Slovakia, Netherlands through to #EuroVolleyU19W finals
Slovakia and the Netherlands both qualified to the finals of the #EuroVolleyU19W after finishing 1-2 in Rund 3, Pool I of the qualifiers in Vathy, the capital of the island of Samos in the eastern Aegean.
It was all over with a game to spare on Samos, after Slovakia thundered past Slovenia 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-20) to finish top of the pool, undefeated. The result also helped the Netherland instantly qualify, as Slovenia failed to come within reach of the Dutch.
Karolina Fricova was once again Slovakia's top scorer with a match-high 14 points, including four of her team's 13 aces. Also with double-digit scoring was Simona Jelinkova with another 11 points for Slovakia.
We played very well," said Slovakia coach Michal Matusov after the game. "We wanted this qualification very much and we managed to get it. I am proud of my players and my colleagues and would like to thank them all."
Àlthough already qualified even before the start of the game, the Netherlands closed the tournament, Saturday evening, with a convincing 3-0 (25-14, 26-24, 25-21) sweep of hosts Greece.
The best the hosts could do was very briefly lead 23-22 in the second set, before Vera Mulder hit off the block and out of bounds in the second match point of the Dutch for the last point of the tournament.
The Dutch were led again by Annick Meijers who scored a match-high 17 points as they overwhelmed the Greeks with 13 aces and 14 blocks.
Coach Julien Van De Vyver of the Netherlands, said: "We played against a hard team with good players, especially offensively. We had to fight to beat Greece, but that's what we did. I'm happy with my team. It was a great tournament with high-level volleyball and excellent organisation.
