VolleyRuller96

Day 04 South Korea 3-1 Germany (23-25 / 26-24 / 25-16 / 25-16)

day 04 Serbia 3-1 Thailand (25-18 / 25-23 / 19-25 / 25-19)

Day 04 Netherlands 3-2 Belgium (21-25 / 25-19 / 23-25 / 31-29 / 15-10)

Day 04 Russia 3-0 Italy (26-24 / 25-12 / 25-23)

Puerto Rico has won the Norceca Continental qualification and Kazakhastan won the Asian qualification towards the FIVB Challenger Cup - a competition that will decide who will play as a Challenger in the next year's Nations League after a home-and-away play-off game against this years' worst Challenger Team

WOMEN'S Week 2, day 1 SCHEDULE (22 MAY 2018) all times are CEST 08:00 Italy - Russia 08:40 Belgium - Netherlands 10:30 Thailand - Serbia 11:00 South Korea - Germany 12:10 Japan - United States 13:00 Argentina - Dominican Republic 14:00 China - Poland 16:00 Turkey - Brazil

GROUP STANDINGS after leg 1 out of 6 (next leg: 23 may.) Tie-Break Criteria: 1.Matches Won/Lost Ratio (MW/ML) 2. Points Achieved (3 PTS = 3:0 or 3:1 win ; 2 PTS = 3:2 win ; 1PTS = 2:3 defeat ; 0PTS = 0:3 or 1:3 defeat) 3. Set Ratio. GOLDEN LEAGUE System 1. is automatically pre-qualified to FINAL 4 as host 2. WINNERS of each group qualify to final four 3. If is amongst the Group Winners the best 2nd-ranked team qualifies 4. The WINNER AND RUNNER UP OF FINAL 4 qualifies to the FIVB Challenger Cup 5. The WEAKEST TEAM OVERALL will be relegated GROUP A Nation PTS MW ML Sets 1 3 1 0 3:0 2. 3 1 0 3:1 3. 0 0 1 1:3 4. 0 0 1 0:3 GROUP B Nation PTS MW ML SETS 1. 3 1 0 3:0 2. 3 1 0 3:0 3. 0 0 1 0:3 4. 0 0 1 0:3 GROUP C Nation PTS MW ML SETS 1. 3 1 0 3:0 2. 2 1 0 3:2 3. 1 0 1 2:3 4. 0 0 0 0:3 SILVER LEAGUE System 1. is automatically pre-qualified to Final 4 as host 2. The GROUP WINNERS qualify to Final 4. 3. The BEST 2-ND PLACED TEAM also qualifies. 4. The FINAL 4 WINNER will qualify to the 2019 GOLDEN LEAGUE. GROUP A Nation PTS MW ML SETS 1 3 1 0 3:0 2. 3 1 0 3:0 3. 0 0 1 0:3 4. 0 0 1 0:3 GROUP B Nation PTS MW ML SETS 1. 3 1 0 3:0 2. 3 1 0 3:1 3. 0 0 0 1:3 4. 0 0 0 0:3

