Men's Volleyball CEV European Championship 2017

[George_D 1,205]

Poland vs Russia in QF will be a great match!

[VolleyRuller96 264]

Serbia win Pool A, while Poland and Finland also secure progression after final matches in Gdańsk

 

Gdańsk, Poland, August 28, 2017. Poland secured second place in LOTTO EUROVOLLEY POLAND 2017 Pool A by beating Estonia, while Serbia beat Finland to win the pool on the final day of matches at Ergo Arena.

Serbia had already won the pool by the time Poland started against Estonia in the second match of the day and their 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-22) win against Estonia in front of a sell-out crowd secured their play-off match against Slovenia in Krakow.

The teams were even early on, but the red and white edged themselves ahead to lead at the first technical timeout. In front of a party atmosphere on the Polish north coast, both sides gave it their all and with his side leading, Poland coach Ferdinando Di Giorgi halted play for a time-out at 20-19. After that, his team kept their nerve and despite Estonia’s Renee Teppan (7) scoring more than anyone, it was Poland’s Mateusz Bieniek that helped push his side over the line, winning 25-21.

The second set was much tighter between the two and they were level at both 9-9 and 16-16. There was never much of a lead taken by Poland and despite wasting one set point at 24-23, they made it count at the second time of asking. A huge serve from Bieniek was called out by the line judge to the delight of the Estonian fans, but upon review the decision was overturned. Poland could celebrate once again, as they won the set 26-24.

The volume inside Ergo Arena was growing by the minute, as Poland surged towards victory. The DJ did his bit by playing the classics and the fans responded. However, Estonia were going to be no pushovers and they pushed the Poles all the way. The teams could not be separated at 19-all and when the hosts built up a three-point lead at 24-21 the result became inevitable. However, it was a long serve from Estonia’s Teppan that handed them victory.

Bartosz Kurek, Poland: “It was crucial for our confidence which I think we lacked at times. The two 3-0s we got in Gdansk are good and should make us believe more in ourselves to play better Volleyball going forward. Now we go to Krakow for another battle and I hope it will not be the end. Our fans are amazing all the time and I hope they will come and cheer. The biggest thing is to do the job on the court.”

Gheorghe Creţu, Estonia coach: “The reaction in the last two games after losing to Finland has been incredible. The chance to play Poland at their home is great but it’s not easy. Even good teams could go under here. We played good volleyball and the Estonians support the team so well. They show their respect and this was the great thing. All of the Polish crowd were impressed with our fans and the way the team played. Poland had a little bit more than us and we have to work with our guys and hope that we get different opponents in future championships.”

Serbia qualified for the LOTTO EUROVOLLEY POLAND 2017 quarterfinals and will play Bulgaria/Finland after beating Finland 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 34-32) in the first match of the final day of play in Pool A.

In the first set, the teams were level at 3-3, but Serbia soon found their rhythm and managed to open up a five-point gap at 15-10. Despite Finland bridging the deficit, Serbia stayed strong as the point-scoring was shared among the team. They won the set despite wasting one set point and made it count at the second attempt thanks to an easy spike struck by captain Dragan Stankovic.

Serbia’s dominance continued in the second set as they put points on the board. Finland were roared on during every point by their thousands of fans inside the arena, but the lack of Serbian support counted for little. Again Nikola Grbic’s side failed to capitalise with their first set point but a powerful kill from Aleksandar Atanasijevic gave them victory, 25-18.

In the final set, Serbia did not have it all their own as Tuomas Sammelvuo’s side fought back. The Finns led 16-14, but the sides were on level terms at 23-all. What followed, no-one in Ergo Arena would have predicted. Both teams had chances to finish the set and in Finland’s case, they threw away five set points. Serbia themselves weren’t clinical and wasted three opportunities to win the match before Uros Kovacevic (pictured above) spiked to win it 34-32.

The result meant Serbia had won Pool A ahead of the final match between Poland and Estonia, while Finland reached the play-offs after Estonia lost 3-0 to Poland.

