Poland – Czech Republic
Nonetheless, the Czech girls showed great fighting qualities and came back muscularly to level the game after the second technical break. In a thrilling finish, the Czech team kept the upper hand by winning the first set 25-23. In set two and three, there was not much to separate the two teams. Poland demonstrated their power and coolness principally at the end of the sets. Polish middle-blocker Kakolewska concluded the second set 25-22, while Iga Chojnacka did the same one set later to give the Polish squad a hard-fought 2:1 set lead. This was too much for the young Czech ladies as they resigned at the end of the fourth set (15-25).
Polish captain Iga Chojnacka mentioned that it was important and good to win the first game of a tournament like this.
Czech Republic head coach Stanislav Mitac said: “The game was very important as it was the first game of the tournament. Both teams performed well. However, we lost the game as we committed too many mistakes, particularly in the last set.”
