Samokov, Bulgaria. March 29, 2015. As the teams struggled to leave behind the uncertainties of the debut, the contenders of 2015 CEV U18 Volleyball European Championship-Women in Samokov faced a second day of competition with the purpose of causing a sensation in Pool I. Tension and a great Volleyball show took over Samokov Arena in Bulgarian city.
Germany vs Slovenia 3:0 (25-17; 25-18; 25-21)
Two teams with the mission of achieving a desired first victory faced each other in a crucial opening match of day 2 in Samokov. German and Slovenian squads had suffered overwhelming defeats in their debuts of the tournament, and therefore required a soothing triumph in the second day of the tournament. German side was able to put the frustration behind and took the lead in the match by winning the first period. Slovenia tried to react but problems in reception and the spikes by Germany’s Vanessa Agbortabi gave the players trained by Jens Tietböhl the necessary edge to put an end to their rivals’ whishes of a comeback. In the third set, Slovenian head coach Oleg Gorbachov made substitutions searching for a reaction and the period was a very close contest, but the powerful serving and blocking system (12 aces and 12 blocks in the game) helped Germany to achieve a victory of relevance for young German girls.
“The German team was better than us today. I think we still have chances to play for 1-8 places in Plovdiv. We did not show our best and I hope to fix our mistakes and to play better tomorrow”, stated Oleg Gorbachov, head coach of Slovenia. The team captain Pia Blazic, added: “We did not play our best game. They served better than us and they defended our attacks. In the third set, we knew that this was our last opportunity to have more chances in the competition”.
The sentiment was the opposite in German side, as the captain, Pia Leweling, commented: “We played all our systems today with intelligence and self-confidence and we did a great job”. Jens Tietboehl, head coach of Germany agreed and explained: “It was a completely different game than yesterday. The most important thing for us was our performance in service and digging. I think that we had a really good serve and that was the key of our success”.
Russia vs Serbia 1:3 (22:25; 18:25; 26:24: 21:25)
Russia and Serbia had showed their power in their first match of the tournament and aimed at confirming their strength against a direct rival in the clash for the leadership of the group. From the very beginning, both sides proved their intention to finish the match presenting an emphatic statement of their goals in the competition. In a disputed first set, it was Serbian girls who showed a better command of all elements of the game, namely, good service, reception, attack and block, so to achieve the lead in the game. Russia attempted to alter the situation in the continuation, by fighting every point, but Serbia proved too strong, especially in defense. Russian squad found its temporary reward in the third set, thanks to Angelina Lazarenko's spikes, but Serbian girls got to equalize the game with good serves and attacks, and with an outstanding Anastasija Sekulic (26 points). Serbia had the determination to win and closed the match with two powerful blocks, one of the keys in Serbian triumph against Russia.
“We believed in our victory today. We had great energy and we played well our cards, that's why we won. I am very happy and motivated for the next days, even though we looked a little bit tired because we had short time for preparation”, commented Jovo Cakovic, head coach of Serbia. Meanwhile, Tijana Milojevic, Serbian libero added: “I feel amazing because Russian team was one of the favorites. I cannot describe the feelings. We are ready for the next game and we believe in our power”
“The team was too nervous again. We started to play at fourth set, but it was too late. Maybe it is because of our opponent but we need to keep our minds clear for tomorrow. I will decide what to change for the game against Italy”, declared Svetlana Safronova, head coach of Russia. “We were very nervous, just like the game against Slovenia. We thought that the nerves were in the past, but obviously they were not, as we made too many mistakes. The coach told us to think about tomorrow, because the game from today is already past”, stated Russian captain, Daria Ryseva.
Greece vs Italy 0:3 (16:25, 22:25, 19:25)
Current Silver medalists from Italy intended to accomplish a second victory in the tournament, so to state its intention of securing their ticket to the final matches. Greek side, on the other hand, aimed at spoiling Italian plans by inaugurating its count of won matches, so hopeful Hellenic players came out to the court ready to control the Blue girls’ good organization in the start of the match. However, as the game went onwards, Italy certified its superiority through its outstanding balance of attack and block and the scoring by Vittoria Alice Piani. Optimistic Greek players could do much to contain the flow of powerful spikes from the other side of the net, even though they showed willpower throughout the match. Ultimately, it was not enough to beat a motivated Italian squad, and Marco Mencarelli’s pupils closed their second 3:0 victory in the competition, thus securing their contention to dominate the pool.
“Today we played better that yesterday, but we already knew that Italy is better than us. Had we been luckier in the second set, maybe we could have won. Now we need to think about tomorrow, because the match against Slovenia is really important, as we want to be in the first eight places”, analyzed Ioannis Andreadis, head coach of Greece, while the captain Athanasia Fakopoulidou, said: “We played better than yesterday. I think that Italy is the best team and we did good in reception but they are definitively better than us”.
Despite the victory, members of the Italian delegation did not seem too triumphant after the match, as Alessia Orro, capitan of the team stated: “That was not our best game. We had some problems with serve, and I am satisfied with the result today but not with our playing”.
Head coach Marco Mencarelli agreed while he added: “Our performance today was better than yesterday, but maybe we underestimated Greece. We have to try to arrange some situations, since the match tomorrow will be very difficult for us. Russian team is very balanced, they play good in all elements of the game and we have to try to play better”.
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