LEG 1 SUMMARY - SILVER LEAGUE Luxembourg, May 19, 2018. The CEV Volleyball Silver European League started on Saturday with just one match in each pool. Austria dominated the majority of their match against Israel in Pool A, while Sweden needed three sets to defeat Switzerland at home in Örkelljunga. Pool A Sweden vs. Switzerland 3-0 (25-13, 26-24, 25-17) 18-year-old superstar Isabelle Haak of Sweden finished as the top scorer of the game with 23 points. This was the Swedish women's second victory in the European League. The first one came last year against Spain. Laura Kuenzler of Switzerland scored 16 points for the visitors and was named as the team's MVP of the day after the game. The young and talented Swedish side shone strong in their first CEV Volleyball Silver European League match of the year as they downed the visitors Switzerland 3-0 on home soil in Örkelljunga. The victory showed the progression of the Swedish team, who was thrashed not once but twice when they clashed with the same opponents a little less than a year ago. Anna Haak, player of Sweden: “We had a really good connection and fought as a team. It felt like we all used our strengths and got them together in a good way. It was really fun to play and I think that showed out there today. We got energy out of everyone and we fed off each other.” Laura Kuenzler, player of Switzerland: ”It was a difficult match for us. We have a really young team and had only a few days of practice together coming in to this game. It was for sure not our best game, but not the worst either. We have to keep practising to get better." Pool B Austria vs. Israel 3-1 (25-21, 25-12, 20-25, 25-15) On Saturday Austria's women national team started their campaign in the 2018 CEV Volleyball Silver European League at Sportpark Klagenfurt with an important win. The hosts claimed a 3-1 (25-21, 25-12, 20-25, 25-15) victory against Israel. While spending 102 minutes on court, the team coached by Svetlana Ilic controlled the game impressively in the first two sets and second half of the last set, thus securing their first win. Srna Markovic and Monika Chrtianska were the most prolific players for Austria's side with 19 and 18 points. Marmen Vitalia finished the match with 16 points for Israel, while Polina Malik scored 14 points. Srna Markovic, top scorer of Austria: "We were the better team, although we dropped our level in the third set. Nevertheless we showed a good performance." Sophie Wallner, libero of Austria: "We knew that if we stayed focused, we would have a chance to win. Apart from set three we showed a solid performance. Israel showed a good defence." Giuseppe Cuccarini, coach of Israel: "My players started very nervously in the first and the second set. Slowly they started to bounce back, but we made a lot of individual mistakes. We probably expected something more today, but I think it was a good experience for my players." Rebecca Kopilovitch, player of Israel: "A lot of our girls were really nervous. But this match was a good experience for us. Today it is what it is, we are going to learn and do it better next time." Georgia vs. Albania 0-3 (16-25, 18-25, 22-25) • Albania and Georgia were facing each other for the first time. • 19 serves for Albanian Opposite Hitter Erblira Bici across the three sets and 26 points in total. • Ann Kalandadze, one of Georgia's star players made a successful return from an ankle injury. • Prior to the match there was the final game of the National championship of Georgia (for girls born in 2004 and 2005) and all participating teams from regions of Georgia stayed on to cheer on the National Team. Quotes: Ann Kalandadze, Outside Spiker for Georgia: “It was a little bit difficult for us to concentrate and show our real game today. We had many injuries in the team and rehabilitation took really a long time and that was one of the reasons we weren’t playing together as a team today. But I hope we will do better in our next matches.” Altin Martiri, Coach for Albania: “I am very excited and happy with this game and it is a good start for us. We’re looking forward to the next games and we hope to finish them as we did it today.” Pool A Kosovo vs. Estonia • More to follow...

