Plovdiv, Bulgaria, April 1, 2015. The upcoming stars of European Volleyball sparkled on the fourth day of the 2015 CEV U18 Volleyball European Championship – Women being held in Bulgaria. In the city of Plovdiv, the candidates to qualify for the title deciding matches of the tournament lived a thrilling quest for the leadership of the pool in three clashes which were determined by the Turkish girls’ predominance, and the hard-fought victory by the Belgium team in the clash for the second ticket to the Final phase.
The Netherlands vs Poland 1:3 (24-26, 25-23, 17-25, 19-25)
Poland beat The Netherlands in a disputed match that provided the squad trained by Andrzej Pec with a victory to recover its candidacy to qualify for the final phase of the competition. The Polish squad had entered the tournament as the defending champions, but suffered two defeats in the three previous matches, so the girls directed by Andrzej Pec were in need of a victory to maintain their chances in the championship.
The reigning champions were able to keep their composure in a disputed first set to initiate their search for the victory. The Netherlands reacted immediately; after going to five-setter games in their last two participations in the competition, the Dutch girls hoped to prove their level against the winners of the last edition of the tournament and recovered the control of the game in the second set. Nonetheless, despite the Dutch efforts and the Oranje efficiency in block, Poland used Paulina Swider’s attacks to control the rest of the match, so to put the 17-25 and 19-25 that contributed to the definitive 1:3.
“It was a really tough match, because it was a clash for a place that could ensure our continuation in the tournament. We made a few mistakes in important moments of the match, but I think that we still have our chances, and we will fight tomorrow against Turkey," said Saskia van Hintum, coach of The Netherlands.
“Today we achieved a very good result, but we did not play at such a good level. I have made some changes, and at times we have played with our second team. I am happy that we won, regardless of the players on the court,” stated Andrzej Pec, coach of Poland. Meanwhile, Aleksandra Rasinska, captain of Poland added: “It was a very important victory for us because we knew that if we won, we would still have our chances for the second place in the group and for reaching the Final phase”.
Bulgaria vs Turkey 0:3 (14-25, 19-25, 28-30)
Turkey confirmed its title contender status by signing a conclusive victory against the host team of Bulgaria. The Turkish squad dominated the game from beginning to end and used in its favour the anxiety displayed by the local girls in front of their audience. Despite the constant support from the stands, the Bulgarian players could not end their negative run of defeats in the competition and registered their fourth upset in the tournament. After a first period easily controlled by the Turkish girls, Mehmet Nur Bedestenloglu’s pupils transferred their mistakes-free performance to the second period, with a stellar Yasemin Özel as main protagonist. Bulgaria fought back in the third set and presented a courageous display to stand up to the visiting squad. In a disputed end of the period, Turkey imposed its powerful spikes in order to achieve the final 28-30. With this 3:0 victory, the Turkish team ratifies its supremacy in the pool.
“I wanted to see a more aggressive version of my players, especially after the first two sets. I am happy with the victory and with the fact that we qualified for the Final phase," declared Mehmet Bedestenloglu, coach of Turkey.
“We started the game very relaxed, but we improved in the third period. We had our chances to win this set and get back in the game, but we were unable to win it,” declares Radoslav Bakardzhiev, coach of Bulgaria, while captain Yoanna Atanasova said: “Turkey played very well, especially in the first two sets. We did not start to play at a good level until the middle of the third set and we definitively lost our chances to qualify for the World Championship. Tomorrow we will try to beat Belgium.”
Czech Republic vs Belgium 2-3 (25-19, 25-23, 23-25, 8-15)
The Czech Republic and Belgium clashed in the search for the second position of the pool in a heartbreaking and thrilling match that finished with a remarkable 3:2 victory for Belgium. After having registered the respective tallies of two victories in the three previous matches, the two squads presented an exceptional level of performance in the closing encounter of the day in Plovdiv, as the two contenders required a triumph to stay in the race for the title deciding phase. Ultimately, this position fell into the Belgian girls’ hands, as the players directed by Fien Callens established their authority in an extremely disputed clash thanks to their courageous recital and the ability to fight to recover an opposing 2:0. During the first two sets, the Czech Republic team presented an outstanding level of efficiency in attack through Pavla Meidlova’s influence to take the match to an almost certain victory. However, with 2:0 in the scoreboard and with the Czech girls grazing the triumph with their fingertips, Belgium produced a sensational comeback. Fien Callens’ girls closed lines in defence as a response to the Czech hitting capacity and the younger 'sisters' of the Yellow Tigers maintained their chances in the game through Britt Herbots’ offensive skills. Despite the Czech efforts, Belgium was able to tie 2:0 and to send the match to the deciding tie-break. In the disputed fifth period, the Belgian girls concurred with greater confidence and used the sensational streak initiated three sets earlier to exceed clearly the Czech side in the period and to put the final 15-8. The victory for Fien Callens’ girls places Belgium one step away from achieving the yearned second position of the pool.
“We had some problems with our serve and block in the first two sets; we are a smaller team, so we also had troubles with their strong attack. Then I made some changes in our serving system, and we started fighting for every ball, every point. This is how we won the following sets and the two points," stated an exultant Fien Callens, coach of Belgium.
After losing the match in the tie-break following a 2-0 lead, the spirits were at the lowest in the Czech delegation. “We played good volleyball, but we missed our chances to win by 3:0. After the third set, we made some mistakes, our service was not so good and our reception was also not going well. Right now, I just have to congratulate the team of Belgium for the victory," declared Ales Novak, coach of the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, Czech captain Tiziana Baumrukova commented: “We started very well, but after this, we made some mistakes; we lost concentration and this helped Belgium cruise to this win."
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