Israel, Slovenia victorious on the last day of Pool play in the Silver #EuroLeagueW
Recap
On the last day of pool play in the Silver #EuroLeagueW, Israel locked horns with Luxembourg, while Austria and Slovenia took to the court to determine who would finish first in Pool A.
The outcome of these matches were of no relevance regarding teams proceeding to the Final Four tournament that will take place on June 11-12 in Maribor, Slovenia.
On Thursday, Portugal and Bosnia and Herzegovina booked their tickets finishing in first and second place in Pool B, respectively, and on Saturday Austria clinched their Final 4 spot. Slovenia had it secured as organisers, but also took care of business, finish topping the charts in Pool A.
Pool A
Final standings:
1. Slovenia - 6 wins, 17 pts.
2. Austria - 4 wins, 13 pts.
3. Israel - 2 wins, 6 pts.
4. Luxembourg - 0 wins, 0 pts.
Israel finished on a high note their 2021 Silver #EuroLeagueW campaign as on the last day of play in Pool A they claimed a rather quick 3-0 win over the team of Luxembourg.
Led by head coach Gal Galili, the Israeli players needed only 78 minutes to congratulate themselves with the victory.
With an overall better performance in all the components, Israel secured the third place in the group, and with no chances of proceeding ahead in the competition, leave the 2021 edition of the tournament with their head held high.
Nathalie Braas“It was a tough tournament, we have a really young team, but it was a nice experience, nice city and we enjoyed being here. But it was really tough for us.”
Player of Team Luxembourg
- Only in the first set did Luxembourg put up a fight, breathing down Israel's necks. However, it was the Israeli team who could find the way, pushing on the serve (3 aces) and emerging victorious. None of the teams recorded a single block in the opening set.
- The situation on the net changed in the second set, where six kill blocks by Israel turned out to be a hidden weapon for Israel.
- Luxembourg struggled in reception and defence in the next set.
- Polina Malik from Israel finished as Top Scorer with 19 points, Yael Benjamin added 13. For Luxembourg, Carla Mulli was the best with 12 points to her name.
Inbal Peleg“We are a very young team, and this was a great opportunity for most of us. Maribor was beautiful, we were able to walk around a little and explore, and the organisation of the tournament was great. I think we got better with each match and I am just glad that we got this opportunity to play.”
Player of Team israel
In the other match of the day, Austria were close to turning things around and claim the victory, after coming back from losing the first two sets vs Slovenia, and bringing the match into tiebreak. However, Team Slovenia showed great motivation and high spirits, emerging victorious from the fifth set. Winning this match, Slovenia showed real mental toughness, which places them in a good position in light of the upcoming important matches in the Final Four tournament.
Brina Bračko“I am very happy we won the match. It was hard but we fought until the last point and we managed to win. This was our sixth victory and we are expecting a very exciting Final Four tournament next week.”
Player of Slovenia
- Slovenia started better in the match, opening in their favour thanks to 4 kill blocks and 19 winning spikes in the first set. Austria pushed on the serve (3) but it wasn't enough.
- In the next set, roles changed on the block and serve - Slovenia performed better on the serving (3) while Austria showed good skills on the block (4)
- Outclassing the opponent on the winning spikes in the third set (20 compared to 14), it looked like Slovenia would seize a rather easy 3-0 victory. Austria, however, showed that they weren't ready to give up and 4 kill blocks and 3 aces tied the game in a set that finished at 32-30 in their favour.
- Inspired, the Austrian players continued performing well on the net, and with 6 kill blocks brought the match into a tiebreak.
- In the decisive 5th set, Slovenia were slightly better on attack, which was enough for them to claim the win.
- Darja Erzen from Slovenia finished with 23 points in the match, becoming Top Scorer. For Austria, Nikolina Maros topped the charts with 21 points.
- Mirta Velikonja Grbac with 5 blocks in important moments was named Best Blocker.
Nikolina Maros“I think it was an amazing match and it was great to play here these five sets full of excitement. It was very tough so we are happy to have a day off tomorrow before we start preparing for Final Four tournament.”
Player of Austria