25/09/2015 19:00
The Netherlands and Belgium ready to shine at home in EuroVolley
2015 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women
Rotterdam, Netherlands, September 25, 2015. The hopes and dreams of the co-hosts of the 2015 CEV DELA Volleyball European Championship – Women are about to be put into play when the matches of this memorable event start this Saturday. A gripping sense of anticipation is the sentiment being shared by the two co-organisers ahead of their debut in the thrilling competition to be held in The Netherlands and Belgium.
The Dutch side faces complicated rivals in Pool A in Apeldoorn and has called on local fans to support the Oranjes in their journey in the tournament. Giovanni Guidetti’s ladies have undertaken an intense preparation prior to the event, with three friendly matches against superpower Brazil as one of the highlights of the training period. Although the Dutch squad suffered three defeats against the number 2 team of the FIVB World Ranking, the Oranjes performed at high level and showed their skills in the countdown to the biggest show of the year. In the week before their debut in the EuroVolley, the co-hosts clinched two victories in friendly matches against 2013 silver medallists Germany.
“We are ready for the European Championship. Everything in the preparation turned out as planned and we are at a hundred percent physically; of course, the motivation is also very high. I believe that it's possible to win a medal. That is our big goal,” commented the coach of The Netherlands Giovanni Guidetti.
In addition to the exhibition matches, The Netherlands are carrying out an avid promotional campaign aiming to raise awareness and support in order to turn the venue of Apeldoorn into an orange celebration. Visits to schools, a packed official presentation in front of media, a documentary televised nationwide and a successful promotion in social media are among others the actions that the Oranjes implemented in the build-up of the sensational event.
“We are eager to fight for a medal in this tournament. (Tournament director) Peter Blangé told us what our mindset should be during this European Championship: eat or be eaten. Let’s just say we are very hungry,” stated the thrilled captain of the team Maret Balkestein-Grothues.
“We compare ourselves to a balloon that you try to keep under water. The deeper you push it the higher it jumps up,” added Dutch star Robin de Kruijf regarding the tension and the expectations around the team in the days ahead their debut in the tournament.
Yellow fever in Belgium
Belgium is living days of true yellow fever, as the national team is optimistic for their debut in the tournament. The Belgian squad will meet Hungary, Azerbaijan and Turkey in the city of Antwerp and has already experienced the devotion of the local fans before the event.
The Yellow Tigers clashed against Turkey in three friendly matches that were resolved with three disputed victories for the Baku 2015 European Games champions from Turkey. Then, Belgium signed two triumphs and a defeat against the Czech Republic, while in one of the last clashes before the championship, Gert Vande Broek’s ladies had to accept a tie-breaker defeat against Bulgaria. “We try to follow the good line of our national team, which started in Berlin two years ago when we won the bronze medal, and then in the World Championships, the World Grand Prix qualification last year and staying in that exclusive group this year,” declared the coach of the Belgian squad Gert Vande Broek. “Due to some injuries and some new young players being introduced in the team, it was not such an easy preparation, but we are ready now. We certainly would like to reach a spot in the quarterfinals, but to get to the last weekend should be a surprise, just as big as it was to win the bronze medal in 2013,” added the coach.
The Yellow Tigers can rest assured that they will receive the support from the local fans since the Lotto Arena in Antwerp is sold out for the clashes against Azerbaijan and Hungary and is close to run out of tickets for the match against Turkey. The overwhelming response of Belgian Volleyball enthusiasts – as showed in the thousand of requests received to attend the matches – are the confirmation of the hard work towards building awareness around the event.
“We have a team extremely motivated to play in front of our own supporters. As the first two days are already sold out, we are looking forward to a 'crazy' tournament,” declared Belgian setter Frauke Dirickx.
“We had to change our playing system a little bit due to several circumstances, but we are ready. We have also more experience in our team since a lot of players have been playing in strong leagues abroad; this experience should help us in achieving our objective; we will know this for sure when the competition starts, but we know that we are 100% ready,” commented Belgian star Lise Van Hecke.
Belgium will debut against Hungary on Saturday, while The Netherlands will live their first experiences in the tournament facing rookies Slovenia.
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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