Everything pointed to a final showdown between No. 3 Russia and host No. 14 Estonia for the top spot in Pool D and Russia’s sweep of Kosovo and Estonia’s four set win over Hungary has set the stage for just that on Sunday. Romania also topped Montenegro in Saturday’s action.
Romania 3, Montenegro 1
Montenegro did everything it could to down Romania, hitting 51 percent and putting up 11 blocks, but Romania answered with a 56 percent hitting efficiency and 11 blocks to snag the 25-23, 21-25, 25-21, 25-21 victory.
“We really wanted to win this game,” Romanian outside hitter Marian Uilian Bala said. “We knew that we are in the same level as Montenegro, and we are familiar with some of their players who have been playing in our national league. In the end, we were a little bit better in block and service, also our transition game worked better than before in this tournament.”
Bala led the Romanian attack with 20 points, including 17 kills and two blocks. Laurentie Lica (16), Robert Adrian Aciobanitei (13) and Nicolae Gabriel Ghionea (12) also added double-digit point tallies. Ghionea put up a team-best four blocks and hit at a 70 percent efficiency with seven kills.
“Today it was a difficult game for us,” Montenegro captain Vojin Cacic said. “We gave everything in the previous three matches and we didn’t have much power left in our tanks but we hope to finish the tournament on a positive note tomorrow.”
Cacic led Montenegro with 11 points, including 10 points. Bozidar Cuk added 10 points, including seven kills and two aces.
Estonia 3, Hungary 1
Estonia got the two sets it needed to ensure at least second place in the group, but it took bouncing back from a first set loss to do so. Hungary led the first set from start to finish, but Estonia came through where it mattered, stealing away Set 3 late and leading Sets 2 and 4 pretty much throughout to seal the win.
“In the first set our game was a little bit rusty,” Estonia outside hitter Andrus Raadik said. “Maybe we were a little bit hobbled by the fact that we knew what we had to do to secure second place. But from the second set our game started to flow.”
Estonia hit 64 percent in the match led by Timo Tammemaa’s perfect 9-for-9 effort. Seven blocks and seven aces aided in the victory.
Oliver Venno tallied a match-high 20 points, with 14 kills and a team-leading five aces. Robert Taht added 16 points, Raadik chipped in 14 and Tammemaa registered 12, including three blocks.
“We have achieved our first goal what was to take at least second place but it didn’t come easily,” Estonia captain Kert Toobal. “In the first set Hungary played really well and yesterday Montenegro was strong throughout the match too.”
Hungary was led by Krisztian Padar’s 19 points. Roland Gergye added 17. Both tallied a match-high 16 kills.
Russia 3, Kosovo 0
Russia took just 55 minutes to squash any hopes of a Kosovo upset in a 25-8, 25-8, 25-9 win, thanks to a 76 percent hitting efficiency and 11 aces.
“We all knew who was going to win this match because Russia is one of the best teams in the world,” Kosovo team captain Valon Nikqi said. “Nevertheless, it was a huge experience for us to play against them.”
Russia jumped ahead 8-3 in Set 1 and 8-1 in the second two stanzas and never looked back.
Maksim Zhigalov put down 17 points with a match-high 13 kills, two blocks and two aces. Dmitrii Volkov and Yury Berezhko added 12 and 11 respectively. Volkov served up four aces, while Berezhko added three.
Hajdaraj Bardhyl managed four points to lead Kosovo.
Serbia remained undefeated in women’s Pool B, but Poland could not hold home court, falling to Czech Republic in five sets, dropping to second in the standings heading into Sunday’s finale in Warsaw, Poland.
Matches
W
L
Pts.
SERBIA
4
4
0
12
POLAND
4
3
1
10
CZECH REPUBLIC
4
3
1
8
SLOVAKIA
4
1
3
3
CYPRUS
4
1
3
3
ICELAND
4
0
4
0
Cyprus 3, Iceland 1
Cyprus led the first set nearly throughout thanks to three aces and seven Iceland miscues. Iceland turned the tables, leading by as many as nine at 21-12 in Set 2, but Cyprus bounced back for the 26-24 win in part due to five blocks. Cyprus overcame an early deficit in Set 3, but came through for the 25-21 win and the match with help from 12 Icelandic errors.
“It was an important match because Cyprus are also from the Small Country Division, but they had more time to get to know this competition,” Iceland coach Daniele Capriotti said. “We are going to face off next week at the Games of the Small States and our Small Countries Division finals. Being that type of team, we sometimes have to watch things with the eyes of a child and try to learn as much as we can from this experience.”
Cyprus’s Erika Zembyla led all hitters with 14 points, including nine kills, three aces and two blocks. Katerina Zakchaiou added 11 points and Andrea Charalambous chipped in 10.
