Serbia becomes CEV Youth Volleyball Boys’ European Champion – Volleyball news
The 2011 CEV Boys’ Youth European Volleyball Championship covered its length from April 16-24 in Ankara, Turkey.
The competition was attended by 12 best teams from all around the European continent. France was tagged as the defending champion and came very close to secure the title in final match. However, Serbian Boys outclassed France with a stellar performance in
the final match on Sunday, April 24.
Serbia wrote a new chapter in the history and earned its first European title. The final showdown was a complete thriller, which spanned over five tiring sets.
In the end, Serbs proved to be better side and posted 3-2 (20-25, 25-22, 25-17, 17-25, and 15-6) on board. The match was played at the totally packed Baskent Sports Hall in Ankara, Turkey.
The French team had defeated the tough Russian team in the previous two matches. It gave them a lot of confidence to open the final match on a high note. The “les blues” team started out really well. They broke the ice and scored early points, while Serbia
was yet to be on the board.
The striking serves of Thibault Rossard helped France to build a lead of 8-5 at the first technical timeout. Meanwhile, the Serbs paid more attention on defence, in order to stop the French from scoring.
The defending champions denied the efforts of Serbian blockers and made the next stop at 12-7. Serbia started offensive attack and struggled to chase the score. They came close to France at 19-21 but could not surpass them. Team France secured the opening
set by posting 25-20 on the board.
The second set also started with heavy jump-serves by French boys. They supplied plenty of power to their shots and remained ahead of the Serbs. Nonetheless, the Serbian team was up with the challenge to dismantle the power of French team. It was not easy
task to hold back the pumped up French team.
France led the game at first and second technical timeout. The hard work of Serbs paid off and they tied the score at 20-all. Long rallies were exchanged and the game experienced a great vibe. Serbia’s team captain, Uros Kovacevic put up a great effort and
led his team to success in the second set. Serbia hit the mark with 25-22 and tied the game score at 1-1.
The success in second set enabled Serbia to make a great opening in third set. They pushed the French side behind and claimed 2-point lead at the first technical break. They continued with success and maintained their lead at the next mandatory stop (16-13).
The French team seemed to have lost momentum and gave way to the better status of Serbs. Third set ended in Serbia’s favour, while the scoreboard showed the final score of 25-17.
The resilient rivals, the French boys made a great comeback in the game in fourth set and provided a strong push to their shots. It seemed as revenge was the order to fourth set. The boys of coach Leprovost came strong on the opposite side and returned the
same score of 25-17 to the Serbs. France successfully tied the score at 2-2.
The 15-point golden set was the real test of temperament of both sides. Serbs started off with commanding shots and took the game away from French counter-parts. France was totally disgusted with a shaky performance and seemed totally out of form. The defending
champions could only help 6 points in the final set, while Serbia pulled off success and settled for gold-ware.
“This cup is a gift for Serbia. We reached our goal with a great winning spirit. After the first set, we knew we can come back. This final was the hardest match of the tournament,” said the Serbian head coach Milan Djuricic following their wonderful act
of triumph.
The mentor of French team, Jean-Manuel Leprovost appreciated his team’s effort but at the same time he regretted the loss of an important match.
He stated, “I’m very proud of my team. We gave our best until the end of the match. I can’t keep my feelings inside. It was kind of a rollercoaster game today. I hope my players will keep this tournament forever in their heart.”
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