04/06/2016 01:40
Poland and Slovakia open European League campaign with 3-1 wins
2016 CEV Volleyball European League - Women
Twardogóra, Poland, June 3, 2016. Poland was under pressure for being the hosts of the opening tournament in Pool A, but also highly motivated to win. With the elite players currently competing in the first stop of the FIVB World Grand Prix in Zielona Gora, the younger members of the Polish team showed their best in Twardogóra cruising to a 3-1 victory in their matchup with rookies Albania (21-25, 25-16, 27-25, 27-25). The second match of the day starring the teams of Belarus and Slovakia ended with the same final result, 3-1, with Poland’s neighbours Slovakia being the ones to celebrate after four closely-fought sets (25-19, 24-26, 25-22, 26-24).
Poland vs. Albania 3-1 (21-25, 25-16, 27-25, 27-25)
The young Polish team started nervously and the hosts made as many as four mistakes before the first technical time-out, while Albania captain Arjola Prenga showed very good technical skills. Poland coach Waldemar Kawka tried to calm his players down and replaced half of the line-up in the middle of the set. Patrycja Flakus was an important substitution, but the Poles could not keep the pace of their opponents. The first set ended after a Polish attack error with Albania celebrating their first, historic set win in the European League (25-21).
The second set coincided with a great comeback by the home team. Albanian coach Altin Martiri looked helpless as Poland cruised to an 8-2 lead as they played with confidence and resilience. Albania struggled with finishing their attacks and also with controlling the thunderous spikes killed by Klaudia Grzelak. The visitors tried to step up their efforts, but Poland stayed on track. Erblira Bici scored an ace for Albania, but Poland comfortably led 20-13. Polish setter Alicja Grabka piled up a number of set balls for her team and as Arjola Prenga sent the ball out of bounds, Poland cashed the second set 25-16.
The last two sets followed a similar pattern with both teams trying to impose their quality but with Poland emerging victorious in the end. There was a lot of tension in the camp of the home team since at some point Albania managed to edge ahead by as many as six points. Waldemar Kawka decided to let Magdalena Damaske play and she changed the course of the game, helping her side come back and level the score at 24-all in the fourth set. After missing out on two match balls, Klaudia Grzelak served an ace and Poland could start the party following a 27-25 set win that sealed their 3-1 victory.
Belarus vs. Slovakia 1-3 (19-25, 26-24, 22-25, 24-26)
The start of the match was a close run and even though after the first technical time-out Slovakia’s Tatiana Crkonova suffered an ankle injury, her team took a two-point lead at 19-17 and the Belarusian coach asked for a break. The Slovakian team did not lose composure and easily won the opening set 25-19.
In the early stages of the second set Belarus tried to compete with their very much focussed opponents, but both Katsiaryna Silantsyeva and Anastasiya Harelik could not break the Slovakian wall. Paula Kubova, who had replaced Crkonova after the latter’s injury, was ruthless and gave Slovakia a 16-12 lead. Surprisingly, Belarus responded by flipping the charts around and took the lead at 22-19. A few rallies later the score was levelled at 24-all, but Belarus scored twice in a row to ultimately win the set.
The third set followed a similar course. An outstanding performance by Silantsyeva on the Belarusian side of the net and outside spiker Erika Salanciova pacing Slovakia provided a close and enjoyable fight for the fans in attendance. Slovakia took a two-point lead at the second technical time-out and were able to hold on to it through to the end of the set (25-22).
In the final set Slovakia changed gear and claimed a comfortable lead at 12-6. Salanciova continued to play at a high level, but Belarus did not give up and tried to keep the pace of their opponents up until the end of the match. Hanna Kapko set more bravely than earlier in the match and surprised Slovakia’s block a few times. Jaroslava Pencova, however, stood like a wall for Slovakia and gave her team a first match point. The match ended with thunderous spike by Team Slovakia that as a result won the set 26-24 and the match 3-1.
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