LEG 1 SUMMARY - GOLDEN LEAGUE Luxembourg, May 19, 2018. Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Azerbaijan and Czech Republic started their journey in the CEV Volleyball Golden European League with victories over Slovakia, Portugal, Finland, Ukraine and Spain respectively. Belarus and Slovakia were the first teams to serve their fans a five-setter, while Bulgaria and Croatia claimed straight-set victories on home courts. Azerbaijan were fortunate to experience the biggest crowd of supporters among the winners today, as they defeated Ukraine in four sets, but not without facing a challenge from their opponent. The support of the local fans was not enough for Spain, who faced a loss against Czech Republic in three sets. Pool A Bulgaria vs. Portugal 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-19) Bulgaria started their campaign in the first-ever edition of the Volleyball Golden European League with a comfortable 3-0 win against Portugal. The hosts controlled the game from the very first point and claimed their first victory in Pool A in just over an hour. Gergana Dimitrova finished as top scorer for the winners with 14 points. The captain of the team Hristina Ruseva added 12 points to the Bulgarian count. For Portugal Maria Maio contributed 7 points. The match in Hristo Botev hall was the official debut for the new head coach of the Bulgarian team Ivan Petkov. In the minutes before the first whistle Lora Kitipova and Silvana Chausheva, who celebrated their birthday today, were surprised with a beautiful bunch of flowers from the rest of the team. Ivan Petkov, coach of Bulgaria: “It’s normal to be satisfied after a 3-0 victory. I’m satisfied and happy with the way we played. The ideas which we try to involve in our game I think we showed them today. I expect a difficult match against Ukraine next week. They are a good team and it will be tough for sure, so we must prepare really, really well.” Hristina Ruseva, captain of Bulgaria: “I’m really satisfied and really proud because this year we have a lot of young players. All of the girls did a great job today! We were concentrated from the first point and achieved our goal – to defeat Portugal in straight sets.” Manuel Almeida, coach of Portugal: “It was a very tough match for us. I’m not satisfied with our performance in the opening set. It was a moment of adaptation for our girls and we didn’t show our abilities and power. After this setback, we started to play a little bit better in the next two sets. I’m pleased with our performance in these two parts. I think Bulgaria are the favourite in this Pool but now we have another difficult match against a strong opponent – Azerbaijan. I expect a tough match and hope my team will play better than today.” Azerbaijan vs. Ukraine 3-1 (16-25, 25-19, 25-23, 28-26) Azerbaijan did not find their optimal game in the first set. The visitors showed high speed and strong reception. Anna Stepaniuk and Anastasiia Kraiduba played very effectively in attack. As a result, Ukraine won the first set 25-16. In the second set, the home team celebrated a fan-inspired takeover. Katerina Zhidkova and Yelyzaveta Samadova used their chances in attack. The reception was more solid and Azerbaijan won the set 25-19. The third set started with a Ukrainian 4-0 lead, but Azerbaijan scored seven points in a row. The visitors made some mistakes in reception and Azerbaijan took the set 25-23. In the fourth set, Ukraine changed their game and showed massive blocking and good performance in attack. Azerbaijan’s coach Faig Garayev gave a chance to Krystsina Yagubova and Marharyta Azizova and Azerbaijan won the set 28-26 and the match 3-1. Ukraine’s Anastasiia Kraiduba was the game’s best scorer with 26 points. Faig Garayev, coach of Azerbaijan: “I congratulate my team! The game against Ukraine was a big challenge. After the training camp in Slovenia, we played our first official game of the season. The girls showed the will to win and pleased the home fans. Now we will start preparing for the next match.” Yelyzaveta Samadova, player of Azerbaijan: “Great emotions! A very difficult game and an excellent win! The fourth set was very close. We lost seven points, but returned to the game. I know we will play better in the next matches. We want to win our pool.” Gariy Yegiazarov, coach of Ukraine: “My team started the game very well, but finally the girls did not have faith in themselves. We hope to show good results in our next games.” Anna Stepaniuk, player of Ukraine: “We lost the first game, but everything is just starting now. We played well in some moments, but Azerbaijan were better. We hope to take our revenge at home.” Pool B Croatia vs. Finland 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-19) After a tough start, Croatia took the lead and won the first set 25-21. The crucial moment of the match happened in the second set. It was a very dynamic set and in the conclusive moments Croatia turned a 21-23 deficit into a 26-24 win to double their lead. In the third set, Finland could not find the strength to come back, which made it easier for Croatia to win in straight sets and tally their first three points after 25-19. Samanta Fabris scored 21 times for Croatia to top the charts of the match. Samanta Fabris, player of Croatia: “For us it was very important to win the first game, especially in front of our fans. The first set wasn't good for us as we had problems in defence, but later it got better and we showed what we can do.” Tapio Kangasniemi, coach of Finland: “We were quite good in some moments of the game, but there's a lots of things we have to fix. The first set was good, but Croatia were better and deserved to win.” Pool C Slovakia vs. Belarus 2-3 (24-26, 25-18, 24-26, 25-21, 8-15) This was the fifteenth time Slovakia and Belarus faced each other. Of the previous 14 matches Slovakia won 10, while Belarus emerged victorious on four occasions. The last time Slovakia and Belarus locked horns was during the 2016 European League, playing in Albania and Poland. Slovakia won on both occasions. Marco Fenoglio made his debut on Slovakia’s bench as team coach. Karin Sunderlikova was the best scorer in the match, with 22 points for Slovakia. Anzhelika Barysevich impressed the crowd with six blocks, becoming the best scorer for Belarus with 19 points overall. Marco Fenoglio, coach of Slovakia: “I am disappointed, because I think we could have won this match. We made some mistakes in the fifth set and they played better than we did. Despite the loss, I am satisfied with the attitude, my team fought and this is a good omen for the future.” Karin Šunderlíková, opposite of Slovakia: “It is a pity that we lost such close first and third sets. We started slowly, but we found our rhythm and we came back to the match. I think that we can win on Wednesday in Minsk, because we can play at the same level as Belarus.” Piotr Khilko, head coach of Belarus: “This was a very tough match. Our setter is playing for the first time with the national team, while Slovakia was playing very well and had great support from the fans, so as I said, it was a very difficult match with a happy end for us. Before the fifth set I told my girls to forget everything and just focus on each move, each rally.” Tatsiana Markevich, captain of Belarus: “We had an exhausting journey to Slovakia, as we did not sleep much, but I am happy that we finally won. With our young setter we need to work more to find the right chemistry on the court.” Spain vs. Czech Republic 0-3 (23-25, 21-25, 12-25) Spain controlled the first set but they couldn't capitalise. The Czech rallied and reacted, reducing the gap before finally winning the first set. 150 young players were in attendance for “Evento Pequevoley”, a side activity to promote Volleyball for the youngest fans. Czech blocking was key, paving their way to victory in the second set. Spain’s performance decreased dramatically, resulting in a weak third set. The Czech Republic kept solid and remained a strong team. Andrea Kossanyiova was the top scorer of the match with 15 points. Katerina Holaskova from the bench made five blocks. Marie Toufarova, player of Czech Republic: “The first match of the Golden European League, it was not an easy game. We are a very young team, we were a little bit nervous in the beginning of the match. As the score got closer, we were aggressive and confident. The rest of the match we were focused on our goal.” Hungary vs. France 3-0 (25-16, 26-19, 25-20) • First competitive volleyball match at the new sports hall of the National University of Public Service in Budapest • Last time these teams met the score was 3-2 for Hungary (semi-final of the 2017 World Grand Prix, Group 3) – that was Hungary’s last win and France’s last match • Renata Sandor (outside-spiker, Allianz MTV Stuttgart) returned to the Hungarian national team after the 2015 European Championship • Previous meetings between Hungary and France: 52 matches, 27 Hungarian wins, 25 French wins • The captain and setter of the Hungarian team got injured during the warm up, so Zsuzsanna Tálas had to leave the court. • Despite this injury the team started strong and won the first two sets pretty easily • France played a good game in the middle of the third set but the team in green won the big points and with them the game. • Best player of the game was Greta Szakmary (Hungary), while the top scorer was Reka Szedmak (14 points). Quotes: “It is a great feeling to start the competition with a convincing win with this young team. We felt each other during the game and we hope that we can show our skills at our next match against the unbeaten Croatia and also at the Final Four." Greta SZAKMARY, player of team HUNGARY “It was hard to play against Hungary in front of this great crowd. We could win the second set but we are not very sad about the lost because we know that we are a young team and we have to progress step by step.” Andre FELIX, Coach of team FRANCE María Segura, player of Spain: “I think we really played two very good sets. We had too many mistakes on the serve. Our level went down.”

