France clean-sweep Greece once again – 2011 CEV Women Volleyball League
Team France claimed another 3-0 (28-26, 25-21, and 25-15) victory over Greece, while playing their second match against the Greeks at the 2011 CEV Women’s Volleyball European League. The second encounter of the two teams was staged at the “Palais des Sports” in Mulhouse, France on Saturday, June 4. Greece exhibited a good performance but the hosts proved to be better in all aspects of the game and settled for victory. The French team profited by the home advantage and kept an upper hand on their rivals.
First set
The Greeks had lost their previous match to France on Friday and the wounds of the humiliating defeat were quite fresh. Greece was obviously seeking revenge in the second match. They started off with heavy strike of the ball, while French players defended in their unique style. Evgenia Tsima of Greece struggled and put her team in the lead at the first technical timeout, 8-7. Meanwhile, French players tried to push their opponents behind and worked out some great shots. Nonetheless, Greeks were not ready to lose the match. They continued with success and maintained their leading role in the game up until the second technical timeout. They were ahead of the home team with a margin of three points, 16-13, at the second technical break.
As play resumed after the break, the mood of the game changed. The Greek squad couldn’t keep up the same pace and started making reception errors. It was the right time for the French side to take control of the situation. They played with good tactics and managed to take the lead in the game. France surpassed Greece at 21-19 and further exerted more pressure on their rivals. Eventually, the hosts finished the opening set with a two-pointwin at 28-26.
Second set
In the second set, Greece’s Evangelia and Georgia set the pace. They developed a great chemistry between them and scored consecutive points in early few minutes. France trailed behind with a difference of two points at the first technical timeout. The game continued in the same fashion and the gap of points increased at the second mandatory stop. However, French team managed to bring stability into the game after the second technical break. They strengthened their defence and at the same time used offensive attacks to raise their score. The competition hall echoed the uproar of local fans, which set the home team on fire. They played fast and pushed the Greeks behind the attack line. Second set also ended in France’s favour at 25-21 and it was clear sign that France was going to win the match.
Third set
The hosts entered the third set with the confidence of victory. They engaged the opponents in heavy strike of volleys and picked up a lead by attempting so many tricky bump-passes. The cut shots and long pipes of French girls enabled them to dominate the opposite side. Greeks seemed helpless and hopeless. On top of it, they appeared seemingly exhausted. On the other side of the net, French players had good energy and they quickly covered the length of the third set with success. The final whistle of the referee at 25-15 announced France as the victorious team.
Greece’s head coach Dimitrios Floros commented, “We played much better today, especially in set 1 and 2; my girls were motivated and patient. We are the weakest team in this group and our aim is to get at least one win from this campaign in the European League”.
The captain of the French team, Anna Rybaczewski, said, “It was important to finish these games in straight sets, we are still at the beginning of our season but so far we have quite many positives we can take from our games. After a long season with their clubs it pleases me that all players are fighting for every single ball”. She further added that the Greek ladies seemed fully prepared to seek revenge of their last defeat on Friday but the French squad played sensibly and pulled off success.
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