Nikola Grbic, Serbia coach: “It was much better than two days ago. We put lots of energy onto the court and our concentration was good. We expected a tough match and they served really well. But when they managed to do well in the second and third set we stayed steady and calm. I was very satisfied and all the players who came in gave something towards the victory. We had our chances to win the match (before we eventually did), but we made many mistakes with our serve.”

[VolleyRuller96 264]

Germany make EuroVolley quarterfinals unbeaten; Italy win tough match with Czech Republic

 

Szczecin, Poland, August 28, 2017.  Germany set their foot on a quarterfinal spot at LOTTO EUROVOLLEY POLAND 2017 after topping the final standings in Pool B in Szczecin. They mastered their third consecutive victory at Azoty Arena, this time sending Slovakia home with a 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-23) shutout. Italy and the Czech Republic battled it out for the second place and after three overtime sets the Italians claimed a 3-0 (27-25, 28-26, 26-24) victory.

Wednesday’s playoffs in Katowice will start with an encounter between Italy and Turkey, with the winner facing Belgium in Thursday’s quarterfinals. Germany await the winner of the second playoff in the bracket – between France and the Czech Republic.


Slovakia vs. Germany 0-3 (18-25, 24-26, 23-25)

With star player György Grozer absent from the starting line-up, Germany took a speedy 3-0 lead in the first set. Slovakia caught up at 4-4, but this was the last time in the set the score was level. Capitalising on the many opponents’ errors, the Germans cruised to a comfortable 25-18 win.

In set 2 coach Andrej Kravarik undertook some changes to his squad and Slovakia had a different face. While Christian Fromm and Simon Hirsch were merciless at the net, the Slovaks put up a tough fight through the end. Germany wasted a double set point at 24-22, but finally snatched the set at 26-24 to double their lead.

The third set was also very competitive. The first time the margin exceeded one point was at 14-12 Germany’s way, after which coach Andrea Giani’s squad extended it to 19-15. But the Slovaks would not give in just yet. Stringing three in a row, they leveled back the score at 23-23 to prompt a dramatic ending. Germany responded with a successful spike to reach match point, after which Slovakia finally surrendered with a faulty attack for 23-25.

Christian Fromm was the best scorer of the match with 12 points. His teammate Marcus Böhme contributed another 10 to the victory. Peter Ondrovic and Matej Patak shared the honours on Slovakia’s side with 9 each.



Emanuel Kohut, captain of Slovakia: "The sad thing is that we won only one set during this championship. But overall, we are very happy to be part of such an event, because the atmosphere was incredible."

Daniel Koncal, player of Slovakia: "I regret that we did not play well during the first set, because the second and the last sets were much better. We were able to show that the difference between us and the Germans could be minimised. We tried to keep it close, but it was a huge event for us and the pressure was on."

Lukas Kampa, captain of Germany: "We were glad that our coach changed the match roaster a little bit, and some players were given a chance to show their skills to the Polish audience. The result 3-0 is great for us, because we stamped our first place in Pool B."

Michael Andrei, player of Germany: "It is a huge advantage for us that we have one more day for recovery. It does not matter which team we will be playing against in the quarterfnals, because we have to be 100% prepared for every opponent."




Italy vs. Czech Republic 3-0 (27-25, 28-26, 26-24)

The first set was a tough fight for every point with the Czech Republic opening the widest margin during the whole set at 8-5. With Michal Finger and Filippo Lanza racing each other in scoring for their teams, it was tight all the way through the end when Italy’s setter Simone Giannelli aced for 27-25.

After 12-8 in favour of the Czechs, Italy scored eight in a row with Giannelli behind the serving line to flip the lead their way (16-12). This looked like the key moment of the set until the Czech team saved a triple set point to restore the balance at 24-24. The Italians wasted two more set points before Filippo Lanza’s attacks finally ended it at 28-26 despite the heroic effort of the Czech defence.