Elisabet Einarsdottir chipped in 13 points, including 11 kills and two blocks for Iceland. Thelma Dogg Gretarsdottir and Jona Guolaug Vigfusdottir contributed 10 points each.
Serbia 3, Slovakia 0
Serbia crushed 63 percent of its offensive shots to the floor, served up nine aces and dominated the net, outblocking Slovakia 12-2 in a 25-8, 25-14, 25-18 win. Tijana Boskovic guided the ship with 20 points, including 16 kills and three blocks. Brankica Mihajlovic followed with 12 points, with 10 kills.
Karin Sunderlikova and Jaroslava Pencova led Slovakia with nine points apiece.
Slovakia dominated Set 1, jumping out to an 8-1 lead and boosted the edge to 16-3 and 21-4 en route to the 25-8 win, with help from four aces and three blocks. Five more aces and five blocks guided Serbia to the 25-14 Set 2 victory. Set 3 featured 18 Serbian kills and four stuffs.
“Playing against a weaker team than us is always tricky because we have to stay focused and they have nothing to lose,” Serbian libero Jelena Blagojevic said. “Our goal is obviously a direct pass to the World Championship so I think that we did a great job today and also before – staying really focused from the start till the very end of the match.”
Czech Republic 3, Poland 2
The Polish squad had victory in its grasps, leading 8-2 in a decisive fifth set, only to watch it slip away as the Czech Republic came back to grab a 15-10 win and virtually steal away Poland’s World Championship bid hopes.
It was back and forth match from the start. The Czechs led 16-14 midway through Set 1, but fell just short in a 35-33 decision. The Czechs held Poland to a 14 percent hitting effort in Set 2, dominating in a 25-14 win. Three aces and three blocks helped lift Poland to a 25-14 Set 3 victory. The Czech Republic put down 15 kills and added five blocks in a 25-22 win to level the match. Poland scored the first five points of Set 5 and led 8-2, before watching it evaporate into a 10-8 deficit. The Czechs put up three stuffs in the final stanza and held Poland to a seven percent hitting effort en route to the upset.
“That was a match full of emotions and a really important one for us,” Czech Republic’s Aneta Havlickova said. “Both Poland and us played a good game, but we did the impossible. Such things as going back from 2-8 happen rarely in women’s volleyball. Sometimes it’s just like this – you are leading and the next moment you are down. For our coach it’s always important that we play as a team, as one. That was the key today.”
Havlickova led the Czech Republic with 22 points including 18 kills and three blocks. Michaela Mlejnkova and Veronika Struskova added 20 and 16 points respectively. Struskova put up six blocks.
“I think we are a group of girls really able to show a lot and we want it really bad, but all this wanting can also have an opposite effect, like in this ending here,” Poland’s Martyna Grajber said. “We fought but just not in the tiebreak, which ended as if we weren’t there. It shows that we still have a lot to learn.”
Agnieszka Kakolewska tallied a match-best 28 points, recording a 15-kill, 10-block double-double. Three other players chipped in double-digit point tallies: Gabriela Polanska (11), Natalia Medrzyk (11) and Berenika Katarzyna Tomsia (10).
2018 FIVB World Championship – Men’s European Qualifier
Slovenia and Belgium will battle for a spot in the World Championships tomorrow after each moved to 4-0 in Pool C with sweeps on Saturday. The loser of that match will have to advance through the third round of qualifying in order to make the championships.
Slovenia topped Israel, while Belgium downed Latvia. Portugal also registered a sweep of Georgia.
Portugal 3, Georgia 0
After a back and forth exchange to start the match, Portugal made quick work of Georgia in a 25-19, 25-16, 25-14 win featuring eight blocks and a 64 percent hitting effort.
Georgia led 8-7 at the first break of Set 1, but Portugal scored nine of the next 14 points to take a 16-13 lead en route to the 25-19 win. Twelve Georgian miscues aided the Portuguese in the opening stanza.
Portugal hit a 68 percent clip in a 25-16 Set 2 victory and hit at a stellar 88 percent clip in Set 3, committing just one hitting miscue.
Afonso Guerreiro and Joao Simoes tallied 15 points apiece, including 12 kills each, to lead Portugal. Valdir Sequeira added 13 points, including 11 kills and two blocks.
Badri Nutsubidze topped Georgia with eight points.
Slovenia 3, Israel 0
Slovenia remained perfect in pool play, steamrolling Israel 25-11, 25-14, 25-10 with help from a 20-point effort by Alen Sket and 10-point performances by two others.
Sket downed 18 kills, while Toncek Stern and Danijel Koncilja chipped in 10 point apiece. Stern registered eight kills, while Koncilja added three aces and a pair of blocks.
