Portugal women team
The players mentored by Fernando Luis and Filipe Lacerda will be playing there the hosts of Belgium, plus Switzerland and Northern Ireland. The winner of this single round robin will make it directly to the third qualification round scheduled for January 2014 while the runner-up will continue its campaign via the second round slated for October 2-6.
“Our goal is very simple: we want to write history because female Volleyball needs a great result to make a breakthrough in our country” Lacerda says. “Our players know they have to achieve a good result to find their place in the sport because in the end it’s all about results. We will play for the win in every game as we can’t fail. In comparison with the past, this group has more quality and also consistency. We were a little slow in our first training sessions but after some days the players did find their pace and everything looks much better now. The real test will come once they join the competition and have to stand the pressure to play much more experienced players” he adds. “On paper Belgium and Switzerland are stronger than us but we will stick to our plans and try to have the upper hand in the end”.
One of the most experienced players in the group is libero Joana Resende. “We had a very short time for our preparations and therefore we have been training twice a day to compensate for that late start of our camp. I do not know much about Northern Ireland but I have played Belgium in the junior division. It is a very solid team and they will be strong for sure. Switzerland has also a good tradition. We will serve aggressively, focus on defense and side-out as these are the most relevant aspects of our game” she stresses. Resende has been working also with the Beach Volleyball national team. “I have been with the group coached by Francisco Fidalgo for three weeks. I have stopped to join the indoor national team; I believe I can continue with both and achieve good results both indoors and outdoors”.
A silver medalist from the 2010 U18 Beach Volleyball European Championship, Joana Neto is also part of the group. “We have been practicing with the same intensity and dedication from the first up to the last day of our camp and even though there is a little anxiety in the air, we are traveling to Belgium with our heads up because we know that we have done all we could to be able to stand that challenge. I am very happy with the progress we have made in our training sessions and I believe that if we stick to our game plan and play consistently, we will be able to perform well and, who knows, maybe also to achieve good results. I like to play both Volleyball and Beach Volleyball and it feels great to be part of both national teams” Neto concludes.
Portugal will open their adventure by playing Switzerland on the first competition day to continue their campaign by taking on Belgium and finishing it off with Northern Ireland.
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