Turkey – France
It was best publicity for Volleyball when Turkey faced France in today’s second Pool I duel. Even when the French finally left as losers, they presented a classy show at Baskent Hall in Ankara, particularly in the first two sets. After 107 minutes of intense play, a French service mistake finished the hard-fought match to make it 3:1 (24-26, 25-21, 25-15, 25-16) for the hosts. The scoreboard showed 21-16 and 24-20 for the local protagonists in set No. 1 when “les bleus” started their comeback. The team of head coach Jacques Beraud saved four set balls, before captain Kim Nowak hammered vigorous for a well-deserved 1:0 set lead. It was not only their clever organisation on the court, but also their gigantic fighting spirit that featured the young French talents.
However, 2011 Youth World and European champions Turkey didn’t give up. Au contraire, the Turkish ladies geared up. Mainly behind the service line, Turkey showed a different attitude, serving stronger and regularly. Compared to the first period, four set balls were now enough to conclude the second set in their favour (25-22). The host kept the pace in the third set, primarily as France abruptly lost their focus. As a consequence, Turkey scored seven points in a row from 11-11 to 18-11. That was too much for the young West Europeans. Turkey pulled clear, winning set three and four confidently 25-15 and 25-16.
France head coach Jacques Beraud: “In the beginning, we took advantage of our underdog status. In the third and fourth set, Turkey served much better, giving us a hard time in reception.”
Turkey head coach Gökhan Edman: “We feel a lot of pressure in this tournament as everyone sees us already in the final. France made a very strong tactical game, congratulations.”