As a team, Slovenia hit at a 69 percent clip, led by Koncilja’s 5-for-5 effort.
Slovenia led the match nearly wire to wire,utilizing four aces in the final set 25-10 win.
Israel got six points out of Dmitri Zemlianukhin to lead the charge. The Israeli squad managed just two blocks and did not tally an ace in the match.
Belgium 3, Latvia 0
Latvia did not make it easy for Belgium to edge through Saturday unscathed, but could not overcome 24 errors in the match. Belgium led Set 1 and 2 throughout, but Latvia boasted an 8-7 lead and stayed close at 16-15 midway through the final set. Belgium answered with five of the next seven points to push ahead in the 25-21 match clincher.
Belgium outblocked Latvia 10-6 and served up five aces to Latvia’s four, but it was the 24 errors that doomed the underdog. Belgium gave away just 16 points on errors.
Bram Van Den Dries put up 14 points, including 11 kills and three blocks. Ruben Van Hirtum added 10 points, including two aces.
Reinis Pekmans paced Latvia with 10 points. Rusians Sorokins added nine, including six kills, two blocks and an ace.
Pool C in SLO
Matches
W
L
Pts.
SLOVENIA
4
4
0
12
BELGIUM
4
4
0
12
PORTUGAL
4
2
2
6
LATVIA
4
1
3
4
ISRAEL
4
1
3
2
GEORGIA
4
0
4
0
2018 FIVB World Championship – Men’s European Qualifier
No. 19 Spain pulled off a five-set upset of homestanding No. 13 Czech Republic to stay atop Pool F alongside Finland, which cruised past Sweden in a sweep. Cyprus garnered its first win of the tournament, topping Northern Ireland 3-0.
Spain’s upset makes it a harder road for the host Czechs, who now must win both of its remaining matches to have a chance to make the World Championships.
Finland 3, Sweden 0
Finland outblocked Sweden 11-3 and hit at a 61 percent cli, while five players turned in double-digit point tallies in a 25-14, 25-19, 25-21 win.
Elviss Krastins (14), Sauli Sinkkonen (13), Olii-Pekka Ojansivu (11), Niklas Seppanen (10) and Tommi Siirila split the load for the Finnish side. Sinkkonen put up five blocks, while Siirila added four. Krastins turned in 13 kills.
“It was a typical game for us because our style is based on good defense and we are trying to fight for every ball. It was a good game for us,” Ojansivu said.
Sweden’s Erik Sundberg led all scorers with 16 points, including 14 kills. Viktor Lindberg followed with 10.
Cyprus 3, Northern Ireland 0
Achilleas Petrakidis scored 15 points, including 13 kills, while Cyprus capitalized on 32 Northern Ireland miscues in a 25-20, 25-16, 25-22 win, its first of the tournament.
The teams managed six blocks apiece, and were separated by just one kill, but Cyprus committed just 20 errors to make up the difference in the match.
Nikolaos Eleftheriou added nine points for Cyprus.
“We are happy for this win,” Cyprus’ Ioannis Kontos said. “We have two more games and we will do our best to win them too.”
Peter Stewart managed 10 points, all on kills, to pace Northern Ireland.
Spain 3, Czech Republic 2
The home crowd of 1300 could not help the Czechs overcome a feisty Spanish attack in a 25-22, 20-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-10 loss Friday.
Spain led Set 1 from start to finish with help from seven Czech miscues. The home team returned the favor with a 25-20 win in Set 2 and overcame a mid-set deficit in Set 3 to grab a 25-22 win and take a 2-0 lead in the match. Spain evened the score with a 25-21 Set 4 win, including three blocks and three aces. The Spanish carried the momentum into the 15-10 finale, with 10 points coming on kills, which the team put down at a 67 percent efficiency.
“We are extremely happy for this win,” Spanish captain Jorge Fernandez Valcarcel said. “I think we deserved it because we did not give it up after losing the third set and we fought till the end. It was a great fight.”
Andres Villena paced the Spanish attack with 22 points, including a match-high 20 kills. Miguel Fornes (18), Juan Manuel Gonzalez (13), Fernandez Valcarcel (12) and Sergio Noda Blanco (11) also added double-digit point tallies. Gonzalez put down 11 kills, while Fornes added 10 kills, four blocks and four aces and Noda Blanco managed 10 kills. Fernandez Valcarcel put up five of the team’s 12 blocks.
Jan Hadrava and Michal Finger posted 14 points apiece, while Adam Bartos added 11 points. Finger tallied 10 kills followed by Hadrava’s 10 and three aces.
Serbia is the lone remaining undefeated team in Pool E, sweeping Switzerland on Day 3 of action. Denmark and Belarus each survived four set battles.
