Serbia through to #EuroVolleyU22M Final Round
News
Serbia have emerged victorious from the qualifier held this past weekend at Daugavpils Olympic Centre, Latvia, to secure their participation in the Final Round of the inaugural #EuroVolleyU22M.
On Saturday, Serbia beat hosts Latvia 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-15) to claim first place in the pool. The Serbs started the game much better and they could keep the same pace throughout the whole match – with Latvia never standing a real chance of posing a threat. Patriks Pinka with 9 points top scored for the home side in their losing effort, as Dušan Nikolić registered 15 for Serbia.
Igor Žakić“I think we played a good game. Tactically we played a great game in block and defence, and had many kill blocks as well. I am especially satisfied with this. The other thing is these young men played their hearts out in this game. They showed great sportsmanship and great character and I think with these boys we do not need to worry about the future of Serbian Volleyball."
Head coach of Serbia
Asked on how the team will be preparing for the Final Round in July in Poland, Žakić added, “I think we will have enough time to prepare in Serbia, play some friendly matches and until then if everyone stays healthy, we will be capable of some great things.”
Earlier in the week, Serbia and Latvia had claimed their respective matches with the Faroe Islands in straight sets. Latvia could still stand a chance of reaching the Final Round as the best runner-up across all pools, but the results of the matches contested in Bulgaria did eventually vanish their dream.