GROUP STANDINGS after leg 1 out of 6 (next leg: 23 may.) Tie-Break Criteria: 1.Matches Won/Lost Ratio (MW/ML) 2. Points Achieved (3 PTS = 3:0 or 3:1 win ; 2 PTS = 3:2 win ; 1PTS = 2:3 defeat ; 0PTS = 0:3 or 1:3 defeat) 3. Set Ratio. GOLDEN LEAGUE System 1. is automatically pre-qualified to FINAL 4 as host 2. WINNERS of each group qualify to final four 3. If is amongst the Group Winners the best 2nd-ranked team qualifies 4. The WINNER AND RUNNER UP OF FINAL 4 qualifies to the FIVB Challenger Cup 5. The WEAKEST TEAM OVERALL will be relegated GROUP A Nation PTS MW ML Sets 1 3 1 0 3:1 2. 3 1 0 3:1 3. 0 0 1 1:3 4. 0 0 1 1:3 GROUP B Nation PTS MW ML SETS 1. 3 1 0 3:0 2. 3 1 0 3:1 3. 0 0 1 1:3 4. 0 0 1 0:3 GROUP C Nation PTS MW ML SETS 1. 3 1 0 3:0 2. 3 1 0 3:1 3. 0 0 1 1:3 4. 0 0 0 0:3 SILVER LEAGUE System 1. is automatically pre-qualified to Final 4 as host 2. The GROUP WINNERS qualify to Final 4. 3. The BEST 2-ND PLACED TEAM also qualifies. 4. The FINAL 4 WINNER will qualify to the 2019 GOLDEN LEAGUE. GROUP A Nation PTS MW ML SETS 1. 3 1 0 3:1 2. 3 1 0 3:1 3. 0 0 1 1:3 4. 0 0 1 1:3 GROUP B Nation PTS MW ML SETS 1. 3 1 0 3:0 2. 3 1 0 3:0 3. 3 0 0 0:3 4. 3 0 0 0:3

