04/10/2015 19:45
Russia claim 19th European title after win in front of 11,000 fans
2015 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women
Rotterdam, Netherlands, October 4, 2015. Russia silenced 11,000 fans in attendance at the Sportpaleis Ahoy arena in Rotterdam and upset the home heroines of The Netherlands cruising to a 3:0 win (25-14, 25-20, 25-20) to claim the gold medal of the 2015 CEV DELA Volleyball European Championship – Women. The Russian side accomplished the great feat of winning back-to-back European titles, following their gold medal from the 2013 EuroVolley held in Switzerland and Germany. Two years later, the Russian ladies replicated that success and celebrated the 19th European crown for their country by counting also those claimed by the former Soviet Union. Tatiana Kosheleva received the award for the Most Valuable Player of the tournament as it happened also two years ago in Berlin and another six of her countrywomen – Irina Zaryazhko, Alexandra Pasynkova, Nataliia Obmochaeva, Ekaterina Kosianenko, Natalia Malykh and Anna Malova – celebrated their second straight European title as well.
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The Netherlands vs Russia 0:3 (14-25, 20-25, 20-25)
The defending champions from Russia proved too strong for the hopeful players of The Netherlands in the big final of the 2015 women’s EuroVolley. The Russian side cruised to an impressive three-setter victory in the title-deciding match and stopped the hopes of glory of a fully packed Sportpaleis Ahoy arena in Rotterdam. The impressive offensive power and the efficient blocking of the team mentored by Yuriy Marichev drove the Russian ladies to the top of the podium and to complete the remarkable feat of winning two consecutive continental championships.
The venue in Rotterdam exploded when the home team of The Netherlands opened the score in the final match of the 2015 EuroVolley. An ace by Yvon Beliën contributed to a three-point lead for the home side (6:3), and when her teammate Lonneke Slöetjes followed suit, it was 8:4 for the hosts. Russia showed their class and after an amazing spike by Tatiana Kosheleva they narrowed their deficit down. Setter Ekaterina Kosianenko connected very well with the best outside spiker of the tournament Tatiana Kosheleva, who attacked over every Dutch block. At 18:12, the coach of The Netherlands Giovanni Guidetti substituted Anne Buijs for Celeste Plak, who managed to block the first attack by Kosheleva, but at her next attempt, the Russian ace scored again (20:12). A kill block by the visiting team brought the defending champions to set point (24:13), which was cashed by Irina Zaryazhko at 25-14.
In the opening phase of the second set the Dutch attacks could not pass the excellent Russian block. By the hand of the experienced Manon Nummerdor-Flier, the home team came back to 8:6, but Russia managed to soon put an end to the Dutch hopes in the period. The Russian play was far more effective, and points kept falling on the visiting side of the scoreboard (22:17). The Dutch team managed to collect more positive actions but Nataliia Obmochaeva secured the second set win for Russia at 25-20.
With Robin de Kruijf on service position and an eager Celeste Plak at the net, the Netherlands ran to an early, impressive lead in the opening stages of the third act (5:0). Russia trailed behind and the 11,000 spectators in Ahoy Rotterdam saw a hint of recovery for their heroines (12:7). But again Russia came back, and at 10:12, a direct service point by the always impressive Tatiana Kosheleva made the Russian difference diminish to only one point. The 2013 gold medal winners managed to force the tie, despite the efforts made by the local players (14:14). As the co-hosts received a raucous support from the tribunes, The Netherlands tried to find a way to stand the exceptional performance of their rivals, but Russia got closer and closer to their goal of finishing the set through a spike by Nataliia Obmochaeva (23:19). The Dutch side kept on fighting but Russia offered no glimpse of ceding. The eventual 25-20 sealed the final 3:0 and the crowning of Russia who keep holding the throne of European Volleyball queens.
“Today our defence worked very well. I am really proud of my team: this was one of the best matches we have played, especially since in our previous matches we were not so good. I think the Netherlands were a bit tired and more nervous,” declared the coach of Russia, Yuriy Marichev.
“We lost because Russia was extremely good today. We could not play the game we wanted, but still, I am incredibly proud of this team,” stated the coach of The Netherlands, Giovanni Guidetti.
The captain of the Dutch team Maret Balkestein-Grothues added: “It was really hard to play against Russia today: their defence worked perfectly. We really hoped to get into the flow that we had showed in the last matches, but we failed. We have experienced a super tournament, and closing it with this defeat is really bad for us. But still, we won the silver medal today, we should be proud.”
Dream Team of the tournament
Most Valuable Player: Tatiana Kosheleva (Russia)
Best Setter: Maja Ognjenovic (Serbia)
Best Opposite: Lonneke Slöetjes (Netherlands)
Best Outside Spiker: Tatiana Kosheleva (Russia)
Second Best Outside Spiker: Anne Buijs (Netherlands)
Best Middle Blocker: Irina Zaryazhko (Russia)
Second Best Middle Blocker: Eda Erdem Dündar (Turkey)
Best Libero: Anna Malova (Russia)
Fair Play Award: President of the Dutch Volleyball Federation (Nevobo), Hans Nieukerke
Final standing of the 2015 CEV DELA Volleyball European Championship – Women
1. Russia*
2. The Netherlands*
3. Serbia*
4. Turkey*
5. Germany*
6. Belgium
7. Italy
8. Poland
9. Belarus
10. Croatia
11. Czech Republic
12. Hungary
13. Bulgaria
14. Azerbaijan
15. Romania
16. Slovenia
*The top five are qualified for the Final Round of the 2017 CEV Volleyball European Championship - Women alongside the national teams of organisers Azerbaijan and Georgia.
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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