Spain – team
In the first match of the day Spain, silver medalist from the 2012 European Championship, easily edged the Czech Republic in three straight sets (25-17, 25-18, and 25-15) with Andres J. Villena and Juan Manuel Gonzalez top scoring as they registered 13 points apiece. This is an important result for the side mentored by Ricardo Maldonado that got three valuable points for the standing of the group. Czech opposite Michal Finger was the top scorer in this game with 18 points.
The Czechs started out bravely as they tried to put some pressure on Spain’s defense line but the silver medalists from last year’s European Championship got back on track after the first technical time-out and never looked back. The plot did not change in the second set with the Czech Republic catching a brilliant start and going up by three and two points respectively at the first and second technical time-out. However, Spain flipped the charts around at 18:17 and eventually the Czechs could score only two more points as their opponents cruised to the provisional 2:0 (25-18). Spain’s superstar Andres J. Villena paced his side in the third set showing some great combinations at the net while the Czech Republic looked no longer capable of fighting its way back into the game. Spain finished it off at 25-15 for a straight-set win.
“We had some ups and downs in this match and have to play with more consistency in the next games” Spain’s head coach Ricardo Maldonado said after this win.
“Since this was the first match of the tournament we were a little nervous in the early phases of the game. We knew that the Czech Republic has got some good players that can make the difference with their block and attack but we managed to find the right pace and bring it home with three points on our side” Spain’s team captain Andres J. Villena added.
“Our setters are inexperienced and Spain is a tough opponent. We tried to put up a good fight but they are out of our reach” Czech head coach Petr Juda stressed.
“We tried to be aggressive but we could not succeed in achieving our goal. Spain was the better team today” Czech top scorer Michal Finger concluded.
To read more news from this competition click on 2013 FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship – European Qualification.
