Volleyball powerhouses secure second straight wins at #EuroVolleyU18M

The second day of #EuroVolleyU18M competition provided the same excitement and drama as the previous round of matches involving the 16 participating national teams. 

At the PalaSavelli in Porto San Giorgio, where Pool I is contested, Greece beat Türkiye 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-20). This result coincides with the second consecutive defeat for the Turks and a resurgence for the Greeks after Tuesday’s defeat to Slovenia. Serbia and Poland, on the other hand, inflicted resounding 3-0 wins on Iceland and Slovenia. The day ended with a 3-1 victory for the home team, as Italy edged past a tough Finnish side (25-18, 25-23, 17-25, 25-22), thus moving into second place in Pool I with two wins and five points, behind only Poland (two wins and six points). FIPAV President Giuseppe Manfredi attended the match as well after travelling straight from Rome – where he had addressed a large audience at an event designed to introduce media and fans alike to this year’s CEV EuroVolley. 
“We certainly played two very important and difficult matches. Serbia and Finland were a demanding test, but we emerged as a great team. Greece is a team not to be underestimated, with very strong technical skills,” said Italy player Diego Bussolari. 

In Pool II, Germany contributed to a rather unexpected setback for Bulgaria. The Germans, fresh despite the fatigue resulting from a tie-break loss to Belgium the day before, conceded the first set to the Bulgarians, but then shifted gears: the second and third sets were played point-for-point, with Germany winning the decisive ones. In the fourth set, Bulgaria slowed their pace, leaving the Germans with a clear lead. Germany coach Dominic von Kanel: “We played a very good match compared to the one against Belgium, fixing the many errors we made in the opening game. We were good at blocking and defence. Our serve was better and allowed us to play offensively, the way we like to play: that made the difference.” 
Czechia needed two hours and 14 minutes of play to edge Romania at the tiebreak. Romania won the first and third sets (2-1); Jan Svoboda’s team, however, held on, as they claimed an early three-point lead in the tiebreak, where Romania completed their comeback and briefly edged ahead (10-9) but failed to close the match in their favour. Czechia remained confident until the end, eventually taking home two points. 
After beating Germany in their opening match, Belgium also won the derby with the Netherlands, as the young Oranjes suffered their second straight loss. A superb Joa Valkema (top scorer with 20 points) was not enough for the Orange side. The young Red Dragons won the first set comfortably (25-15) and took home the second too (25-21). Believing they had the win in the bag, they relaxed too early: the Netherlands exploited a lapse in concentration to extend the match. In the fourth set, Evan Dubru, Ferre Van Pelt, and Benjamin Stetter dominated the game, thereby securing three points for Belgium. 
In the final match of the day, France regrouped from their loss to Bulgaria, playing their best game. Despite their good will, Spain could do little against the quality of the French side. The first set was dominated by the French, but the second and third sets were a closer affair, with the Spaniards putting up greater resistance with strong attacking from Roger Monzo Luengo, their top scorer with 15 points. France eventually took maximum three points in just one hour and 17 minutes of play.