26/08/2020 22:00
Belarus qualify for #EuroVolleyU19W semis, France top Pool II after third win
CEV U19 Volleyball European Championship 2020
Luxembourg, August 26, 2020. On Wednesday, Belarus edged Poland at the tiebreak to qualify for the semis of #EuroVolleyU19W from Pool I in Zenica. Belarus have a perfect record of three wins in as many matches this far. As for Poland, on Thursday they will play with Serbia in a direct clash for the remaining spot in the semis. In Pool II, with matches played in Osijek, France completed a clean sweep as they rather surprisingly beat Turkey 3-1 to secure first place in the pool. Co-hosts Croatia suffered their third straight setback in the competition as they lost a dramatic match 2-3 to Bulgaria – thus finishing fourth in the pool behind the young ‘Lionesses’.
Pool I in Zenica (BIH)
Poland vs. Belarus 2-3 (23-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19, 12-15)
Belarus claimed a dramatic victory in their matchup with Poland to keep a perfect record in the competition and quality for the semis. Poland, on the other hand, suffered their first setback in the tournament and on Thursday, they will fight with Serbia for the other available spot in the semi-finals.
Poland fought hard but team captain Julia Orzol and her friends ended up losing 2-3 to Belarus
Wieslaw Popik, head coach of Poland: “We made many mistakes in the first two sets. We were able to change the course of the match and brought it to a tiebreak. You know how it is with tiebreaks: anything can happen. We lost. Tomorrow we will play a decisive match with Serbia for a spot in the semis.”
Volha Palcheuskaya, head coach of Belarus: “I am happy for the victory. Congratulations to my players who played the best they could. It was extremely hard to play with Poland who performed very well – I am sure they can claim a place on the podium. We take it one match at a time. Tomorrow we play with the hosts from Bosnia and Herzegovina and our goal is to win. After that, we will see how far we can go in this competition.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Slovakia 1-3 (19-25, 25-22, 26-28, 16-25)
In the second match of the day, Bosnia and Herzegovina put up a great fight against Slovakia, but ended up losing 1-3, despite taking their first set in the competition. Another two sets were very close as well, but the hosts lacked composure and focus in their final stages. Therefore, Slovakia will stay in the competition and play the classification matches 5-8 in Osijek.
Jaroslav Hancak, head coach of Slovakia: “We were very nervous. I am not happy with the way we played but at least I am satisfied with the victory we achieved despite such a performance. I hope that the players of the two teams will believe in themselves more in their next matches.”
Hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina took their first set in the competition from the matchup with Slovakia
Natmir Buljubašić, head coach of Bosnia and Herzegovina: “This is a young and inexperienced team, and this is the first competition of this calibre for us. We are playing better and better with each game but unfortunately, we were unlucky today. We could have taken the first and third sets with a little luck and the match would have gone differently. However, it is up to us to try to be as good as possible, to present ourselves in a better light. We came here with some goals. If we win a set against these national teams, that is good, however, we have shown that we can play almost their same level. I am glad that we showed such a nice game and confirmed that we can develop a quality team in the long term. The other teams are physically more dominant, so the result is somehow natural. The participation in such a competition is a great thing for Volleyball in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and I believe we can proud of the level of the organisation as well – something that can compete with any other European country.”
Pool II in Osijek (CRO)
Bulgaria vs. Croatia 3-2 (27-25, 24-26, 25-19, 22-25, 18-16)
Bulgaria and Croatia fought for more than two hours in the longest match of the tournament this far, with the young ‘Lionesses’ eventually having the upper hand at the tiebreak. With this result, Bulgaria secured third place in Pool II, with Croatia finishing fourth on a 0-3 win-loss record.
“Unfortunately, another defeat for us in the fifth set. As in the previous matches, we did not show the needed level of tactical discipline and concentration, so I am extremely disappointed because of that. Now we will be playing the classification matches for places 5 to 8. I believe that my girls will be able to physically recover in these next two days and continue playing with maximum energy,” Croatia head coach Saša Ivanišević said.
“Although the match was very good, we did not start it well. That cost us playing five sets and in the end, Bulgaria were victorious. We desperately wanted to win after our two previous defeats, but we lacked experience and the right degree of aggressiveness at times,” Croatian player Karla Antunović commented.
“We played at the very same level with Bulgaria, but as we have learned so far, every point counts and even the smallest mistake means a lot in such games. We will keep fighting for the fifth place, and we feel positive about winning our next match,” Croatia captain Mirta Freund concluded.
France coach Fabrice Vial briefing his players in a timeout during the match with Turkey
Turkey vs. France 1-3 (25-23, 22-25, 23-25, 21-25)
With the two teams already qualified for the semis, France completed a clean sweep of their matches in Pool II to secure first place in the group.
“Our players showed great team spirit, which was very important. I think this is my first victory against Turkey, as we managed to find a winning solution against a team as good as theirs. We claimed first place in our group, so I hope my team will continue to play at the highest possible level and grow as a team in each game,” France head coach Fabrice Vial said.
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