Denmark 3, Norway 1
It took four sets, but the 22nd ranked Danish team defeated Scandinavian neighbor Norway in Pool E action. Norway, which was playing without injured libero Oystein Bergum, remained close in the back and forth battle, but could not pull off the upset, falling 25-23, 18-25, 25-16, 25-23.
“Matches with Norway are always special because we are neighboring nations and we play against them with a special charge,” Denmark’s Peter Trolle Bonnesen said. “These are important qualifications, and today’s match is a good comeback for us after yesterday’s loss in the match against Serbia.”
Denmark held off a late Norwegian charge in Set 1, winning 25-23 after Norway had narrowed the gap to two at 23-21. Norway came through with a 25-18 win in Set 2 to even the match. Nine Norwegian errors and four blocks aided Denmark in a nearly start to finish Set 3 win. Norway led for much of the fourth set, boasting leads at 16-13 and even 21-20, before being edged out in the end. Denmark posted 16 kills in the final set.
“We played well, but in some moments we lacked quality and consistency, especially when it comes to our side-out where we lost quite a few points,” Norway’s Rune Fasteland said. “The new libero played well but without the guy who got injured yesterday, we are not quite the same team.”
Bonneson racked up 22 points in the win, including 19 kills and two blocks. Rasmus Breuining Nielsen (14) and Philip Metin Ozari (11) followed. Ozari served up three of the team’s seven aces.
Norway outblocked Denmark 9-7 as Fasteland paced Norway with 15 points, including 11 kills and a team-best four blocks. Mathias Loftesnes added 10 points.
Serbia 3, Switzerland 0
Switzerland led briefly at the start of Set 2, but other than that, Friday’s match belonged to Pool E leaders Serbia in a 25-15, 25-18, 25-18 win.
The Serbs led Sets 1 and 3 from start to finish, but the Swiss challenged, taking an 8-6 lead in Set 2. Serbia turned things around by the second timeout, going up 16-14 and never looking back.
Eleven blocks and seven aces led the Serbian charge, which was supported by a 65 percent team hitting efficiency.
“Yesterday we were not that good, especially from a psychological point of view,” Serbian captain Dragan Stankovic said. “Today we played with an opponent who had two wins, so as many as we had, and we knew that we had to take this match very seriously, which is what we eventually did. There are two more matches from which we expect further victories to secure our participation in the World Championship.”
Marko Ivovic accounted for 14 points, including, to pace Serbia. Uros Kovacevic (13) and Aleksandar Atanasijevic (10) also reached double-digit point tallies. Kovacevic and Ivovic registered a match-high 10 kills apiece.
Luca Ulrich put up seven points to lead Switzerland.
“It was a strange feeling to play against Serbia, since my parents are from Belgrade,” Switzerland’s Jovan Djokić said. “As a child I always wanted to play for Serbia. I do not think any team from this group can compete with them or challenge them. There are two games still remaining for us and I think we can win them. Our goal is to progress to the third round of qualifications.”
Belarus 3, Croatia 1
Belarus made good on 60 percent of its offensive opportunities and put down 16 more kills than its Croatian foes in a 25-14, 34-36, 25-16, 25-22 victory Friday.
After cruising through Set 1, Belarus watched its early Set 2 lead evaporate into a 21-17 Croatian advantage and eventually a 36-34 win. Croatia managed seven blocks and had helped from 11 miscues in the victory. Another easy Belarussian win in Set 3 did not deter Croatia from taking an 8-7 lead in Set 4, but again the Croatians could not hold on, falling 25-22 and dropping the match.
“Today our service and defense worked well,” Belarus captain Siarhei Busel said. “However, we made too many unforced mistakes in the second set. Our block was not so good, but when we managed to stop Ivan Raič, we got control over the match.”
Artur Udrys (22) and Pavel Kuklinski (20) guided the scoring for Belarus, including 20 and 18 kills respectively. Aleh Khmialeuski (16) and Busel (10) aided in the victory.
Ivan Raic scored a match-high 26 points for Croatia, including 24 kills. Danijel Galic added 13 points, including nine kills and three blocks.
“We tried our best but it did not work,” Raic said. “Due to commitments we all had towards our respective clubs, we started our preparations for this tournament very late. We are a young team and we are playing for the first time with this roster. We need time and I believe that we will achieve some good results in future.”
Pool E in CRO (Through 5/26/17)
Matches
W
L
Pts.
SERBIA
3
3
0
9
BELARUS
3
2
1
6
SWITZERLAND
3
2
1
6
CROATIA
3
1
2
3
DENMARK
3
1
2
3
NORWAY
3
0
3
0
2018 FIVB World Championship – Men’s European Qualifier
There were no surprises in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Friday as Belgium and Slovenia continued their reign atop Pool C, while Latvia posted its first win. All three matches were won in sweeps.
