition. In Pool C in Rotterdam, Belarus confirmed their qualification to the playoff matches following a disputed win over Bulgaria in five sets 3:2 (25-21, 25-23, 14-25, 20-25, 15-11). In the second match of the day, Croatia outclassed titleholder Russia in impressive straight sets win (25-21, 26-24, 26-24).
Belarus vs Bulgaria 3:2 (25-21, 25-23, 14-25, 20-25, 15-11)
In the first duel of the day in Pool C Belarus booked a well earned five-setter win over Bulgaria thus making it to the next stage of the competition.
Belarus grabbed a small 8:7 lead at the first technical time-out of the opening set. The Bulgarian team answered quickly and a sharp spike by captain Elitsa Vasileva represented the 8:10. The game stayed close as Belarus took a one-point lead going into the second official break (16:15). Through great blocking and effective attacks Belarus widened the gap to 21:18 and ended the set at 25-21.
In the second period Belarus took a quick 4:1 lead forcing Bulgarian coach Dragan Nesic to take a time-out. The Bulgarian ladies were not able to keep up and a smash by Nadzeya Malasai moved the score to 12:9 for the ladies from Minsk. Belarus fought hard and made it 21:19, before a great block by Anzhelika Barysevich finished the set 25-23.
Bulgaria was back in business and an ace completed by Nasya Dimitrova called for a 5:1 lead in their favour in set 3. Belarus could not put an end to their rivals' efficiency, and the Bulgarian team extended their lead to 14:6. It was Nasya Dimitrova who concluded the set at 25-14.
Again Bulgaria started at a high level in the continuation and took a three point lead (5:2) in the first minutes of the fourth set. The team directed by coach Dragan Nesic was very eager and in control almost the whole set, and although Belarus came close at the end (20:22), Bulgaria remained calm and closed the period 25-20.
Both teams showed great fighting spirit in the tie-break. However, Belarus soon took the lead and ultimately won the deciding fifth set 15-11 thus securing their ticket to the playoff matches.
“Congratulations to Belarus, they played a really good tournament so far and made it very difficult for us,” stated the coach of Bulgaria Dragan Nesic.
“We are very happy. It’s great to beat teams that are higher on the ranking than us. We have a strong team with good players and we showed with this result that we belong here,” stated the coach of Belarus Petr Khilko, while captain Aksana Kavalchuk added: “I’m so excited that we won; the deciding fifth set we won it partly due the support of our fans!”
Russia vs Croatia 0:3 (21-25, 24-26, 24-26)
Croatia booked an impressive 3:0 (25-21, 26-24, 26-24) win over defending champion Russia at the 2015 CEV DELA Volleyball European Championship – Women in Rotterdam. The titleholders still finished on top of Pool C via their previous results while Croatia and Belarus advanced to the playoff round.
In the first set, reigning European champion Russia took an 8:5 lead due to a great block by Nataliia Obmochaeva. The Russians kept the upper hand until Croatia tied the score at 13:13 and took over the lead at 15:14. Mistakes from the Russian side created a three-point advantage for Croatia at 23:20, and an ace by captain Maja Poljak ended the set 25-21.
Russia started more aggressively and jumped out for a quick 5:3 lead in the second period. The difficult serves signed by Ekaterina Lyubushkina moved the scoreboard forward for the titleholders (13:10). Russia showed their power and widened the gap even more at the second technical time-out (16:12). In the crucial phase of the set the Croatian team came closer again and even took a one-point lead 23:22 to directly cash their first set point 26-24.
Croatia was on fire and rapidly moved the score to 10:6 in the third set. The Russian side kept calm and took over the lead at the second official break (16:15), but eventually it was Croatia who finished the job and concluded the set with a remarkable block at 26-24.
“We’re very happy that we won. We really played as a team and with character. We go step by step and we are really growing in this tournament,” said the coach of Croatia Angelo Vercesi. Croatia captain Maja Poljak added: “We are improving day by day and I’m very proud of my team. It’s really a team victory.”
“We didn’t play with the right focus today partly because we were already qualified for the quarterfinals. Of course I’m still disappointed for this loss,” stated the coach of Russia Yuriy Marichev.
For more information on the 2015 CEV Volleyball European Championship - Women visit eurovolley2015.eu or click here. In social media, please use the competition’s official hashtag #EuroVolleyW.
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