Australia’s Laird/Artacho earn gold at the FIVB Beach Volleyball U23 World Championships

The dynamic and charismatic pairing to Nicole Laird and Mariafe Artacho from Australia put up great show on the sands of Myslowice, Poland. The Aussies posted 2-1 (21-19, 17-21, 15-7) victory over  USA’s Lara Dykstra/ Jace Pardon in the final showdown of the FIVB Beach Volleyball U23 World  Championships.

The winning duo settled for gold and received great amount of applause from fans all over the world. The American team played a clever game with cuts and dinks around Laird’s big block and pushed the Australians to the limit.

“We knew it was going to be tough, USA always comes to play”, said Artacho, who added a second medal to her bronze at the Junior World Champs in 2012. “They are very competitive, we knew it was going to be a three-setter.”

USA fought back strong after dropping the opening set and pushed the match into a tiebreak. “We dropped concentration a bit, made a few errors”, said Laird about the second set. “But USA leapt into the game as well. All credit where there is credit due. But we were prepared for a long game.”

With strong serving and placed attacks down the line Artacho made the difference in the third set. At the first Australian set point Laird scored the winning point with her serve.

“Mariafe has a little bit of magic in her back pocket”, said Laird about her partner. “She’s had that her whole volleyball career and I never get stressed in the back of the sets, because I feel save that she will pull something out. It was a fight, but we got back.” 

FIVB opens registration for 2014 World Championships – Volleyball news

The International Volleyball Governing Authority (FIVB) has officially opened the registration for 2014 World Championships this week.

Poland and Italy have been selected as the host countries for respective men’s and women’s competitions. Hence, these two countries will automatically be on board for being the host nations.
However, the other aspiring teams will have to go through the qualification phase and for that they need to get registered for the playoffs in the first place.

All the relevant information about the events and playoff rounds is available on the official website of the Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB). The entry forms for registration can be obtained via FIVB website. The registration is open until May 1, 2012. The entry forms should be sent to FIVB’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland within the specified time period.

The FIVB World Championship dates back to 1949 when only men’s tournament was held. The women joined the FIVB World Championship in 1952. The world’s premier volleyball competition is now held with a gap of four years. The previous edition of the World Championship took place in 2010.

A total of 24 men’s teams will enter the 2014 FIVB World Championship. Poland has qualified directly for the tournament as host, leaving 23 vacancies open for other countries of the world. On the other hand, the women’s tournament will also have 24 teams. Italian squad is already confirmed for the competition as host.

Elsewhere, tour spots in both men’s and women’s tournaments will be awarded to Asian teams. Africa will send three men’s and two women’s teams in the competition, while 9 men’s and 10 women’s teams from Europe will jump on board after successful completion of qualification phase.
Three men’s and two women’s teams from South American region will qualify for the World Championships. Likewise, the North and Central America & Caribbean Federation (NORCECA) will be represented by five men’s and six women’s teams in the 2014 FIVB World Championships.

Brazilian men’s national volleyball team and Russian ladies will defend the titles. Brazil defeated Cuba in the 2010 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship, whereas Russia sidelined top rival Brazil in women’s final of the World Championship in 2010.

Poland sets higher aims after claiming final round berth – Volleyball

Men’s national volleyball team of Poland secured a trip to Sofia, Bulgaria after beating archrival Brazil in the last match of first round of the 2012 FIVB World League on Sunday, June 17.

Poles proved to be better in the four-set match and clinched success by sending 25-22, 25-23, 21-25, and 25-22 on board. The Ice Arena in Tampere, Finland provided the backdrop for the thrilling encounter. Success enabled Poland to join Bulgaria in the final round of the tournament and now the Poles have great many expectations to fulfil their dreams of holding the title trophy.

The head coach of the Polish squad Andrea Anastasi successfully led his team to the influential round. Next up, he has only one thing on mind and that is to put body, mind, and soul for the final victory.

To catch more buzz on the story, you may choose to visit the following link: http://blogs.bettor.com/Poland-sets-higher-aims-after-claiming-final-round-berth-Volleyball-news-a163399

Canada falls to Finland in last match of second Leg in Katowice – Volleyball news

The Spodek competition hall in Katowice, Poland hosted a volleyball scrimmage between Canada and Finland on Sunday.

A crowd of 9,850 people watched the thrilling encounter, which ended in Finland’s favour. Canada fought bravely but failed to overcome the rivals. Finland proved to be better and stamped 3-2 (25-23, 25-19, 23-25, 26-28, 15-8) win over Canada.

Nonetheless, Finland still remained in the fourth position even after winning the match. At the end of 2nd leg of 2012 FIVB World League, both Canada and Finland stood with 2-4 record. Canada, therefore, got hold of third slot due to better set and point ratio.

