28/09/2017 09:00
World-class teams to open programme of #EuroVolleyW quarterfinals
2017 CEV Volleyball European Championship - Women
Baku, Azerbaijan, September 28, 2017. The 2017 women’s EuroVolley is slowly approaching its final, most exciting stage – and action resumes on Thursday at the iconic National Gymnastics Arena in Baku with two quarterfinal matches featuring a good share of Europe’s Volleyball elite. Italy will play 2015 silver medal winners the Netherlands at 18:00 local time before Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallists Serbia take on Belarus at 20:30 – with Belarus having already equalled their best ever result in the history of the competition by making it among the top eight teams in Europe for the first time since 1995.
Click here for a comprehensive TV schedule.
Click here for a list of countries where live streaming of the quarterfinals will be available.
Italy vs. The Netherlands
Head-to-head
• Italy and Netherlands have met 18 times at the European Championship with both teams recording nine wins.
• This is a repeat of the 2009 European Championship final when Italy won in straight sets to take their second title in the competition.
• The Netherlands won their most recent meeting at the European Championship, 3-0 in the group stage in 2015.
• Since that encounter, the Netherlands also won their two meetings at world level tournaments: 3-1 at the 2016 World Grand Prix and 3-0 at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
• Italy’s last victory over The Netherlands at a world level tournament or at the European Championship was the 3-1 win in the quarterfinals of the 2011 European Championship.
Italy
• Italy are hoping to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2011, when they beat Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
• They lost their last two quarterfinal matches at the European Championship, 3-0 against Serbia in 2013 and 3-1 versus Russia in 2015.
• The Italians won the competition in 2007 and 2009. They can become the second team with at least three European titles, after Russia's record 19 titles (including Soviet Union).
• The title in 2009 was also Italy's last podium finish in the competition, as they finished fourth in 2011, sixth in 2013 and seventh in 2015.
• Italy have won all three of their matches so far in this tournament. The last time they remained unbeaten in more successive fixtures in one edition was in 2009, when they won all eight that year.
• Paola Ogechi Egonu scored 30 points in both of Italy's last two matches at the European Championship.
The Netherlands
• The Netherlands hope to repeat their success of 1995 when they won their first and so far only gold medal at the European Championship.
• The Dutch came close to a second gold medal in 2015, only to lose the final against Russia.
• The Netherlands have won 84 and lost 84 matches in the history of the European Championship.
• They have lost seven of their last eight five-setters in the competition, with the 3-2 win against Russia in 2009 as the only exception.
• Lonneke Slöetjes is Holland’s top scorer on 59 points so far this campaign. She scored most points for her team in the first two matches, while Anne Buijs became top scorer in the last two.
Serbia vs. Belarus
Head-to-head
• Serbia and Belarus will meet for the first time at the European Championship.
• This will also be their first encounter at a major tournament.
Serbia
• Serbia are hoping to repeat their success of 2011, when they beat Germany in the final to win their first and to date only European title.
• They also finished on the podium in 2015 (third), 2007 (second) and 1951 (third as Yugoslavia).
• Serbia have won their last three quarterfinal matches in the competition: 3-0 against Poland in 2011, 3-0 versus Italy in 2013 and 3-1 to Belgium in 2015.
• Serbia have won their last four fixtures at the European Championship. They can win five in a row for the first time in the competition (including Yugoslavia & Serbia and Montenegro).
• Tijana Bošković (60) has scored most points for Serbia so far this campaign. She scored more than 20 points in each of the first two matches, but failed to claim top scorers honours in the match versus Belgium.
Belarus
• Belarus are hoping to record their best finish in the competition. By reaching the quarterfinals, they have at least equalled their best result, an eighth place in both 1993 and 1995.
• They have won three matches so far in their current campaign, already a record number of wins for them in a single edition.
• Belarus have won their last two matches in the competition, marking the first time they recorded back-to-back wins at the European Championship.
• So far, they have played six five-setters at the European Championship, winning four of those including each of their last two.
• Belarus have claimed at least one set in each of their last six fixtures at the European Championship. This accounts for their longest such streak in the competition.
• Anzhelika Barysevich is their team's top scorer at this European Championship on 52 points.
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