The Czech team showed itself in a completely different light than against Azerbaijan. He did well on the serve, he was often able to defend the more than two-meter all-rounder Martha Anthuliová and transform scoring situations with effective attacks.
The only complications were the girls of Greek coach Jannis Athanasopoulos at the beginning of the match, when they lost 8:12. But then they got caught, especially in defense at the net. They blocked Anthuliová several times, who was nowhere near asserting herself as much as in the Greek women’s winning match against Sweden.
“We spent a lot of time on video yesterday. We were looking at how to defend their all-rounder in its most effective direction, and it worked. We also played well on offense. Also on serve, because that defense is easier when we pull them away from the net,” she said Czech TV blocker Magdalena Jehlářová. She took care of three of the eight Czech scoring blocks, scoring a total of 11 points.
The Czech volleyball players turned the first set around and began to dominate the board. They were much more emphatic than against Azerbaijan. Along with Havelková, Gabriela Orvošová, who scored fourteen points, and captain Michaela Mlejnková, who collected ten points, were advancing.
The Czech women’s representatives decided most of the long exchanges for themselves, when they demonstrated a combative defense. “You could see that we were concentrated, everyone knew what to do. We were really dedicated and you could tell,” libero Daniela Digrinová praised her teammates.
At the end of the second set, the Greeks corrected the score from 11:19 to the final 22:25, but did not carry this attitude into the third set. The Czech women’s volleyball players quickly bounced back to a more than five-point difference and easily brought the match to a winning end. All-rounder Orvošová ended it with two points.
After their first win at the tournament, the Czechs still have a real hope of finishing in the top four in the six-man group. “This victory was incredibly important. We knew that if we wanted to fight for promotion from the group, beating Greece would be key,” said Jehlářová.
“Today we were a much better team on the court and we deserved this victory. The most important thing was the body language of the girls, they were ready to fight for every ball,” said coach Athanasopulos in a recording for the media.
Another crucial match for the fight for promotion will be the duel with Sweden, which is scheduled for Thursday, August 24. Before that, the Czechs will face the favored Turkey and the host Germany.
2023-08-20 18:03:33
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