Lanza and Finger continued their fabulous performance as the two teams presented yet another set that went into overtime to delight the numerous fans on the stands. Once again Italy kept pace, but the Czech Republic managed to catch up at 24-24 with some spectacular displays in defence. Two rallies down the road Matteo Piano put a stop to Michal Finger’s fire with a monster block for 26-24 that sent the Italians celebrating.

Filippo Lanza led the scorers with 19 points, while his teammate Simone Giannelli impressed with five aces. Michal Finger was the Czech Republic’s top scorer with 16.



Daniele Mazzone, player of Italy: "We won, but in a worse style than we did yesterday. The Czechs are consistent and they make few mistakes. I think that the level of experience of the teams decided which one reached the victory in the end."

Gianlorenzo Blengini, coach of Italy: "We discussed a lot about how to play against the Czechs. The key was to play point-to-point, and to remain cold-blooded. Now we have to face the Turkish team. It is not surprising for me that they are doing well in this tournament. The level of Turkish Volleyball has grown a lot and they are very dangerous."

Marek Zmrhal, player of the Czech Republic: "It was a good game. We tried to keep close to our rivals, but at the end of each set they were more patient than we were and that gave them the victory. In the playoffs we will play against France, which had some ups and downs. But they can play well, they can be strong, so we have to stay focused."

Michal Nekola, coach of Czech Republic: "I am satisfied with the quality of my team's play during this match. We got riskier at serving and it brought us some points. I guess the cold blood at the end of each set was missing and we have to work on that element to avoid such situations in the future."

[VolleyRuller96 264]

Bulgaria power past Slovenia for 2nd, while Russia beat Spain in Pool C

 

Kraków, Poland, August 28, 2017. Monday was the day to decide the final pool standings.  In the first game of the day Bulgaria battled Slovenia for second place in the group, therefore avoiding the home team of Poland in the play-off phase.  The second match went true to form with Russia taking a straight sets victory over Spain and with it a place in the quarterfinals.  There was a slight scare in the 3rd set though when Spain actually led 23-21, before Russia swept back to take it 25-23.

The schedule for the Playoffs has been confirmed as:

• Katowice 17:30 ITA vs TUR / 20:30 FRA vs CZE
• Krakow: 17:30 BUL vs FIN / 20:30 POL vs SLO

Bulgaria vs Slovenia

Slovenia had much to be happy about, for their regular opposite, Mitja Gasparini, came back into the starting six after missing two previous games because of an injury. In the beginning of the first set neither team was able to obtain an advantage bigger than two points. The course of this part of the match appeared to be due to some nervousness that was visible on both sides of the net, which resulted in many unforced errors. Nikolay Nikolov nonetheless managed to get an ace after numerous poor serves by his team to make it 16-14 in favour of Bulgaria. A triple block even raised the lead to three points and Bulgaria seemed a little more comfortable and they did not let Slovenia come back until 24-19. Then Gasparini with his powerful performance on the serving line gave the Slovenians a chance to win three rallies in a row but Tsvetan Sokolov’s spike ended the set at 25-22.

Coach Kovač’s team started the second set on a high gear and raced ahead to 6-3 with much help from Gasparini who looked a lot more confident than earlier and more or less kept the margin untouched at three points until Bulgaria began to raise their heads and their towering triple block eventually gave them a slight advantage at 11-10. Both sides played far more freely as the lead was taken back and forth right to the end of the set when Slovenia fought ferociously only to lose the overtime 26-28 after Nikolov’s single block.

Slovenia completely surrendered the third set, with an ace of Bulgarian captain Viktor Yosifov making it 11-4. Then the Slovenians showed some signs of waking up and won three rallies in a row but they did not go any further as Bulgaria sailed safely to a 3-0 win. The game ended with a Daniel Koncilja’s service fault at 3-0 (25-22, 28-22, 25-17).

Tsvetan Sokolov again was the leader of the Bulgarians with 21 points, while Gasparini scored 9 for Slovenia.

