06/06/2016 01:43
Slovakia make it three out of three in women’s European League opening weekend
2016 CEV Volleyball European League - Women
Twardogóra, Poland, June 5, 2016. Slovakia completed a clean sweep of their European League matches in Twardogóra after a tie-break victory over hosts Poland. A great performance by Jaroslava Pencova paved the way towards a historic win in what is Slovakia’s European League debut. The second game between Albania and Belarus also finished at the tie-break, where the Belarusians claimed their first win in the competition. Actions in Pool A will resume in two weeks’ time in Albania.
Albania vs. Belarus 2-3 (25-17, 25-22, 11-25, 23-25, 10-15)
Two aces by the 18-year-old Cindy Marina started the game between two teams vying for their first victory in Twardogóra. Albania easily edged ahead and Belarus didn’t pose a threat to their opponents in the opening set. Though they experienced some problems in the early stages, Albania controlled also the second set which they won 25-22. Belarus stepped up their efforts in the next set, built up a ten-point advantage at 21-11 and ultimately won the set at a canter (25-11), also thanks to brilliant serves contributed by Nadzeya Malasai. Belarus performed well also in the fourth set and as a result stretched the match to the tie-break. The more experienced players coached by Aliaksandr Klimovich controlled the game in the fifth set and eventually celebrated a come-from-behind 3-2 win.
“The last day of the tournament was very lucky for us. After two tough days we finally won. Our team is really tired, so the start of today’s match was far from being perfect. We have shown our character and we can travel back home with smiles on our faces,” said Aliaksandr Klimovich, the head coach of Belarus.
“The match was beautiful. We hoped to win, but unfortunately it did not happen. I am positive before the tournament we will be playing at home,” said Altin Martiri, the head coach of Albania.
“Our start was perfect. We wanted to win and gave our best. Too many errors in the third and fourth sets resulted in losing focus. We are not sad, because in two weeks we will play in Albania again and we know what to expect from Poland, Slovakia and Belarus. Congratulations to our opponents, we have learned a lot from them and we hope to present better Volleyball in our country,” said Arjola Prenga, the captain of Albania.
Slovakia vs. Poland 3-2 (25-22, 25-18, 24-26, 19-25, 15-8)
Slovakia won the opening set 25-22 after a balanced battle with the hosts and continued with their display of fine form in the second frame as well. Paula Kubova and her teammates built up a four-point advantage at 12-8 and by the end of the set they had extended it to seven points (25-18). In the third set the home players looked a lot more focussed and established a small cushion of four points (10-6). They fought with all of their hearts to stay alive in the game and after a thrilling crunch time, Poland claimed the third set 26-24. The fourth set did not disappoint the Polish supporters – their favourite players cruised to a compelling 25-19 win. The tie-break, on the other hand, was controlled by the Slovakians. Magdalena Damaske relied on her powerful serve, but could not pose a real threat to the opponents and Slovakia won the set 15-8 and with it the match as well.
“It is our first participation in the European League, so we cannot be any happier about the final score. We played good and this victory over Poland is a valuable one,” said Jaroslava Pencova, the team captain of Slovakia.
“We won three matches in our first European League experience, this is a great thing. Before today’s game against Poland we knew they would be very motivated. I think they played their best match today, so I am more than happy that we won. My team controlled the first two sets and then we made some mistakes. In my opinion we communicated with each other better than Poland did and that was key to our success” said Marek Rojko, the head coach of Slovakia.
“I think I am quite happy with the result. My team fought bravely and this makes me feel optimistic about the future. These girls are very young and we need to remember this. The young age is the reason why sometimes they feel so nervous. We have some good raw material to work on and all we need is the time to practice,” said Waldemar Kawka, the head coach of Poland.
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