CEV EuroVolley 2019 Men co-hosts Slovenia emerged victorious in their eighthfinal match against Bulgaria. Cheered on by an enthusiastic home crowd of nearly 8.400 spectators in Stozice Arena, head coach Alberto Giuliani’s squad came back from one set down to claim a historic 3-1 (25-27, 25-17, 25-16, 25-17) win. Slovenia had never beaten Bulgaria in official matches until this Saturday in Ljubljana!
On Monday the hosts and MEVZA members will challenge Russia for the second time in the tournament. The still unbeaten defending champions cruised to a terrific 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-16) sweep over underdog Greece.
“We played good tactically and with heart against Bulgaria. We lost the first set, which is dangerous, but the reaction was unbelievable. Our serve made the difference and also our block against Tsvetan Sokolov in particular. Now we have another opportunity to play against Russia. We want to win this match”, Slovenia’s head coach Giuliani underlined after his team had advanced into the quarterfinals.
Czech Republic, second MEVZA member in the European Championship round of 16, on the other hand, suffered a 0-3 (29-31, 21-25, 18-25) loss against the co-favourites from Serbia in Sportpalais Antwerp, Belgium. “From the second set on, Serbia raised their level. So that’s where our story ends. It’s a pity, because it was our goal to reach the quarterfinals”, an obviously disappointed Czech captain Jakub Janouch conceded.
Historic CEV EuroVolley 2019
The 2019 EuroVolley edition is running from September 12 to 29 in four countries for the first time, namely France (Montpellier, Nantes and Paris), Slovenia (Ljubljana), the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Apeldoorn) and Belgium (Brussels and Antwerp). The number of participating teams has increased from 16 to 24. Each country hostes 15 pool matches, two eighth-finals and a quarter-final, while Slovenia will also have one semi-final. The second semi-final, the bronze and gold medal matches will take place at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris.
MEVZA League opening weekend not far away
While Europe’s best national teams are aiming for honours at the European Championship, Volleyball fans can already look forward to an exciting edition of the MEVZA League, that will feature eight men’s and seven women’s elite teams representing four countries. The men’s kick-off will be taking place on October 4-7 while the women’s season opener is due to follow a week later, October 11-13.
CEV EuroVolley Men 2019
Eighthfinals
21.09.: France vs. Finland 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-21)
22.09.: Italy vs. Turkey (Nantes/FRA) 3-0 (25-22, 2518, 25-21)
21.09.: Russia vs. Greece 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-16)
21.09.: Slovenia (MEVZA) vs. Bulgaria 3-1 (25-27, 25-17, 25-16, 25-17)
21.09.: Serbia vs. Czech Republic 3-0 (31-29, 25-21, 25-18)
21.09.: Belgium vs. Ukraine 2-3 (22-25, 25-21, 25-14, 18-25, 10-15)
21.09.: Poland vs. Spain 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-16)
21.09.: The Netherlands vs. Germany 1-3 (17-25, 22-25, 32-30, 23-25)
Quarterfinals
23.09., 20.30: Slovenia (MEVZA) vs. Russia (Ljubljana/SLO)
23.09., 20.00: Poland vs. Germany (Apeldoorn/NED)
24.09., 20.30: Serbia vs. Ukraine (Antwerp/BEL)
24.09., 20.45: France vs. Italy (Nantes/FRA)
Match Schedule, Results, Pool Standings
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