23/09/2017 18:47
Poland secure second straight victory with thunderous comeback in fourth set
2017 CEV Volleyball European Championship - Women
Baku, Azerbaijan, September 23, 2017. Poland recorded their second straight victory at the 2017 women’s EuroVolley in Baku in the only Pool A match scheduled for Saturday. They had to work hard for this result – and especially in the fourth set fought bravely to avoid they would play their second tiebreak in as many matches. Poland’s eventual 3-1 victory (25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 25-18) over Hungary virtually secures their spot in the Playoff round and as a result, they will feel no pressure at all when taking on Azerbaijan in their last match in the group phase. Once again, Malwina Smarzek was Poland’s match winner – chipping in with 25 points after she had amassed a haul of 36 the night before against Germany.
As they had done the day before in their matchup with hosts Azerbaijan, Hungary caught a promising start to their game with Poland – whereas the players in white and red shirts looked still a bit tired from the marathon match they had contested the night before – and eventually won – with Germany. The final stages of the opening set were truly exciting but Poland emerged victorious 25-22 to set their sights on a second straight victory in Baku.
The second set was pretty much the same – with Hungary again off to a flying start (8-4), but this time around team captain Rita Bokorné Liliom and her colleagues were able to hold on to their early advantage and stormed to a 25-19 victory to secure their first set win in this year’s EuroVolley.
However, Poland were up to the task and responded in the best way, setting the pace in the early stages of the third set with their only 21-year-old scoring machine Malwina Smarzek being again the most prolific player on their end after the night before she had recorded as many as 36 points in the matchup with Germany. Poland rallied to a comfortable 20-13 lead and this was enough to double their edge in the match (25-17).
The loud support from a group of fans who had travelled all the way from home to Baku helped Hungary bounce back in the early stages of the fourth set (5-1) and soon it looked like the audience were going to witness the second tiebreak of the day. However, Poland made sure this would not happen; they flipped the charts around with a thunderous comeback and by storming to a 25-18 win, they secured their second victory in as many matches they have contested at the National Gymnastics Arena so far.
Quotes
Zuzanna Efimienko, middle blocker of Poland: “Of course we haven’t come here only to play a few matches and gather experience. When you come to a tournament it is natural you want to fight for a medal. I think we are not in the toughest pool, but even if we were, so what? We step onto the court and fight whoever is standing on the opposite side of the net. I think each one of us has her own pressure and ambition – we achieved a good result in the World Grand Prix and we all remember that it felt good and we would like to repeat it, so I hope we can get as far as possible here.”
Jacek Nawrocki, head coach of Poland: “We have just won a match of the kind you just have to win. We will do our best to be thoroughly prepared for the next one against Azerbaijan. I know that they are one of the favourites in this European Championship, with great offensive power, and it is going to be a very tough match for us. We fought and lost to them two years ago, when our team had much more experienced players and it is going to be that much more difficult for us this time.”
Alberto Salomoni, head coach of Hungary: “My team started the game pretty well but unfortunately they soon began to make mistakes. Of course, Poland have a high-level team and my girls tried to show their best Volleyball against such an opponent. Sometimes we did it, especially as we won the second set. However, Poland were better. I congratulate our opponent and we will now prepare for the match against Germany.”
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