Latvia 3, Georgia 0
It took just 59 minutes for Latvia to garner its first win of the tournament as the team turned in a 73 percent hitting efficiency for the contest. Latvia won the match 25-9, 25-17, 25-14 with help from seven blocks and six aces.
“We did our best, although it was hard to concentrate with the other team not playing so well,” Latvia’s Edvarts Buivids said. We loosened up a bit at the beginning of the third set, but we pulled ourselves together and secured the victory.”
Buivids scored a match high 16 points, with 12 kills, two blocks and two aces. Aleksandrs Kudrjasovs added 14 points, including three aces, while Toms Svans chipped in 10 points, including two blocks.
Badri Nutsubidze led Georgia with eight points, all on kills.
Slovenia 3, Portugal 0
Slovenia picked up its third sweep of the tournament, but faced its toughest challenge yet. In the two previous matches, foes hadn’t scored more than 19 points in a set. On Friday, Portugal remained close in each stanza, falling 25-21, 25-20, 27-25.
“This match indicated how hard it is to play day after day and to stay focused,” Slovenian captain Tine Urnaut said. “I am happy that we won and even with some ups and downs in our performance we still managed to take another three points.”
Portugal led 8-6 at the first timeout of Set 1, but Slovenia built a six point lead at 21-15 en route to the win. In Set 2, Slovenia led early, but saw Portugal vault ahead 16-14 before recovering for the victory. Portugal rallied from down 16-14 in Set 3 to take a 21-20 lead, but could not hang on and extend the match.
Urnaut led all scorers with 16 points, all on kills, while Klemen Cebulj and Mitja Gasparini added 13 points apiece. Gasparini downed 13 kills, while Cebulj accounted for 11 kills. Alen Pajenk put up four of the team’s 10 blocks.
Lourenco Martins and Alexandre Ferreira added 10 points apiece for Portugal. Five aces and 22 Slovenian miscues kept Portugal in the match.
Belgium 3, Israel 0
Belgium held the Israeli side without an ace and to just one block in a 25-13, 25-18, 25-21 sweep. A 58 percent hitting efficiency also aided the Belgians.
“Already before the tournament we knew that the toughest games would be against Portugal and Slovenia,” Belgian Francois Lecat said. “However, we respect all our opponents. I believe we have a good team, with good players on the court and as well on the bench, so we can save some energy for the most important matches.”
Belgium led Set 1 throughout but had to overcome an early deficit in Set 2 and a late charge in Set 3 for the win.
Sam Deroo led the Belgian attack with 14 points, including 12 kills, while Lecat added 12 points, with five kills, four blocks and three aces.
Iliya Goldrin led Israel with 10 points.
Pool C in SLO (Through 5/26/17)
Matches
W
L
Pts.
BELGIUM
3
3
0
9
SLOVENIA
3
3
0
9
LATVIA
3
1
2
4
PORTUGAL
3
1
2
3
ISRAEL
3
1
2
2
GEORGIA
3
0
3
0
2018 FIVB World Championship – Men’s European Qualifier
Another day brought three more sweeps in European Qualifying Pool A as Germany, Ukraine and France registered Day 3 victories in Lyon, France. France and Germany now stand atop the group with 3-0 marks, while Turkey suffered its first loss of the tournament.
Germany defeated Iceland, Ukraine downed Azerbaijan and France topped Turkey.
Germany 3, Iceland 0
The Germans used 11 aces and a nearly flawless hitting effort to register a 25-12, 25-12, 25-14 victory over Iceland. Germany hit at a jaw-dropping 76 percent efficiency in the match, while holding Iceland to a 36 percent effort.
The Germans trailed briefly in Sets 1 and 2, but cruised to the victory after that, even involving many reserve players in the win.
“We did better today than yesterday and I am happy that everybody played a little role in this victory,” German captain Lukas Kampa said. “With all my respect for Iceland because they tried their best, it’s difficult to get prepared for this kind of match. It’s such a big difference in the level of the opposition. The hardest part is to stay focused, warm and not to get injured. But still on the court it’s nice to see that they are excited to play here. In a way it’s nice to have such a team in the tournament but we have different goals. Now we have some time to rest and we will need this energy for tomorrow’s match against Turkey.”
Germany’s Christian Fromm registered a match-high 12 points, including nine kills and three aces. Denys Kaliberda added 11 points with six kills, three blocks and two aces. Philipp Collin added eight points, including a team-best four aces.
Alexander Stefansson managed five points to lead the Icelandic effort.
“We spent a lot of energy in yesterday’s game with Turkey,” Stefansson, the Icelandic captain, said. “Something was missing in this match. However, we are enjoying our stay, we are very happy with our game and we have achieved some of our goals. Moreover, we had to play against really tough players, sometimes it’s a bit intimidating but it’s a great experience.”
