15/05/2015 22:20
Red-and-whites off to excellent start at home World Champs qualifier
2015 FIVB U21 Men Volleyball World Championship - European Qualification
Belchatow, Poland, May 15, 2015. The home side of Poland lived up to their status of pre-favourites of the second-round qualification tournament for this year’s FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship which started today at Energia hall in Belchatow. The silver medallists from last year’s U20 European Championship recorded a 3:0 win (25-19, 25-22, 25-17) over Italy to assert their intention to vie for the much coveted ticket to the global competition which is due to take place later this year in Tijuana and Mexicali, Mexico. Later in the evening, France regrouped after a shaky start to cruise to a 3:1 win (19-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-18) over Austria.
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Poland vs. Italy 3:0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-17)
The hosts of Poland opened their home campaign at Energia hall in Belchatow cruising to a speedy 3:0 victory (25-19, 25-22, 25-17) over Italy. The home team was somewhat slow to start their engine but quickly gained momentum in the second part of set one. In the second set they even managed to get as much as eight points of advantage over their opponents and consequently dominated the game until the very end.
Kacper Piechocki, libero of team Poland and home star as he plays for the local side of PGE Skra BELCHATOW, said: “We started badly but eventually we all woke up. Our coach said that we had to fight and we were not going to win the match that easily. We wanted to catch a good start in the tournament and here it is.”
Jakub Bednaruk, coach of team Poland, added: “We were nervous, a bit sloppy, showing too much stress and chaos on the court, but it’s a 3:0 win for us and that’s what counts in the end.”
Austria vs. France 1:3 (25-19, 18-25, 18-25, 21-25)
The beginning of the second match scheduled for Friday did not bid well for France, which lost the first set decisively to Austria (19-25). However, to the surprise of everyone at Energia hall, the French team pulled themselves together and went on to win all subsequent sets keeping the opponent at a safe distance for most of the time. France’s Jean Patry showed quite some skills as he finished as both the best scorer (25) and best spiker of the match (21).
Jocelyn Trillon, coach of France, said: “My players had no rhythm entering the match. In the changing room I told them that the tournament begins now but we couldn’t find a solution in the beginning of the first set. What I’m happy about is the reaction of my players, who kept on fighting and managed to change the course of the game.”
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