LEG 1 SUMMARY - SILVER LEAGUE Luxembourg, May 19, 2018. The CEV Volleyball Silver European League started on Saturday with one match in each pool, while the other four teams take to the court tomorrow. Latvia emerged as winners in Pool A, downing Austria in four sets, while over in Pool B Croatia proved too powerful for Hungary. Austria vs. Latvia 1-3 (21-25, 25-21, 17-25, 22-25) • The team coached by Avo Keel controlled the beginning. Latvia claimed the first set by an impressive 25-21 win. • Austria fought back, found their rhythm late in set 2 and tied the score after 25-21. • This comeback, however, did not last long as Latvia soon resumed their march towards a well-deserved 25-17 set win. • After spending 99 minutes on the court Latvia secured a highly competitive fourth set 25-22 win and a 3-1 match victory. • Paul Buchegger and Alexander Berger were the most prolific players for Austria, with 22 and 13 points, respectively. For Latvia Edvarts Buivids finished the match with 19 points. Quotes: Michael Warm, coach of Austria: “We made too many mistakes. We need more time together to work on our timing.” Alexander Berger, player of Austria: “Today we showed only 50% of our potential, because we did not have enough time together. Look at me - after the CEV Champions League Final Four I had only two days with the team. Our service wasn't strong enough.” Guntis Atars, assistant coach of Latvia: “After two weeks of preparation we started with a victory in the Silver European League. I think it was a good performance for our first game.” Aleksandrs Kudrjasovs, player of Latvia: “For us it was very exciting, because we have a new team with many young players and a new coach. It was a good fight.” Croatia vs Hungary 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-14) • Croatia had an easy task in their first game of the Silver European League, winning easily against Hungary. It wasn't a difficult match as was expected. • After an even start, the Croatians took the lead and finished the first set handedly 25-12. • In the second set Hungary looked better, and even had a lead, but in the latter half of the set their concentration failed, allowing the home team to take the advantage and with it the set. • Croatia had good game in the third, taking an 8-1 lead that that eventually mushroomed to 21-10. • Best scorer of the game was Leo Andrić (Croatia) with 15 points, but the man of the match was Tsimafei Zhukouski who created all Croatia’s attacks. • Needs to be said that the Hungarian team was a very young, with quite a few debut players. Quotes: Ivan Rančić, head coach of Croatia: “We expected a harder match because Hungary is a good team, but we prepared for them very well. They changed some things during the match, but we responded very well." Tsimafei Zhukouski, player for Croatia: “We gave our best to the team, and the result is very good for us. But tomorrow we start with preparations for a new match.” Tamás Kaszap, player for Hungary: “I think we need time to better understand the tactics of our new coach. There are lots of young players, and a new system. I think everything will be much better when the time comes.” Belarus vs. Albania 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-21) • Albania was able to make pressure in the end of the first set. Opposite Anton Qafarena had some good attacks, but the block of the Belarussian team worked better. • Asmend Kula had success with several serves, which allowed Albania to have a chance of winning at least one set. • Belarusian coach Viktar Beksha made several substitutions in the second set to allow his team to move more steadily in receiving the ball. • Opposite of Belarus Artur Udrys had successful attacks from the back zone of the court and became the top scorer for the home side with 14 points. Quotes: "It was the first game for my guys and we were nervous. They outplayed us with their serves but we were the better side in all other aspects of the game. The opponents put up a fight, and the match had an intriguing finish," said Viktar Beksha, Coach of Belarus.

