Semi-finalists will take centre stage – 2011 Men's CEV European Volleyball League
Following a gruelling battle in the preliminary rounds, four successful teams clawed their way to the final phase of the 2011 CEV European Volleyball League. The tournament was kicked off with the first round and 12 European teams jumped on board. They played
under the classification of three pools, where each pool accommodated four teams. The prelims rounded off this past weekend and promoted following four teams into the next round:
Slovenia Spain Slovakia Romania
Three of them were the top teams in their respective pools, while one team advanced from the prelims on account of comparatively better ranking in all three groups. The final four round of the championship will be opened today, Saturday, July 16, with two
semi-final matches. The previous round of the championship was staged in several countries but Final Round matches will solely be played in KOSICE, Slovakia.
First semi-final
First semi-final match is scheduled to start at 16:00 (local time) at the Steel Arena in KOSICE, Slovakia. Teams from Spain and Slovenia are set to fight for the volleyball supremacy. Slovenia qualified for the semis from Pool A, where the team was accompanied
by Belgium, Croatia, and Great Britain. Slovenian hotshots ruled the centre court in the prelims. The command of experienced head coach, VUKOVIC, Veselin kept them focused on the target and they successfully earned ticket to the Final Round. Slovenian Team
pulled off success in 9 out 12 matches of the preliminary round and finished in the top position.
On the other hand, Spain joined Slovenia in the semi-final match from Pool B. The Spaniards launched their authority on Greek, Austrian and Dutch teams in the first round. Spain staged a wonderful game and secured qualification for the next round. They captured
10 matches, while dropped only two.
Now that Slovenia and Spain are up for another tough match today, the fans are excited to witness a neck-to-neck fight. Slovenia has strong team-line, which has sturdy hitters and reliable defenders. Klemen Cebuli of Slovenia is excellent blocker. He is
good at reception and master at dismissing opponents’ attacks. Likewise, Mitja Gasparini is thought to be top spiker in Slovenian squad. On the other side of the net, Jorge Fernandes will probably act as the main weapon for Spanish Team. This is going to be
heated competition for sure.
Second semi-final
The second semi-final of the 2011 CEV Men’s European Volleyball League is supposed to feature teams from Romania and host Slovakia. The official timing of the match is 1900 (local time), while the same Steel Arena in KOSICE City will host the match. The
fixture between Romania and Slovakia is likely to attract scores of local fans. Home team will enjoy the enormous support of fans, which will serve as great competitive edge for them in the game. Romania and Slovakia were previously grouped together in Pool
C. Both teams finished with the same score of 8-4 and advanced to the semis of 2011 CEV European Volleyball league.
Interestingly enough, these two teams had the opportunity to open the prelims in Pool C and this is going to be their 5th meeting in the tournament. In the previous four matches of preliminary stage, both teams score two victories apiece. The
semi-final is the real test of their abilities and only one team will move forward. Let’s wait and see which side makes a difference.
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