Minsk hosts European League matches for the first time – Volleyball update
The thrilling action of the 2011 CEV Volleyball European League is underway in Europe and Minsk is in the Spotlight as they host the next round of matches. The double-gender volleyball campaign has invited a total of 24 teams and each gender category has
12 teams apiece. The tournament started off on May 27 and it is supposed to go on until June 10. The Republic of Belarus has sent two teams in the competition. The Women’s National Volleyball Team of Belarus has been placed in the Pool C along with Turkey,
Croatia and Romania.
The Belarusian team has played two matches against Turkey last week. The Baskent Sports Hall in the Turkish Volleyball Federation Sports Complex hosted the matches. The home soil benefited Turks and allowed them to clinch success in both their matches, while
Belarus had to face defeat in their debut matches in the CEV European League. Now it is time for the Belarusian city of Minsk to play host to a European League match first time in history.
The local sports palace in the capital city of Minsk, which can easily hold 3,000 spectators, is ready to host the Belarus vs. Croatia match on Saturday, June 4. The home squad is determined to give a superb performance in front of home audience and cover
the deficit of previous matches. Speaking of the preparation that went into the upcoming matches, the head coach of the women’s team Viktar Hancharou stated, “We have a very tight schedule as we play every weekend two games. Additionally we have to travel,
so we can’t train much and we have to work more on our tactical preparation.”
The mentors of the both women’s and men’s national teams gave a public appearance at a press conference held in Minsk. The focus was on women’s matches at home courts. Hancharou was put up with several questions regarding the upcoming matches.
Croatian Women’s National Volleyball Team is equipped with strong player-line. They have players who have got great exposure at the European and International tournaments. Some of the Croatian players have also been featured in the National Leagues of Italy
and Turkey. Hence, it will be an interesting encounter between Croatia and Belarus. The home sides will certainly enjoying the emotional support of local fans and advantage of familiar conditions. Tomorrow’s match will be a great opportunity for Belarus to
create history.
Meanwhile, the men’s volleyball team of Belarus is in Pool C and is scheduled to meet with Slovakia in the next matches. They will install their bases in the city of Nitra in Slovakia. The Belarusian men’s squad also took on Turkey in the last two matches,
which were held in Turkish City Ankara.
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