Cagliari, Italy, September 19, 2010. The “Oranjes†captained by Manon Flier shocked 4’000 fans tonight in Cagliari as they outclassed the local heroines in three quick sets to stamp what is so far the major upset of the European Qualification Tournament to the 2011 FIVB World Grand Prix. On the other hand, Russia did not slow down its pace and with a 3:1 victory on Germany is currently the undisputed leader in the provisional standings. Turkey is back in contention for one of the two berths at stake after a solid performance that culminated in a 3:0 on the Bulgarian side, thus taking revenge from the semifinals of the CEV European League played this past July in Ankara.
Germany vs. Russia 1:3 (19-25, 26-24, 10-25, 19-25)
With another victory – the third in a row since the start of the tournament, this time on Germany – Russia definitely confirms its ambitions to claim one of the two slots at stake for the 2011 FIVB World Grand Prix. The game that opened the operations this afternoon in Cagliari was extremely exciting since both teams knew that is was likely to significantly impact on the final standings of the tournament. Russia played with consistency and is currently topping the charts with 6 points after 3 games. Ekaterina Gamova was the best scorer – once again – with 28 points, including 6 blocks out of 11 for the Russian team. In spite of this defeat, Germany played quite a good match, with Ssuschke, Kozuch and Brinker contributing most of the points (14, 13 and 12 respectively) but this was not enough to claim the win.
Bulgaria vs. Turkey 0:3 (23-25, 16-25, 14-25)
Turkey won this afternoon its first game in the tournament after a quick three setter against Bulgaria. With this result the Turks have now 4 points and may still have a shot at the qualification to the next edition of the World Grand Prix. Turkey controlled the operations from the very beginning with an evident superiority above all in reception (78% of efficiency vs. a mere 38% for the Bulgarians). The girls around coach Bedestenlioglu stood out also in blocking (12 vs. 9), but their best came from the serving line with a total of 14 aces! Bulgaria was on the other hand too weak and the difference between the two teams was evident up to the final whistle. Turkey’s star Neslihan Darnel topped the charts of the best scorers with 25 points, including 6 aces.
Italy vs. The Netherlands 0:3 (19-25, 20-25, 20-25)
The hosts of Italy did definitely not play at their best tonight and were shut out in three sets by 2009 European silver medalist Holland in front of 4’000 fans. The Italians were far below their usual standards in reception (only 44% was chartered as perfect) and in attack (36% of efficiency). The “Oranjesâ€, on the other hand, found a perfect night for their first victory in Cagliari, asserting their superiority also in terms of block (11 vs. 7) and with captain Flier (15 points) regularly attacking but being well supported by Grothues and Wensink (14 points each). Jenny Barazza did not play for the Italians as she was struggling with some pain on her abs since Saturday’s game against Turkey and her spot in the starting six was taken over by Valentina Arrighetti. Italy was additionally sidelined by the absence of Chiara Di Iulio who could not even sit on the bench and will undergo additional medical checks tomorrow.