Ukraine 3, Azerbaijan 0
Ukraine won its first match of the tournament, utilizing 11 aces in taking a 25-13, 25-23, 25-20 win over Azerbaijan.
“The two last sets were tight but thanks to some aces we avoided a fourth set that could have been really hard,” Ukrainian outside hitter Vasyl Tupchii said. “We are really happy for this victory; the audience was perfect and I believe they enjoyed the game.”
Four aces helped the Ukrainians to a 25-13 Set 1 win. In Set2, Azerjaijan fought back with several points by Dmitriy Obodnikov and Vugar Bayramov to keep things close, but could not pull off the win. Ukraine again looked to its serve in crunch time, using two aces to nab the 25-20 win and the match.
“We are disappointed. We failed completely in the first set, whereas the second and the third sets were within our reach but the players are physically and mentally tired,” Azerbaijan coach Farid Jalalov said. “However this is not an excuse. There were good things yesterday against Germany, today against Ukraine, we could have done better.”
Tupchii led all scorers with 16 points, including 12 kills and four aces. Yuriy Semenyuk followed with 11 points, including six kills, four blocks and an ace.
Parviz Samadov put up 12 points for Azerbaijan, while Vugar Bayramov added 11.
France 3, Turkey 0
France remained undefeated in qualifying action, working past the Turkish side in a 25-21, 25-18, 25-17 win. A 63 percent hitting effort and 26 Turkish miscues aided the French in the victory.
“Today we tried our best but it was not enough,” Turkish coach Jasko Milenkoski said. “Before the match we knew who the favourite was. They played amazingly, especially in attack, where we could not stop them whereas we were quite close to France in all other aspects of the game. We must stay positive because it’s only our third match together.”
Kevin LeRoux managed 10 points with seven kills, two aces and a block. Trevor Clevenot and Julien Lyneel added nine points apiece. Earvin Ngapeth even made an appearance in the match, returning from injury.
“Turkey received very well,” French coach Laurent Tillie said. “They were strong in the most difficult situations but we were excellent in attack. I wish I could have given more time on the court to Earvin Ngapeth but it’s difficult to know how ready he is after his injury. He needs to find his rhythm back before Sunday’s big match against Germany.”
Mert Matic scored a match-high 11 points for Turkey with 10 kills and a block. Yigit Gulmezoglu added nine points.
Pool A in FRA (through 5/26/17)
Matches
W
L
Pts.
FRANCE
3
3
0
9
GERMANY
3
3
0
9
TURKEY
3
2
1
6
UKRAINE
3
1
2
3
AZERBAIJAN
3
0
3
0
ICELAND
3
0
3
0
2018 FIVB World Championship – Men’s European Qualifier
Russia and Estonia remained atop group D with sweeps, while the lone drama of the day came as No. 23 ranked Montenegro had to work for a five-set win over No. 30 Hungary. Russia took care of Romania swiftly, while Estonia downed Kosovo to round out the action.
Russia 3, Romania 0
Russia was nearly unstoppable, hitting at a 65 percent clip, behind 10 kills by Maxim Mikhailov, nine by Egor Kliuka and eight by Yury Berezhko.
The Russians led Sets 1 and 3 nearly from start to finish, but found some competition in the Romanians early in Set 2. Romania boasted an 8-7 lead at the first timeout and were still within one as Russia took a 16-15 lead of its own, but saw things slip away down the stretch.
“Romania played really well, especially with their serve,” Russia head coach Sergey Shlyapnikov said. “We had to deal with it and I think we were able to do so quite okay. Taking everything into account, I am very satisfied with today’s result.”
Mikhailov managed a match-high 13 points, adding three aces to his 10 kills, as Russia outserved Romania 6-1.
“Russia were the favorites and we expected this kind of result,” Romanian coach Danut Pascu said. “Despite this, it was a good game for us. It was close for most of the time and we lost mainly at the end of each set because Russia has very good and more experienced players. After losing to Estonia and Russia, we now will try to use the next matches to take as much experience as possible.”
Estonia 3, Kosovo 0
Estonia blitzed through Kosovo for a 25-13, 25-15, 25-7 win, despite changing out its entire starting lineup for the match.
As a team, Estonia hit at a 65 percent clip and oublocked Kosovo 8-1 and outserved them 9-1.
Timo Tammemaa was the star of the show, hitting at a 92 percent clip, while racking 16 points, including 12 kills and four blocks. Renee Teppan added 10 points, with six kills, three aces and a block.
“We did not start in the best way when it comes to our concentration and focus but as the match progressed it became evident that our quality was just far better than Kosovo’s,” Estonia setter Andres Toobal said.