LEG 1 SUMMARY - GOLDEN LEAGUE Luxembourg, May 19, 2018. After a long wait, the inaugural Golden European League swang into action today with four games in the men's competition taking place to start six legs of exciting matches. Belgium are one of the higher ranked teams in the competition, and they started with a four-set away win in Sweden. It was a similar story for Estonia who travelled to Slovakia on this opening weekend and won 3-1. Neighbours Portugal and Spain played an exciting match in Pool C which ended up going to the home side, while the second match in that pool ended with a staight sets win for Finland over Czech Republic. Pool A Sweden vs. Belgium 1-3 (20-25, 25-23, 21-25, 17-25) • Sweden's Fredrik Gustavsson was phenomenal, finishing as the top scorer of the game with 19 points. • Tomas Rousseaux had a truly great day himself, finishing as the top scorer for the 'Red Dragons' with 16 points. • Despite the loss for Sweden, it was a good day for their team. Wilhelm Nilsson was a machine at the net, scoring a total of six winning blocks throughout the game. • Thanks to Belgium’s victory against the home team, the 'Red Dragons' currently hold the number 1 spot in the Pool A standings. Quotes: Tomas Rousseaux, player for Team Belgium: "Sweden apparently had some really good spikers and play well when it comes to services, but all in all I think we were the better team today. The key to this victory was about mistake-management - we played smart and organised." Fredrik Gustavsson, player for Team Sweden: "There was a lot of things that we didn’t do as well as we were supposed to. Even if it felt like the gap between our teams was not that big today, there were still some important rallies where we had to do better. In addition, we have to be more consistent when it comes to reception and service-pressure.” Slovakia vs. Estonia 1-3 (22-25, 26-24, 19-25, 17-25) • Going in, it was the 10th game between SVK and EST. Slovakia lead 6-3, but Estonia had won the last two matches and won again here. • Slovakia turned the score around in the second set, trailing 21-24 before winning 26-24. • About 1,200 spectators watched the game in Poprad (SVK). • Setter Andres Toobal (EST) and middle-blocker Emanuel Kohut (SVK), were awarded the best players of the match. Quotes: Andrej Kravárik, coach of Slovakia: “I think we had too much respect for the opponent. We knew that Estonia is a strong team, but we had to play with more power and courage. We did not push with the service as much as we wanted and we did not use the fact that Oliver Venno started as a receiver today. We have a young team and we need time. I hope that some of these young players will be key players in our national team in years to come.” Emanuel Kohút, captain of Slovakia: “We lost concentration after the second set. The third and fourth sets were not good from our side. We made too many errors, but we have a young team and that is normal. I think that our team has potential, but we need time. I hope that we will beat Sweden on Wednesday here in Poprad even though it will be a difficult match.” Andres Toobal, captain of Estonia: “We played very confidently today, and I was a little bit surprised too, because we did not play any friendly matches before the CEV European League. For the first time we played with two opposites on the court, and we still had very good reception. We are very happy about this victory.” Gheorghe Cretu, coach of team Estonia: “This was our first match this season, since we did not play any match in the preparation, so I am satisfied with the result. We have been practicing many situations and to be honest, I am surprised that after such a short time we are able to play this way - for example with two opposites in the game. We had better attack, better block and even though we lost the second set, I saw lot of positives in our performance.” Pool C Portugal vs. Spain 3-1 (25-18, 25-20, 22-25, 25-22) • Portugal were unstoppable in the first set, playing truly as a team. To be highlighted is the debut of Caique Silva with the national team and the domain on the net of their captain Alexandre Ferreira, allowing Portugal to advance to an 18-14 lead and close it at 25-18 with a failed service from Spain. • In the second set Portugal maintained the pressure with aggressive serves and spikes and were rewarded with a five-point advantage at 16-11. Fernando Munoz’s team reacted and reduced the gap to two points, but an attack from Alex Ferreira for 22-18 left little doubts as to who would win the set. Marco Ferreira closed it with a powerful spike for 25-20. • Spain changed their game in the third set, supported by Jorge Fernandez’s and Andres Villena’s attacks, and took control of the scoreboard. Altough Portugal tried to change the course of the set, the Spanish serves continued to open breaches in Portugal’s defence on the way to a 25-22 win. • In the final set, Spain continued to show confidence but Portugal were able to take the lead and gain a precious advantage. Leading by 21-17, Portugal saw Spain approaching rapidly, with two strong blocks, but secured their game and with an attack from Alex Ferreira closed the set at 25-22. • Marco Ferreira and Alexandre Ferreira, with 21 and 20 points, respectively, where the best scorers of the match, while Jorge Fernandez was the best for Spain with 13 points. Quotes: Hugo Silva, coach of Portugal: “It was difficult as expected and only with the enormous respect that we have for Spain were we