The trio of Mikko Oivanen, Matti Hietanen, and Antti Siltala led Finland to victory. They added 33, 17, and 16 points, respectively. Oivanene also emerged as the top-scorer of the match.

Likewise, three Canadian players went into double-digit scores. Toontje Van Lankvelt registered team-high 19 points, while Gavin Schmitt and John Gordon 16 and 17 points, in the failing effort.

To read more, feel free to visit the following link: http://blogs.bettor.com/Canada-falls-to-Finland-in-last-match-of-second-Leg-in-Katowice-Volleyball-news-a159750

Poland profits from home advantage and defeats Brazil 3-2 – 2012 FIVB World League

The thrilling action of 2012 FIVB Men’s World League is currently underway. In Pool B, Poland and Brazil came in to a head-to-head battle at the weekend.

Polish City Katowice provided the backdrop for the match, which prolonged to five tiring sets. Poland played under the tag of hosts and defeated the visiting team, 3-2 (26-24, 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-10). Victory allowed Poland to maintain its supremacy in the group with 5-1 record. On the other hand, Brazil moved to 3-3 after the loss.

Poland had a contribution of 26 points from top-spiker Zbigniew Bartman, who performed amazingly well and topped all scorers in the match. Michal Winiarski of Poland was the second-best scorer with a total of 18 points. Likewise, Murilo Endres chipped in team-high 12 points for Brazil.

To read more, you may choose to visit the following link: http://blogs.bettor.com/Poland-profits-from-home-advantage-and-defeats-Brazil-3-2-2012-FIVB-World-League-a159703

 

Brazil falls to Poland in five-set thriller – Volleyball news

The Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Canada hosted a thrilling match on Friday, which featured two top-notch rivals of the volleyball world.

Brazil clashed with Poland in the second match of Pool B and fought a head-to-head battle. After an incredibly close competition, Poland claimed 3-2 victory over Brazil. Poles started off well and captured the first two sets by posting 25-22 and 27-25 on board.

 However, Brazil came up with improved performance and captured the next two set, 27-25 and 25-22. In the fifth and final set of the match, Poland scored 15-12 and settled for match victory. More than 7,000 spectators witnessed the match.

To read more, you may choose to visit the following link: http://blogs.bettor.com/Brazil-falls-to-Poland-in-five-set-thriller-Volleyball-news-a155463

Country Quota Playoffs of Silesia Open Men’s Beach Volleyball Tournament

The Silesia Open Men’s Beach Volleyball Tournament started off in Myslowice, Poland on Tuesday, April and staged the Country Quota Playoffs on the day-1 of the competition. 

A total of 27 duos from six countries competed at the CQs of Silesia Open and only seven tandems qualified for the next stage of the tournament. Following seven duos clinched success at the CQs and advanced to the Qualification Tournament of Silesia Open slated for Wednesday.

1.    Roberto Papagna - Gianluca Oligeri - Italy,

2.    Harley Marques and Evandro Goncalves – Brazil

3.    Kacper Kujawiak and Alex Andryszewski – Poland

4.    Dominik Kmiecik and Bartosz Bernat  - Poland

5.    Jon Stiekema and Christiaan Varenhorst – Germany

6.    Jindrich Weiss and Ondrej Kolder – Czech Republic

7.    Matt Zbyszewsky and Chaim Schalk - Canada

 To read more about the CQs, follow the link: http://www.fivb.org/viewPressRelease.asp?No=34323&Language=en

Belarus suffers the home loss on day-2 of 2012 CEV Women’s Junior Volleyball Championship

Belarus, which is currently hosting the Pool A matches of the 2^nd round of 2012 CEV Women’s Junior Volleyball Championship, received straight set defeat from Poland on Thursday, April 12. The visiting Polish team edged out hosts by sending 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-15) on board. 

The match was hosted by Belarusian city Mogilev and around 800 spectators witnessed the thrilling volleyball action. Belarus pulled off success in its last match on Wednesday when the hosts defeated neighbours from Lithuania but failed to carry the momentum into next game against Poland. In the next run, Belarus is scheduled to meet Latvia on Friday. 

Belarus defeats Lithuania in the 2nd round of 2012 CEV Women’s Junior Volleyball Championship

Women’s Junior Volleyball Team of Belarus totally profited the home advantage and defeated Lithuania in the second round match on Wednesday, April 11. The SK Olimpiets in Mogilev set up the field of play for the match. Belarus posted 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-16) victory over neighbours.

Pool A of the 2012 CEV Junior Volleyball Championship is composed of teams from Germany, Latvia, host Belarus, Lithuania, France, and Poland.

