Blagojevic
After Week 5 the few teams stayed in China and one of them is Serbian team who did the last preparation for F6 with their hosts. Today will travel to Nanjing.WorldofVolley talked with Jelena Blagojević, the girl who last season played for Serbia as libero and in this one as a receiver.
What can you tell us about your opponents at F6 – USA and Turkey?
“Everyone in this final tournament is surely deserved to be here. We played with all of them in the group stage so we know each other. Against USA and Turkey, we played heavy and very uncertain matches so I expect something similar in Nanjing. We have won in our matches but this is not a big advantage for us at this moment because this final tournament is specific so we will have to make a lot of effort to reach the semifinals, and after that, I hope, the final.”
Can you tell us your expectations at this tournament?
“Last year we were third at Grand Prix and if we consider that the Nations League is somehow similar competition then we want to climb to the higher stage. Serbia is a team who always fighting for the medal. We want this year too. The tournament is strong, all teams are good, but we have to think of ourselves and raise our play to a higher level.”
In your opinion who will fight for the gold medal?
“Serbia will definitely fight! As I already said, every team is good; Brazil, USA, The Netherlands, China, all are medal candidates.”
Before Final Six tournament, you played five weeks without break – was it hard?
“The hardest things were trips. Far distances were some of the foremost problems, that automatically means less training and our bodies were not ready to make such efforts. It was hard, but when you are playing for Serbia, it’s all forgotten.”
Which match was the hardest until now?
“Against Turkey in Kraljevo and against the Netherlands in Rotterdam. We played both matches in five sets. There was a real fight on the court. Turkey may have surprised us a bit because they play in a rejuvenated squad, but we did not surrender. Against the Netherlands, we were close to finishing the match with 3:0 but our concentration fell and we were already tired. But the quality of the volleyball was on a good level” said Jelena for WorldofVolley.
To see complete results, stats, and standings, visit our Volleyball Nations League 2018 / Female page.
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