Quotes

Bulgarian coach Plamen Konstantinov: "It is too early to calculate who will be our opponent in playoffs and who potentially in quarter-finals.  For me the facts are the most important.  In this tournament there is no shortage of surprises. We take part in the European Championship and we must play well. We remembered the Slovenians’ success from two years ago. I’m especially glad for today’s victory. We played well, our tactics was ok, we had a good block, because we read the play of Slovenian setter. We were better organised in the key moments of the game. We pushed pressure on opponents by strong services. I think we are physically prepared to play matches day after day. We need a better mentality and we can beat every participant of the European Championship."

Bulgarian Setter Georgi Bratoev: "I remember our previous victory over Slovenia in Sofia during Olympic qualifications London 2012. Today’s match was also very important for both teams. We won and we finished second in the Pool C.  We are going to face Finland, a strong team. We played against them a lot of the time. In the tournament we didn’t start good against Russia. The game against Spain was better and finally the best today."

Bulgarian middle blocker Nikolay Nikolov: “The match was great, when you win 3-0 always the feeling is like happiness as we needed this victory after our bad start.  Also against Spain we did not do so well, so we needed to show we can play really good Volleyball. It does not matter who we play in the Playoffs as if you want to be a strong team, if you want to be first, you have to beat everyone.”

Slovenian coach Slobodan Kovač: “I don’t know where the key is. After the game against Russia I told my players to believe because they were able to play on the same level as a very strong team. Today the situation was the same – in the first set we had a two-point lead four times, we had chances to make it three, four – we made some, as I call it, “impossible mistakes”. We had some counter-attacks that needed just to be finished and we didn’t do it. I think that we are afraid to win.”

Slovenian opposite Mitja Gasparini: “Maybe we didn’t give them, but we “half-gave” them, the second set because we had a chance and didn’t take it. Then, the third set was a little bit terrible, for our attack didn’t work from the start right to the end and we were struggling. They served really hard, so it was difficult for our attackers to score.”

 

Russia vs Spain

In the second game at TAURON Arena on Monday Russia faced Spain – a match that would have caused a great surprise if it had changed the standings in Pool C. The score was not a sensation though, as the quick, one-sided duel ended in a three-set (25-19, 25-13, 25-23) Russian victory that secured them a place directly in quarterfinals.

The Spaniards kept the score close right from the start, maintaining only a one-point deficit at the second technical break. They managed to fight off the efforts of the Russian block but this state of affairs lasted only until Maxim Mikhailov came to the serving line and quickly made it 20-16 for Russia. The scoreboard showed 23-17 after Sergio Noda was stopped by a triple block, and Maksim Zhigalov finished the set at 25-19 with an ace.

Then, as the final group standings were fixed and Russia secured themselves first place, they raced ahead to 8-4 with much ease. Keeping control of the match did not seem to tire them at all and the Russian middle-blockers absolutely dominated the middle of the net. Ilia Vlasov closed it out at 25-13.

Spain regrouped in the third and did not fall behind early. They even managed to tie the set up at 18 and take a 21-19 lead with a Juan Manuel Gonzalez’s ace. Mikhailov struggled on the right wing but from 23-21 for Spain the Russians raised their level and won four points in a row with Dmitrii Volkov’s spike ending the game at 25-23.

Russian star opposite Mikhailov scored 18 while his counterpart Augusto Renato Colito had 11.

Quotes

Spanish coach Fernando Muñoz: “I’m happy with our performance. In the first set before Mikhailov’s series from the service line, and also in the third, we were fighting and we played very well tactically. Of course in the right moment the level of their serve went up and we suffered on our side-out – it’s not easy; we talked about the Russian block and their play at the net – thus they could control us. In general, for us it was a good game but we lacked some luck to close out the third set in order to play more sets and to give my players more competition.”

Spanish outside hitter Juan Manuel Gonzalez: “We played better than in the other matches but Russia was too strong for us – I think they are the strongest team in our group and one of the favourites to win the championship. We played the best we could but the result didn’t come our way.”

