The Slovenian women’s volleyball team successfully completed its last task in the regular part of the European League. At the third tournament in Skopje, after Croatia, they also defeated North Macedonia – also in three sets with 3:0 (15, 10, 10). With this, our players finished the regular season with six wins and no lost streaks, securing first place.
Although the Slovenian women already had a ticket to the semi-finals and were playing against the worst team in the league, which had not won a single set in the previous five matches, the selector Alessandro Orefice he didn’t want to leave anything to chance even in the last match. He sent the players who had carried the main burden in all previous matches into the fire, but in the following he also offered the opportunity to some reserve players.
The difference in quality allowed this, the hosts of the tournament were equal only at the beginning of the opening set, when they also led a few times – the last time with a score of 12:11. Then the Slovenian team completely dominated the field and easily achieved the expected victory.
She was again the most efficient in our line Lorena Lorber Fijokwho scored 16 points, Fatoumatta Sillah she added 12 of them.
The Slovenian women’s volleyball team won first place after the regular season without losing a set. PHOTO: CEV
Saša Planinšecblocker and captain of Slovenia: “When we started pressuring the Macedonian women with serves, we moved them away from the net. They had quite a few problems creating attacks and I think that was the key to the victory. Before the start of the Europa League, we set ourselves really high goals. It is not easy to play six matches without losing a streak, but I am really extremely happy and proud that we managed to do it and that for the first time in the history of Slovenia, we are in first place in the European league after the regular season. The first goal has been met, but now we want to go even higher. But there are still many things that we can upgrade and improve. We have to start next week with that in mind. Slovakia has a very good team. We will have to keep them away from the net with our serves and play well in the block and defense.”
In the semi-final against Slovakian women
The Swedes, Hungarians and Slovaks finished the competition undefeated, with the Scandinavians and our eastern neighbors losing one set each, and the Slovaks two, so that they took fourth place and will compete with the Slovenians in the semi-finals. Both the semi-finals and the final will be played in two matches, home and away.
