Serbia Runs Table on Pool E, Belarus Takes Second

2018 FIVB World Championship – Men’s European Qualifier

• May 23 to June 4
• Results

Pool E Final Standings

No. 3 Serbia had already secured its spot in the World Championships, but closed out Pool E play with a win nonetheless to go 5-0 in the European Qualifier. The Serbs downed Croatia 3-0, while Belarus topped Denmark in four sets and Switzerland outlasted Norway in five.

Serbia earns the pool’s automatic berth in the World Championships, while Belarus moves into the third round of the European Qualifier with a one in six chance to grab a trip to Worlds.

Serbia 3, Croatia 0

In a match that was merely a formality, Serbia still took care of business with a 25-23, 25-16, 25-21 win over Croatia.

The Serbs overcame an early deficit in Set 1, but cruised to the final two wins to secure an undefeated mark in the qualifier, never dropping a set. Down 10-6 in the opening stanza, Serbia clawed back to go up 16-14. It was back and forth from there until Serbia secured the 25-23 win.

“We were confident we would go straight to the World Championship from here but we took this tournament and every match very seriously,” Serbian captain Dragan Stankovic said. “We were the favorites on paper, but we had to prove it on the court. Our team has participated in all major Volleyball competitions for many years and this has been achieved through hard work and the good cooperation developed among all those involved.”

Serbia outblocked Croatia 9-6, outserved them 6-3 and outhit them 55 percent to 48 percent. Serbia also forced 27 miscues.

Marko Ivovic and Aleksandar Atanasiejevic scored 11 points apiece to lead the Serbian effort. Srecko Lisinac added nine points, including four blocks.

Marko Sedlacek led all scorers with 12 points, including 11 kills, while Ivan Raic added 10 points, with nine kills.

“It is a pity that we started to play well in the last game of the tournament,” Croatian coach Ivan Rancic said. “This game showed that we have great potential. We are going to get screwed in with this young team, as their talent gives us the hope to do even better. We will gather again in June to lay the foundations for what is expected in the near future.”

Belarus 3, Denmark 1

With second place in the pool on the line, Belarus had to win to advance in the European Qualifier and did just that with a 25-23, 25-23, 19-25, 25-23 victory over Denmark.

Belarus held Denmark at arm’s length throughout a 25-23 Set 1 win. Denmark led Set 2 nearly throughout, leading 21-17 and 23-21 late, only to see it slip away. Denmark led Set 3 nearly start to finish, hanging on for the 25-19 win to extend the match. Belarus answered with the 25-23 win to complete the task at hand.

Pavel Kuklinski led Belarus with 16 points, including 12 kills and three aces. Pavel Audochanka added 10 points with seven kills, two blocks and an ace.

“This was a very difficult tournament with five games in a row,” Belarus captain Siarhei Busel said. “The whole team is tired and it was difficult to play this last game. We are happy because we are going to the third round of qualifications.”

Rasmus Breuning Nielsen led scoring in the match with 17 points, tallying a match-high 13 kills, two blocks and two aces. Peter Trolle Bonnesen added 13 points, all on kills.

“There was tiredness from yesterday’s game,” Denmark captain Axel Jacobsen said. “We played with six, seven players in this tournament, and Belarus had a longer bench with good substitutes, so they were cooler than us. If we had not felt such tiredness, we would certainly have played better. For us this was a good tournament, we started not so well, but we got better with each match. Now we have the European League in front of us and there is no time to rest.”

Switzerland 3, Norway 2

Switzerland survived its second straight five-set match, this time topping Norway 24-26, 25-21, 20-25, 25-23, 15-10 after going the distance with Belarus on Saturday.

The Swiss served up eight aces to just four for Norway and got help from a couple of extra miscues, but were outblocked 13-10 in the match.

The Swiss relied on strong serving to get back in the match with a 25-21 win after falling 26-24 in Set 1, during which Norway hit at a 61 percent clip and managed four blocks. Norway went up 2-1 in the match with the 25-20 win in Set 3, which it led start to finish. Switzerland rebounded again with a 25-23 win, featuring a 50 percent hitting effort, three blocks and seven Norwegian errors. The Swiss snapped a 7-7 tie in Set 5, cruising to the 15-10 win and the match, holding Norway without a win in qualifying.

“We have done something really big at this tournament,” Swiss coach Mario Motta said. “I have to thank all players for believing in this team and the staff. The players remained focused on every match. I think that none before coming to this tournament thought we could play for second place in the pool. I am really happy for my players and for the staff as well.”

Sebastien Steigmeier and Jovan Djokic led the Swiss with 19 points apiece. Steigmeier managed 16 kills and three aces, while Djokic added 17 kills, a block and an ace. Luca Ulrich (15) and Marc Walzer (11) also contributed to the Swiss win.

Rune Fasteland paced Norway with 18 points, including 13 kills and five blocks. Mathias Loftesnes added 17 points, including 16 kills. Kristian Bjelland (14) and Kristoffer Alstad Ostvik (14) followed. Bjelland accounted for five blocks and two aces.

“As we prepared for this tournament, we had to raise the level of our game to a much higher level than what we are used to in our national league,” Norwegian coach Scott Olsen said. “We had to adapt to a strong service, opponents being a lot taller and to a faster game as well. We made some progress, but I am not happy with the results we achieved. We need to continue building our team, and next year hopefully we will achieve some good results in the qualifications for the 2019 edition of the European Championship.”