Volleyball

Estonia and Sweden celebrate home wins in the Silver #EuroLeagueW

Recap

Article Wed, Jun 22 2022

The quest for the crown in the CEV Volleyball European Silver League 2022 - Women reaches its decisive stage. On Wednesday, in the next to last Leg 9 of the League Round, the hosts of two fixtures showed their dominance on the court. First, Estonia overpowered winless Luxembourg at Sports Hall University of TARTU, earning their third victory in this campaign. Then, Sweden confirmed their dominance in the competition, beating Slovenia in straight sets at Idrottshallen LUND. Thus, the team led by Volleyball super star Isabelle Haak recorded their seventh win. Although there is still one leg to go, the two top positions in the standings are already confirmed. In the battle for the Silver #EuroLeagueW title, Sweden will face Portugal on July 2nd, but before it happens, the two more pool phase match-ups are scheduled on Sunday.

Estonia vs Luxembourg

Estonia completely outclassed their rivals in the opening set, dominating in all components. The team under the guidance of coach Alessandro Orefice enjoyed a flying start to the game, taking an 8-3 lead and constantly improving it throughout the entire set. The hosts were far more successful in attack (54% to 21%), getting 13 points in this element, once Luxembourg got only 5.

The next part had a more competitive beginning with a point-by-point until 11-11, when Estonia managed to jump to a three-point lead. And it was a start of their furious run. Estonia, led by Kadi Kullerkann, who scored 6 points in this set, didn't look back, closing the set 25-16.

Luxembourg didn't get discouraged and took a 8-4 lead in the 3rd part. However, with solid service performance from Kristine Milen (5 consecutive serves), Estonia made it up and not only caught up with the score, but stepped up front (13-11), took the initiative in the game. Luxembourg fought hard with strong service (3 aces), but the hosts' duo Milen and Silvia Pertens, seven and six points, respectively, helped the team to prevail in the set, sealing their third victory.

Kullerkann and Milen shared the top scorers' honour, contributing with 14 points apiece. Betty Hoffmann and Lilly Tarantini tallied six points apiece on the side of Luxembourg.

Sweden vs Slovenia

The hosts from Sweden were determined to confirm their 1st place in the standings, entering the court with full energy. Supported by the local crowd, they opened the set with an 8-3 lead. Their leader, Isabelle Haak, once again showed her greatness, scoring 8 points and recording 80% in attack. However, her teammates struggled a lot in this skill (only 38% of team attack to 50% on the side of their opponent). Slovenia tried to fight back, but with powerful service (6 aces - Wasserfaller and Andersson served two apiece), Sweden was out of their range.

Slovenia returned to the court with fresh energy that resulted in a way tighter set. Even if Sweden led 16-10, the visiting team shortened the distance to one point (20-19), troubling the rivals with their strong service. Eva Zatkovic shone brightly on the court, scoring as many as eight points (54% in attack), but their own mistakes in the decisive part made a difference. Thus, the scoreboard showed a 2-0 lead for Sweden.

Slovenia returned to the court with fresh energy that resulted in a way tighter set. Even if Sweden led 16-10, the visiting team shortened the distance to one point (20-19), troubling the rivals with their strong service. Eva Zatkovic shone brightly on the court, scoring as many as eight points (54% in attack), but their own mistakes in the decisive part made a difference. Thus, the scoreboard showed a 2-0 lead for Sweden.

Sparked by home fans, Sweden speeded up in the third set. The team under the guidance of coach Lauria Hakala showed no mercy to their opponents. Improving their team attack (58%), they quickly took a double-digit advantage, that reached a maximum of 14-point advantage at 20-6, sealing the deal after 75 minutes of play with Isabelle Haak's spike.

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