04/10/2015 15:15
Serbia crown outstanding season with bronze medal at EuroVolley
2015 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women
Rotterdam, Netherlands, October 4, 2015. Serbia claimed the bronze medal of the 2015 CEV DELA Volleyball European Championship – Women. The Serbian ladies beat Turkey 3:0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-18) in the clash for the third place of the tournament after presenting a powerful demonstration of skillful and effective offensive resources. The bronze medal in the 2015 EuroVolley completes a remarkable 2015 campaign by Zoran Terzic’s side following the second position earned at the 2015 FIVB Volleyball World Cup and the subsequent qualification for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. This is also the fourth European medal for Serbia following silver in 2007, gold in 2011 and a bronze medal claimed by the former Yugoslavia back in 1951.
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Turkey vs Serbia 0:3 (19-25, 17-25, 18-25)
Serbia achieved their second bronze medal in European Championship history after finishing in third position at the 2015 EuroVolley. The 2011 gold medallists showed resilience in overcoming the disappointment of losing in the semi-final on Saturday, and overwhelmed the Turkish side in three conclusive sets.
The clash for bronze started with Turkey trying to recover the top form they had showed in the first stages of the competition. However, Serbia managed to shake off the initial pressure by their rivals and took the lead at the first technical time-out (8:4). The margin of four or five points remained intact up to 14:9 before Turkey reduced the distance in the scoreboard. After a kill block on Brankica Mihajlovic, the Turkish ladies narrowed their gap down to two points (14:12), and a few minutes later, the Baku 2015 European Games gold medallists levelled the score at 16:16. Again Brankica Mihajlovic signed two points in a row and contributed to a 21:18 lead for Serbia. A failed Turkish set-up brought Serbia to set point, and that was promptly cashed by Stefana Veljkovic (25-19).
Serbia was clearly in the flow, and increased the pressure on their rivals. But by the hands of setter Naz Aydemir Akyol on service position, Turkey walked straight to reduce their gap (10:7). Brankica Mihajlovic spiked her team to 14:9, but the Turkish side fought back in the game. Nonetheless, a kill block by Milena Rasic made Turkey’s coach Ferhat Akbas call for his second time out (20:16). A lucky Serbian serve, touching the net band, forced the end to the second set for Serbia at 25-17.
Even though Turkey played with energy and glowing hearts, Serbia walked away from its opponent again on the onset of the third period (10:6). Turkish captain Gözde Kirdar collected the eighth point for her squad with a scathing spike (11:8), but when her next attack landed in the Serbian kill block, the margin for her rivals stood at four points again (13:9). The Turkish blocking system started getting a grip on the Serbian attacks, leading Serbian coach Zoran Terzic to call for a time out at 14:12. Serbia recovered and after a smash through the centre of the court by Milena Rasic, the scoreboard showed 19:15. This gap turned out to be too big for the team mentored by coach Ferhat Akbas, as Tijana Malesevic spiked her team to 23:16, and an out-served Turkish ball brought Serbia to match point (24:17). The Serbian ladies maintained their level of efficiency to close the period 25-18 thus claiming the bronze medal of the 2015 CEV DELA Volleyball European Championship – Women.
“Today everything was better than yesterday,” said the coach of Serbia Zoran Terzic after the match. “We played more relaxed and though we won easier than I expected, it is a wonderful feeling to win the bronze medal. I congratulate my team, as they have had a very good season that we close with this medal,” he added.
One of the best scorers in the match, Serbia’s Brankica Mihajlovic stated: “Today our reception worked really well. I am happy to be part of this team; we managed to come back after a series of lost points, and we finished this championship in the best possible way,” commented the outside spiker.
“We played really bad today; if you don’t serve well against Serbia, you are nowhere. Serbia really deserved to win today,” said a disappointed Turkish coach Ferhat Akbas.
For more information on the 2015 CEV Volleyball European Championship - Women visit eurovolley2015.eu or click here. In social media, please use the competition’s official hashtag #EuroVolleyW.
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