Russian coach Sergey Shlyapnikov: “The team did what it had to do and won 3-0. I could give a chance to players who didn’t play in the previous matches. I know what they can do, who can play in the next games. We got quite a lot of information and we can take optimal decisions before our next performances in the championship. Egor Kliuka returned to the team and that means he is ready to play again. I don’t know who will be our next opponent -  Poland or Slovenia. We have two days for some practice and analysis before the quarterfinal on Thursday. It will be another very important match not only for us but for Poland or Slovenia, too.”

Russian outside hitter Egor Kliuka: “We tried to forget about the last European Championship. Now we are playing in Poland and we have advanced to the quarterfinals. It’s the most important thing. I was injured and I couldn’t play in the Wagner Memorial in Krakow two weeks ago, so I don’t know which team is stronger - Poland or Slovenia. For sure, we must present a high level of play. I feel good. Everything has been going according to plan thus far.”

[VolleyRuller96 264]

France finish second in Pool D, unbeaten Belgium book ticket to the quarterfinal

 

Katowice, Poland, August 28, 2017. Undefeated Belgium secure winning position in pool D and advance to the quarterfinal phase at LOTTO EUROVOLLEY 2017. Vital Heynen’s crew took their third victory beating The Netherlands 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21)

France and Turkey battled for the second spot in pool D, knowing already that their stay in the tournament was secured. Laurent Tillie and his players defeated Turkey 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-22). 

The schedule for the Playoffs has been confirmed as:

   - Katowice 17:30 ITA vs TUR / 20:30 FRA vs CZE
   - Krakow: 17:30 BUL vs FIN / 20:30 POL vs SLO

Belgium vs. The Netherlands 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21)

While Belgium dealt with the pressure of keeping the leadership in pool D and a straight ticket to the quarterfinal phase, The Netherlands faced a do or die situation on the last day of the pool phase. The Dutch team hit hard since the first moments, taking the lead at 3-0. Well played defence allowed both sides to perform long rallies, but The Netherlands kept a three-point lead at the first technical time out after Nimir Abdel-Aziz’s spike. The advantage was kept until the second technical time-out, but with an efficient block performed by Simon Van de Voorde, Bram Van den Dries and Tomas Rousseaux followed by an ace, Belgium managed to catch up at 18-18. Their performance kept improving, allowing to finish the first set 25-21 with Van den Dries’s spike. 

An ace played by Thomas Koelewijn followed by an efficient spike of Jeroen Rauwerdink pushed The Netherlands 6-2 ahead at the beginning of the second set. As the lead was sustained until 10-6, at that moment Belgium’s middle-blocker Pieter Verhees sustained an ankle injury and was forced to leave the court. Arno Van de Velde stepped in and his performance in block and attack equalised the score at 11-11. After Sam Deroo’s ace, it was Belgium who were 12-11 ahead. A well played block and defence put Belgium 20-17 ahead and the Red Dragons eventually won the set at 25-21. 

Belgium quickly responded to the Dutch team’s initial powerful beginning and reduced their lead, going ahead before the first technical time-out of the third set. Being with one foot in the quarter-finals, the Red Dragons used every possibility of winning in three sets. Despite the Netherlands’ trials of rebuilding the spirit, a small lead remained on the Belgian side. Confident Belgium folded up for the final score 25-21, sending The Netherlands back home.

 

Quotes

Vital Heynen, Belgium coach: “At the moment I can’t yet realise that we are already qualified for the quarterfinals. We played very well and a stable game today. I changed players throughout the match, my athletes played like one team and the guys from the bench made the difference, allowing us to qualify to the quarterfinals.” 

Sam Deroo, Belgium captain: “The start of this match was not easy. The Netherlands played really aggressive and really well, just like they did yesterday, when they played against France. As the match progressed, we showed our quality and in the decisive moments we were able to act as a team.” 

