Pitesti (Romania) – The Czech women's volleyball players won 3:1 in Romania and consolidated their lead in Group B of the Golden European League. The Romanians avenged the defeat from Ostrava. They clearly lost the first set 16:25, but took care of the next three sets and won them 25:23, 28:26 and 25:13. Before the final duel in Slovakia, they have won two out of three duels.
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In the first set, the Czech players, like in the home duel, struggled with the pass and had a hard time getting through the Romanian blocks. But then they got better. “In the first set, I thought we were still in Ostrava. We couldn't score, that's why I talked to the players. Before the second set, we made a few changes and the girls responded to them brilliantly. They were focused, pressed the serve and did well in defense on the block,” coach Jannis Athanasopulos said in a press release. The arrival of Lucie Kalhousová also helped, who replaced Magdaléna Bukovská and was more confident on the receiving end.
In the second and third sets, the Czechs led significantly, but the Romanians always dramatized the ending. In the second set, starting at 24:19, the visiting players converted only the fifth match point. In the third set, the home team tied the score at 23:23 with three points in a row and had a set point in the end, but did not use it.
The final set was directed by the Czech team, which was led by Gabriela Orvošová and Michaela Mlejnková in attack. All-rounder Orvošová collected 24 points, captain Mlejnková eighteen. Besides the first recording artist Kateřina Valková, the play was often directed by the eighteen-year-old Kateřina Pelikánová. “I'm happy that we won by three points and we all fought. Compared to the last match, we passed better, and when we pushed with the serve, the opponents started to make mistakes and that made everything easier. I appreciate the victory and I believe that the next match will be ours too ,” Pelikanova said.
The Czechs can secure a win in the group, which would mean certain progress to the semi-finals, on Wednesday in Slovakia. If they lose in Nitra, they will have to wait for the result of the final duel between Slovakia and Romania.
European Volleyball League in Pitesti:
Group B:
Romania – Czech Republic 1:3 (16, -23, -26, -13)
Referee: Bensimon (Izr.) , Gradinaru (Rum.). Time: 122 min. Spectators: 700.
Composition and points Czech Republic: Bukovská 5, Koulisiani 5, Orvošová 24, Mlejnková 18, Jehlářová 7, Valková 2, libero Digrinová – Pelikánová, J. Smolková 1, Pavlova, Kalhousová 4, Brancuská , Jedličková 1. Coach: Athanasopulos.
Most points of Romania: Innehová 18, Budaiová-Ungureanuová and Mateiová 16 each.
Table:
| 1. | Czech Republic | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7:5 | 269:249 | 6 |
| 2. | Slovakia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4:4 | 166:174 | 3 |
| 3. | Romania | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5:7 | 254:266 | 3 |