Hajdaraj Bardhyl managed eight points, including seven kills, to lead Kosovo.
“We played better in the first two sets and in the third one our game totally fell apart,” Kosovo captain Valon Nikqi said.
Montenegro 3, Hungary 2
A strong service game and stout net defense lifted Montenegro to the 23-25, 25-13, 25-23, 26-28, 15-10 win over Hungary. Montenegro served up 12 aces, including 11 off the hand of Milos Culafic, and added 16 blocks to aid in the victory.
Montenegro led for much of Set 1 only to have its 21-19 lead overturned with a 6-2 final push by Hungary. Montenegro rebounded by issuing a 25-13 drubbing in Set 2 after building a 16-8 mid-set advantage. Set 3 was close throughout, but after trailing 16-15, Montenegro scored 10 of the final 17 in the win. Seven blocks aided the Set 3 comeback. Hungary seized another opportunity to steal away Set 4, down 21-20, grabbing the 28-26 win.
The decisive fifth set saw Hungary jump ahead 5-1, but a pair of Culafic aces helped Montenegro gain a 7-5 advantage, which is would not relinquish.
In addition to his 11 aces, Culafic accounted for 14 kills and three blocks, for a match-high tally of 28 points. Marko Bojic (14), Vojin Cacic (13) and Luka Babic (11) followed with double-digit point tallies. Babic managed a match-best five blocks.
Krisztian Padar topped Hungary with 25 points, including 21 kills, two blocks and two aces.
“It is a good result because we gained a lot of confidence and now we just have to believe in ourselves and to the fact that it is possible for us to play against every team,” Hungarian coach Juan Manuel Barrial said.
“We gave away the first set because of our own mistakes and that made the game much tougher for us but the most important thing is the victory we can celebrate now,” Montenegro head coach Veljko Basic said. “This is important for our team spirit and also because we are still in the race when it comes to qualification to the World Championship.”
Pool D in EST (Through 5/25/17)
Matches
W
L
Pts.
ESTONIA
2
2
0
6
RUSSIA
2
2
0
6
HUNGARY
2
1
1
4
ROMANIA
2
0
2
0
MONTENEGRO
2
1
2
2
KOSOVO
2
0
2
0
2018 FIVB World Championship – Men’s European Qualifier
A pair of sweeps put Belgium and the home team Slovenia in the driver’s seat at 2-0 after two days of competition in Pool C in Ljubljana on Thursday. Portugal also outlasted Israel in four sets to round out the day’s action.
Belgium 3, Georgia 0
Belgium never trailed in a 25-18, 25-11, 25-10 sweep of Georgia that took just 58 minutes.
“Georgia fought hard, and they tried to be a decent opponent, but the difference in quality is too big,” Belgium coach Vital Heynen said. “I am always happy after games like this one. We won, all players are healthy and we can focus on what is next.”
A steady offensive attack, including a 63 percent hitting percentage, carried the Belgian side in the win. Four blocks and five aces also aided the effort. The three-headed hydra of Bram Van Den Dries, Ruben Van Hirtum and Arno Van De Velde carried Belgium to the win. Van Den Dries and Van Hirtum added 12 kills a piece, while Van de Velde managed eight kills on an 80 percent hitting effort to go with a team-best three aces.
Badri Nutsubidze led Georgia with nine points, including eight kills and a block.
Slovenia 3, Latvia 0
After cruising to a pair of 25-14 wins in Sets 1 and 2, Slovenia broke through late in Set 3 to grab the 25-19 win. Latvia led 8-7 after the teams traded points to start the final set, but after taking a 16-14 lead, Slovenia closed out the win.
“In the first two sets we stuck to the tactics we had agreed upon, but later on our opponents raised the level of their game and kept the rhythm high,” Slovenia middle blocker Alen Pajenk said. “However, already in the middle of the third set, we took matters in our hands again and eventually claimed the victory.”
Slovenia hit at a 63 percent clip in the match, while holding their foes to a 35 percent effort. Slovenia also racked up 10 blocks and six aces in the win.
Tine Urnaut and Mitja Gasparini posted double-digit point tallies to pace Slovenia. Urnaut managed 17 points, including 12 kills, three blocks and two aces. Gasparini tallied 15 points, including a match-high 13 kills.
Reinis Pekmans led Latvia with nine points.
Portugal 3, Israel 1
It was an up and down affair but Portugal came through in the end for a 3-1 win over Israel on Thursday.
Israel led 8-6 in Set 1, but couldn’t hold off Portugal, falling 25-19 after committing 11 miscues. Portugal faltered midway through Set 2, but pulled out the 25-21 win. In Set 3, Portugal went up 16-10 and led by as many as 10, but Israel stole away the 26-24 victory to extend the match. Portugal bounced back with five aces in the final set to cruise to a 25-12 win to sew up the match.
