Poland sweeps Slovakia to reach semi-final of 2011 CEV Volleyball European Championship
The quarter-final of the 2011 CEV Volleyball European Championship took place between Slovakia and Poland. The Polish squad took only 77 minutes to do away with the Slovakian side by 3-0. The win was achieved after making a clean sweep over Slovakia at the
following final set scores: 25-23, 25-17 and 25-19.
The first set of the match was competitive but Poland managed to stay on top. The second set saw the Slovakians slacken their pace and this shifted the momentum towards Poland who did not fail to capitalise on the lapse and bag another win. The loss of the
first set did not do any good to the confidence of the Slovakian side and the Polish were able to take advantage by securing another win. The third set saw the Slovakians step up their game a notch but the effort came in too late and Poland sealed the deal
on the match.
The coach of the Polish team, Andrea Anastasi, shared his feeling in the following words at the press conference that was conducted after the match reached its close: “Of course, it is difficult to speak about the match against my friend’s team. For me it
is a great result. My dream is to play the last two games of the tournament but it will be hard to make it to the final.”
On the other hand, the coach of the Slovakian team, Emanuele Zanini, made the following comments: “I agree with my captain that we have achieved a historical result. But I am not definitely satisfied with the game. We could fight more. Poland played very
well. My friend Andrea (Anastasi) can be satisfied. Today his players were ready to cope with the stress and pressure, while mines were not”.
The first set of the match saw both teams come out strong and battle hard for control. After a tough fight, the Slovakians found themselves leading at 23-20 but the Polish squad was able to come up from behind and seal the deal on the opening set at 25-23.
The second set of the game started off well for Poland as they took a lead of 12-7 and got the momentum going for themselves. However, the Slovakians did not let them get too far and were able to make the match reach a tie at 15 all. Eventually the match
turned in favour of the Polish side and rested with them at 25-17.
The third set saw both teams lock horns for the initial stages of the set but as time progressed, Poland was able to steer the frame in their favour and manage a win at 25-19.
Tags: