Russia and Italy pitted their volleyball rivalry to yet another test this weekend, but this time with their youth teams. Both squads battled it out in a tightly contested match, with the Russians coming out victorious 3-1 (30-28, 26-24, 20-25, 26-24). As readers can infer from the sets’ scores, the game was very even, with both teams gifting fans with long rallies and frequent lead changes. Tournament MVP Valery Gorbunova led the way with 23 points. She was helped by Elizaveta Kochurina, who had 17 points, 4 aces and 6 blocks included.
Here are the post match reactions (Cev.lu):
“It was a long journey but we did it and I am really happy. This is the third time Russia is a champion. It was very difficult but it was worth it – seeing my players happy. But it was difficult for us – my players became a real team during this tournament and were able to show the Russian character. It was a great experience for the girls – all that happened here will help them improve and develop.” – Russia’s head coach, Svetlana Safronova
“I am very happy, what I feel now cannot be described in simple words. It was a very hard year for us, we faced many difficulties during the preparation for #EuroVolleyU17W. But we managed to cope with them and I am happy that we did it as a team.” – Russia’s captain, Elizaveta Gosheva
“If you see the numbers in the stats, you can find the answer why we didn’t play five sets today. The truth is we risked more in the final than we should have done and we paid a high price for it because we made some mistakes. However, it was a wonderful match for Italy – sometimes things just go wrong. Congratulations to Russia!” – Italy’s head coach, Marco Mencarelli
Tournament Dream team
Most Valuable Player:
Valeriia Gorbunova (RUS)
Best Outside Hitters
Aleksandra Georgieva (BUL)
Loveth Oghosasere Omoruyi (ITA)
Best Middle Blockers
Elizaveta Kochurina (RUS)
Claudia Consoli (ITA)
Best Opposite Hitter
Sude Hacimustafaoglu (TUR)
Best Setter
Polina Matveeva (RUS)
Best Libero
Gülce Güctekin (TUR)
Final standings
1. Russia
2. Italy
3. Turkey
4. Bulgaria
5. Romania
6. Belarus
7. Germany
8. Slovenia
9. Serbia
10. The Netherlands
11. Ukraine
12. Hungary
For the boy’s tournament, which was won by Germany:
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