able to play those first two sets. Our team played with joy and it is good to see some new faces showing their value, since these players have an enormous will to bring success to our country.” Caique Silva, player of Portugal: “It was a spectacular moment. It couldn’t be a better debut for me and I owe this to this true family that our team is, welcoming me with open arms. We have been training hard and made two good sets. Afterwards we broke and lost a set, but we didn’t let that affect us and knew how to win the match. Now we will rest and afterwards try to add a new win in Spain this Wednesday.” Fernando Munoz, coach of Spain: “We knew that it would be difficult since it was our first match. Like Portugal, we didn’t play any friendly matches. Portugal played well and in our play we felt a little the youth of this team and the fact that three of our players made their debuts today. We will try to play better in Guadalajara. We need more practice and match time with all the team.” Finland vs. Czech Republic 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 27-25) • Finland played very well in the first two sets while Czech Republic made a lot of mistakes. The third set was very tight, but in the last actions Czech Team made two errors, which ended the match. • Finnish opposite spiker Samuli Kaislasalo scored 21 points and was the top scorer of the match. • The Finnish team hit seven ace serves, the Czechs only two. • 2,043 spectators were following the match, making it a sold out game and Saimaa Stadiumi was full of happy Finnish fans. Quotes: Tuomas Sammelvuo, coach of Finland: “In the first set we made mistakes, but they made even more errors. The second set was very good for us. I am happy for the last balls in the third set, because it was very important to win the third set. Overall I am very happy about this match. There are still two or three main points we have to improve. It is great to get this kind of experience for the players and the spectators.” Michal Nekola, coach of Czech Republic: “We made a lot of easy mistakes in the two first sets. The third set was better, but at the end of it we again made two easy mistakes. Finland had better defence than us. We didn’t serve well enough in the first two sets and it was easy for the Finnish setter to play fast attacks. We are looking for our next match in Prague and we will be better.” he Netherlands vs. Slovenia 3-1 (25-12, 24-26, 25-15, 25-22) • The last time The Netherlands and Slovenia played against each other was in 2017 in the semi-final of the FIVB World League Group 2 Final Four in Australia. Slovenia won 3-0. • Maarten van Garderen is back in the national team after his beach volleyball adventure in 2017 with Christiaan Varenhorst. Van Garderen, who plays for the Italian club Azimut MODENA, was very successful on the sand winning the CEV Satellite in Kharkiv and finishing fourth at the FIVB World Championship in Vienna. Despite these results, Van Garderen decided to focus on his indoor career again. • Van Garderen served from 18-11 to 23-11 and made his team win the first set. He served a total of six aces in the match. • The second set was a strong comeback game from the team of Slovenia, with Tonček Stern leading the attack. • The Slovenian setter Matija Jereb (no. 5) got injured in the third set (back problems). • The team of Slovenia was not complete in Doetinchem. They were missing some of their star players like Tine Urnaut, Alen Pajenk, Mitja Gasparini and Klemen Cebulj. • Best scorer of the game: Wouter ter Maat (the Netherlands) with 22 points. Quotes: Samo Miklavc, coach of Slovenia: “Our team has changed a lot since we are missing some key players in this tournament. But our young players are getting a good opportunity to show themselves, which is what they did today. We weren’t able to put enough service pressure on The Netherlands though. In the end we lost to a better team today.” Turkey vs. Ukraine 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-20) • Ukraine are the gold medal winners from the 2017 edition of the European League. • Turkey celebrated their first Golden European League win against defending champions Ukraine. • Turkey and Ukraine met for the first time in the European League history. • In the first set it took a long time before a team took the lead, but in the end Turkey won the big points. • Same numbers and same win in the first and the second set for the Turkish team. • Turkey were leading 16-11 in the third set, and kept the lead also above the 20 points. • Best scorer of the game: Burutay Subasi (Turkey) with 17 points. Quotes: Gökhan Gökgöz, player of Turkey: “We started the game very well. We did what we wanted and had planned. We played against a good team. We hope we will win again on Wednesday against the Netherlands.” Nedim Özbey, coach of Turkey: “We are satisfied only with the result, not with the way we played. We did some good things but at the same time we made also some terrible mistakes. It’s our first victory in the Golden European League – Men, so it’s good. I hope that we will play better on Wednesday against the Netherlands. We have the features and ability to do this.” Oleh Plotnytskyi, player of Ukraine: “There’s not much to say. We played badly. Turkey deserved their victory. Congratulations to them.” Ugis Krastins, coach of Ukraine: “I am very upset because we played very bad. Our attack was not so good. We will try to fix our problems and to perform better for the next matches.”