“It was quite a strange game,” Portugal’s Valdir Sequeira said. “We won two sets quite easily, but we relaxed too much in the third. We had a 10-point advantage, but we still lost and that is what we can’t afford in future. We have to keep going, to keep fighting. We can give and deliver much more than this.”
Portugal made good on 55 percent of its hitting attempts and used six blocks and 11 aces to keep Israel off balance.
Sequeira racked up 25 points, including 22 kills and three aces to top all scorers in the match. Lourenco Martins added 17 points, with 14 kills and two aces to aid the Portuguese effort.
Dmitri Zemlianukhin led Israel with 12 kills.
Pool C in SLO (Through 5/25/17)
Matches
W
L
Pts.
SLOVENIA
2
2
0
6
BELGIUM
2
2
0
6
PORTUGAL
2
1
1
3
ISRAEL
2
1
1
2
LATVIA
2
0
2
1
GEORGIA
2
0
2
0
2018 FIVB World Championship – Men’s European Qualifier
The Netherlands continues to succeed at home in Koog aan de Zaan, registering a 3-0 win over Greece to remain atop Pool B. Slovakia and Austria also registered sweeps in Day 3 action.
Austria 3, Luxembourg 0
Austria struggled early in each set, but came through in the end to squeak out a 26-24, 25-23, 25-20 victory over Luxembourg. Sets 1 and 2 were closed early and even at the midway point with Austria owning a slight edge at 8-7 and 16-14 in both, before closing things out. After jumping ahead 8-6 in Set 3, the Austrians pulled away with a 8-3 run and never looked back.
“We took seven points from three matches and we are very happy with that,” Austrian coach Michael Warm said. “We are still in the race and Saturday we can play freely against The Netherlands, the favourite team in my opinion.”
Luxembourg kept the match close with nine aces and trailed Austria by just three kills (52-49) and two blocks (8-6). The teams both hit better than 50 percent for the match.
Paul Buchegger scored a match-high 17 points for Austria, including 13 kills, two blocks and two aces. Alexander Berger added 12 kills and Lorenz Koraimann followed with 10 points, including seven kills and two aces.
Kamil Rychlicki put down 10 kills and served up a match-high four aces for Luxembourg. Chris Zuidberg added 10 points, including three blocks and two aces.
Slovakia 3, Moldova 0
It was a bit of a roller coaster ride for Slovakian fans as their side posted a dominating 25-9 Set 1 win and just edged Moldova 33-31 and 25-23 in the next two sets to secure the win and stay alive in the race for a World Championships bid.
“The Republic of Moldova gave all their best today, in contrast to yesterday against the Netherlands,” Slovakian coach Miroslav Palgut said. “Thanks to good serving and blocking we managed to win this game. The match against Greece on Saturday will be very important for us, we have to win it.”
Slovakia raced out to an 8-1 advantage in Set 1 and cruised to the 25-9 win. Moldova led 8-7 early in Set 2, but Slovakia turned it around to go ahead 16-14 midway through. Moldova boasted a 16-12 lead at the second timeout of Set 3, but a 9-4 run put the Slovakians up 21-20 and they hung on for the victory and the sweep.
Slovakia won the stat sheet, outblocking Moldova 8-4, outserving them 9-1 and managing a 50 percent hitting efficiency.
Matej Patak registered 16 points for Slovakia, with 12 kills and a match-best four aces. Stegan Chrtiansky (12) and Peter Mlynarcik (11) followed with double-digit point tallies.
Dmitrii Bahov guided Moldova with 16 points, including 14 kills. Mihai Voleanschii added 10 kills.
Netherlands 3, Greece 0
More than 1,000 fans came to Topsportcentrum de Koog to see the Oranjes in action and the home side delivered with a 3-0 sweep, although the Set 2 win required a comeback effort. The Netherlands defeated Greece 25-13, 32-30, 25-16.
The Dutch trailed 21-18 in Set 2, but rallied to staved off eight Greek set point chances to take the 32-30 win as Greece committed 12 errors in the stanza. The Netherlands took its first lead of the set at 31-30.
The Greeks served up just one ace in the match and allowed six and were plagued by 35 errors on the night, in part due to nine Dutch blocks.
“This was an absolute team victory,” Dutch head coach Gido Vermeulen said. “Thanks to the fighting spirit of Wessel Keemink and Robin Overbeeke we won the second set. Now will we prepare for another final, i.e. the match with Austria coming up on Saturday.”
Kay Van Dijk put up a match-high 14 points, including 11 kills and two blocks. Jasper Diefenbach added nine points, including five stuffs.
For Greece, Mitar Tzourits managed 13 points, while Athanasios Protopsaltis added nine points.