Gido Vermeulen, The Netherlands coach: “I think we have a very good young team, but we don’t have a lot of experience playing #EuroVolleyM, so this was a good experience for my players. We have to learn from our mistakes and make it better next time.”

Jasper Diefenbach, The Netherlands captain: “I think we played well up until the second set when we lost our four-point lead. We were unable to score points and repeatedly kept losing points in series. We finish fourth in the pool and it’s very disappointing for us.”

France vs. Turkey 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-22)

A triple block of Stephen Boyer, Kevin Le Roux and Thibault Rossard gave France an early lead at 4-2, which was further sustained until the first technical time-out. Turkey’s mistake followed by efficient spikes of French players extended the lead to four points (13-9). Turkey tried to catch up before the sixteenth point, using the mistakes of their opponents, but a long service by Baturalp Burak Güngör put an end to that chase. It was Mert Matic’s kill that pushed Turkey to tie at 17-17. Both teams continued with an even exchange of points until Julien Lyneel’s spike gave his team the first set at 25-23. 
 
France quickly built a three-point lead after Le Roux’s performance at the service line (4-1). Turkey tried to take advantage of the well playing Metin Toy and France’s errors, but their efforts were soon stopped by Lyneel’s kill that put France ahead 8-6. Arslan Ekşi served an ace, followed by Güngör’s spike giving Turkey their first lead at 11-10. The second part of the set brought long rallies, creating a really impressive spectacle for fans gathered in Spodek Arena. The balanced duel was eventually broken by France at 25-23. 

France kept control over the third set since its early stages, stopping at the first technical time out with a three-point lead. Despite Turkey’s tries, the French managed to stay two steps ahead throughout the set. At 22-20, Josko Milenkoski called a time-out to bring new energy into his team’s performance. The break seemed to give a short term effect as Gökhan Gökgöz’s ace contributed to a tie at 22-22. Nonetheless, it was France who won 25-22 after Metin Toy’s long spike. 

Quotes

Laurent Tillie, France coach: “We fought for the second place in the pool. I had to make a lot of changes and I appreciate a lot that the game my substitutes played was very interesting. We had a bit of relief entering this match and knowing we will be in the next round regardless of the result, but now we step up to a completely different level and every match will be a do or die situation for both sides of the net.”

Thibault Rossard, France outside hitter: “It is really nice to win in straight sets for a change and claim second place in Pool D this way. All the sets were really dynamic and quite balanced, fortunately we managed to stay ahead in those tight last moments of each set.”

Josko Milenkoski, Turkey coach: “It was quite an easy match for both teams, because we knew that we are already qualified for the play-off round. That is why it was a match without pressure more like a friendly match and not an official one. I wanted to make more substitutions in order to check the other players and give them an opportunity to show themselves in this match.”

Arslan Ekşi, Turkey captain: “For us yesterday's match was so dramatic and at the end we were very disappointed. Today we tried to win against France, but simultaneously we did not want to drain physically all of our players. We already know that in the next game we will play against Italy and I am convinced that we can win if we will play like we did against Belgium and the Netherlands. We respect our opponent as we know that they are the reigning Olympic silver medallists, but they are missing a few key players. We started our preparation to this tournament at the beginning of the summer. Our first goal was to fight and now that we did that, the second one is to qualify to the quarterfinals, which means we want to try and beat Italy.”

[VolleyRuller96 264]

Starting today, the remaining 14 matches will be streamed on CEV's official youtube channel for countries where there was no broadcasting deal.

Also, If the cev channel doesn't work, I added also the schedule for today's playoffs on page 1

[VolleyRuller96 264]

 

 

 

 

[VolleyRuller96 264]

It's time  Go

 

[Gianlu33 4,552]

20 minutes ago, VolleyRuller96 said:

It's time  Go

 

I will sign it  Only joke  

[VolleyRuller96 264]

7 minutes ago, Gianlu33 said:

I will sign it  Only joke  

Well, looks like you are going to win 3-0

But Finland leads againt Bulgaria