#EuroVolleyU20W qualifiers in full swing
News
The teams of Slovenia and Czechia confirmed on Friday their status of pre-favourites at the #EuroVolleyU20W second-round qualifier – Pool D in Kaunas, Lithuania. Czechia easily eased past Montenegro in three sets (25-21, 25-21, 25-17), as Slovenia did not leave any chance to the hosts representing Lithuania, finishing Friday’s second matchup in three sets as well (25-13, 25-12, 25-19).
On Saturday, Czechia and Slovenia will lock horns in a matchup that is likely to decide which team finishes first in the pool.
Jolita Kontvainienė“We played against a very strong team - it was the strongest team we have played against this year so far and, unfortunately, my girls did look somehow lost. We recovered from the initial pressure, but that happened too late. We very much hope that we can put up a better fight against Montenegro tomorrow."
Head coach of Team Lithuania
In Pool C, which started on Friday in Kienbaum, in the outskirts of Berlin, Ukraine began their campaign with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Finland (25-20, 25-22, 25-23). Finland made it especially dramatic in the third set where they scored many aces and were close to changing the course of the match. However, Ukraine in the end secured a 3-0 victory, courtesy of as many as 13 blocks, eight more than Finland, who also made significantly more mistakes of their own. Top scorer was Ukraine’s Bohdana Hrytsyk with 13 points.
In the second game of the day, Germany started quite nervously against Estonia. The Estonian team took advantage of the tension and pressure that the hosts seemed to feel and won set one. In the second set, Germany found more composure and eventually had the upper hand 3-1 (21-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-15). Top scorer of the German team was Annelis Tyws with 20 points. Germany’s captain Michelle Bachmann said after the game: “We now know that we can fight back together as a team. We want to build on that tomorrow.“
As many as 20 teams, divided into five groups, are currently competing in the second round of #EuroVolleyU20W qualifiers. The winners of the five pools and the four best second-placed teams will earn tickets to the final stage of the competition scheduled for later this summer in Bulgaria and Ireland.