Greece vs. Netherlands: 5th week of 2011 CEV European League – Volleyball update
Greece and Netherlands of Pool B of the 2011 CEV European Men’s Volleyball League were part of the first preliminary round robin of the tournament which concluded its fifth stage this past weekend. The Netherlands beat the Greek team in a dominant fashion
in both matches.
The Greeks had two meetings with their Dutch counterparts on Saturday and Sunday. Greece hosted both these matches, which didn’t bring any luck for the home team. The Netherlands won all the matches in a row and outshone Greece in both matches.
The Dutch team is at number-two in the Pool rankings with 22 points, while Greece is third with a total of eight points. The Greeks have now stumbled below the cutoff line and are not in the top-8 playoffs in the next round.
First match
The Dutch side worked out a straight-sets victory over Greece in the first match of the 5th Week on Saturday, June 25. In the presence of 800 spectators at the Philippos Amoiridis Municipal Sports Hall in XANTH, Dutch Team beat the hosts black
and blue. Netherlands was awarded with victory for putting up the score of 25-21, 25-18, and 25-21 against Greece in three respective sets.
The Greek National Team was supported by local fans and they had the confidence of beating the Dutch opponents on their home soil. In the second week of the prelims, Greece had defeated Netherlands in two consecutive matches. However, the tactics of Greek
team didn’t work out in the last match on Saturday. Team Netherland was fully prepared to rule the game and seek revenge from Greece. The whole Dutch team put up a great effort and managed to perform better away from home.
The head coach of Dutch side, Benne Edwin purposed a fine game plan to his team. Players followed his vision and cruised past the Greeks. Vlam Tije, wing-spiker of Netherlands played an instrumental role in making his side successful in first match.
Second match
The two sides once again went head to head on Sunday, June 26. Match venue and conditions were the same as the day before. Greek team was still l*****g their wounds from the previous game and seemed nervous. However, they were resolved to win the second
match at any cost. Nonetheless, the dreams of the home squad were shattered as Netherlands outperformed them in the second match as well. Dutch team walked away with a 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 18-25, 25-18, and 15-10) victory over the Greeks.
The second match was a see-saw battle, which engaged both teams for almost two hours. The hosts fought bravely and incorporated the best of their skills, in order to overcome the power of the visitors. However, the Dutch team proved to be the better side
and claimed match victory after a tiring five sets.
Greece will have Austria on the other side of the court in their next two matches, which will be held in the last week of the prelims. Greeks will be playing at home, which means they have a chance to beat the Austrian team. On the other hand, Netherlands
will put up against the top team of Pool B, Spain. They will play two matches in Netherlands, which are expected to attract scores of fans to the competition hall.
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