LEG1 , DAY 2 GROUP B Hungary 3-0 France (25-16 / 25-19 / 25-20) GROUP A Kosovo 0-3 Estonia (9-12 / 12-17 / 17-25) GROUP B Georgia 0-3 Albania (16-25 / 18-25 / 22-25)

DAY 2 LEG 1 GROUP B Turkey 3-0 Ukraine (25-23 / 25-23 / 25-20 ) GROUP B Netherlands 3-1 Slovenia (25-12 / 24-26 / 25-15 / 25-22)HR GROUP A Kosovo 1-3 Macedonia (25-20 / 16-25 / 17-25 / 14-25) GROUP B Belarus 3-0 Albania (25-23 / 25-23 / 25-21)

Group Stage, LEG 1 out of 6 Day 2 out of 2 - 19 may 2018 - schedule all times are CEST GOLDEN LEAGUE GROUP B 15:00 Netherlands - Slovenia 15:30 Turkey - Ukraine FREE STREAMING OF THE GOLDEN LEAGUE MATCHES IS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball-cev-golden-european-league-men SILVER LEAGUE GROUP A 16:30 Kosovo - Macedonia GROUP B 19:00 Belarus - Albania FREE STREAMING OF THE SILVER LEAGUE MATCHES IS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball-cev-silver-european-league-maenner

Group Stage, LEG 1 out of 6 Day 2 out of 2 - 19 may 2018 - schedule all times are CEST GOLDEN LEAGUE GROUP B 18:30 Hungary - France FREE STREAMING OF THE GOLDEN LEAGUE MATCHES IS AVAILABLE AT:http://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball-cev-golden-european-league-women SILVER LEAGUE GROUP A 19:00 Kosovo - Estonia GROUP B 17:00 Georgia - Albania FREE STREAMING OF THE SILVER LEAGUE MATCHES IS AVAILABLE AT: http://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball-cev-silver-european-league-frauen

LEG1 , DAY 1 GROUP A Azerbaijan 3-1 Ukraine (15-25 / 25-19 / 25-25 / 28-26) GROUP B Spain 0-3 Czech Republic (23-25 / 21-25 / 12-25) GROUP A Sweden 3-0 Switzerland (25-13 / 26-24 / 25-17)

DAY 1 LEG 1 GROUP A Slovakia 1-3 Estonia (22-25 / 26-24 / 19-25 / 17-25) GROUP C Finland 3-0 Czech Republic (25-20 / 25-20 / 27-25) GROUP A Austria 1-3 Latvia (21-25 / 25-21 / 17-25 / 22-25) GROUP B Croatia 3-0 Hungary (25-12 / 25-16 / 25-14)

LEG 1, DAY 1 GROUP B Croatia 3:0 Finland (25-21 / 26-24 / 25-19)

DAY 1 LEG 1 GROUP C Portugal 3-1 Spain (25-18 / 25-20 / 22-25 / 25-22)

DAY 1 LEG 1 GROUP A Sweden 1-3 Belgium (20-25 / 25-23 / 21-25 / 17-25)

LEG 1 DAY 1 GROUP B Austria 3-1 Israel (25-21 / 25-12 / 20-25 / 25-15)

LEG 1, DAY 1 GROUP C: BELARUS 3-2 SLOVAKIA (26-24 / 18-25 / 26-24 / 21-25 / 15-8 )

LEG1 , DAY 1 GROUP A: Bulgaria 3-0 Portugal (25-13 / 25-18 / 25-19)

Finland's sport interest chart in Google Trends in the latest 7 days https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=now 7-d&geo=FI&q=%2Fm%2F02vx4,%2Fm%2F018w8,%2Fm%2F07_53,%2Fm%2F03tmr,%2Fm%2F03krj I guess they must REALLY like hockey