For more details visit the following link:

http://www.cev.lu/News.aspx?NewsID=12370&TagType=0&TagContent=0&ID=0&Paging=0&Sd=1/1/1900&Ed=1/1/1900 

Walsh maintains supremacy on the net with a new partner – Volleyball News

American superstar beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh, who recently secured third consecutive Olympic gold medal alongside her teammate Misty May-Treanor, is now in action at the Mazury Orlen Grand Slam in Stare Jablonki, Poland.
Her former teammate May-Treanor opted for retirement after the 2012 London Olympic Games, while Walsh teamed-up with Nicole Branagh. Walsh already had the experience of playing alongside Branagh only a couple of years ago. They competed as a team at the 2008 Dubai Open women’s beach volleyball tournament and also participated in the 2010 Phuket Open, which took place in Thailand.
The duo opened the ongoing Mazury Orlen Grand Slam in the Main Draw and played two matches on Wednesday, August 15. Nothing less was expected from Walsh/Branagh as they enjoyed a great rhythm and tone.

12^th-seeded Branagh-Walsh came into contest with compatriot pairing of Lauren Fendrick-Brooke Hanson in the opening match. The affair lasted for 35 minutes and ended with following result: 2-0 (21-14, 21-19).

Walsh and Branagh proved to be better in every aspect of the game and launched power on the rival side. They captured the first frame of the match with fair margin of seven points and went on front (1-0). Fendrick/ Hanson tried to cover the deficit in the second set, but faced utmost resistance from the opposite side. Walsh and Branagh showed remarkable consistency and claimed second set with two points, which gave them winning status in the match.

Winning duo of Walsh and Branagh returned to action in the second match against Austria's Barbara Hansel and Magdalena Jirak. The Austrian pair caught a good start in the match and staged a neck-to-neck fight with competitors. They secured opening frame at 21-19, but could not carry the same momentum in the following sets. Walsh-Branagh dominated the second set and successfully created the tie of game score by sending 21-12 on board. Third set also came successful for USA at 15-8 and the team settled for 2-1 victory.

“I love my job and I love winning. Even at the Olympics I was already thinking about coming here. It is my job and I want to win, I’m here to win,” said Walsh after the match.
In the meanwhile, Branagh stated: “It is always an honour to play with Kerri. I think when we play together we play well and we have had some success. It is fun to play with her, I’m happy to be part of the team and I’m looking forward to a great tournament.”

 

Pregowska-Bekier of Poland suffers the home loss at Mazury Orlen Grand Slam – Volleyball News

Agnieszka Pregowska and Renata Bekier from Poland opened the 2012 SWATCH FIVB Mazury Orlen Grand Slam on Wednesday, August 15 and played two matches on the opening day of the tournament.

Despite having the competitive advantage of playing at home, the local pair failed to impress the audience and ended the day with devastating 0-2 result. Home duo was challenged by powerful teams from USA and Brazil, which did not allow the Polish ladies to delight their homes fans.

In the first fixture of the day, Pregowska/ Bekier crossed their ways with top-ranked American duo of April Ross and Jennifer Kessy. The Americans took a solid start in the match and influenced the hosts with a variety of attacks. They served with precision and hit the ball with great accuracy. The ball frequently landed on Polish side and raised the score of visiting pair by leaps and bounds. US tandem finished the opening stanza with eight points at 21-13.

Visitors carried the momentum into the following set and did not slow down. They hit the ball from all angles and availed every opportunity to score points. Polish duo totally collapsed in the second set and managed to score only six points, while the opposite side claimed the match points (21-6). Kessy/Ross pulled off success in the first match in only 29 minutes.

Following the loss of opening match, Pregowska/ Bekier came into contest with Brazil’s Maria Clara and Lili in second fixture of the day. 16^th-seeded Brazilian pair also launched power on the hosts and the home duo once again dropped the decision in straight sets 2-0 (21-14, 21-13).

Maria Clara formed a good combination with Lili and attempted successful attacks. On the other hand, Polish duo could not get the real form to lead the scores. Better digging and diving of Brazilians allowed them to save crucial points, while Poles dropped easy shots and suffered the set-back. The visiting team closed the first at 21-14 and dug up success in the next frame with similar margin, 21-13. Brazilian pair earned winning status whereas Poles received second defeat in a row.
Next up, the Polish team is scheduled to go against Slovakia’s Dubovcova-Nestarcova in the third match on Thursday. Local ladies are determined to demonstrate a better performance in the next match. Let’s wait and see if they manage to outdo the 17^th-seeded Slovak pair, which already has one victory in hand.

 

Cicolari-Menegatti of Italy advance to the Round 2 of Main Draw – Volleyball News

Second-seeded Italian female tandem of Cicolari and Menegatti did not catch a good start in the Mazury Orlen Grand Slam, but managed to qualify for the next round with 3-1 record.
Cicolari-Menegatti played their first match of the tournament against German Banck-Walkenhorst, who proved to be better and marched away with 2-0 (26-24, 21-17) victory. The Italian pair fought a great battle with Germans on the centre court, but still could not avoid defeat in the opening affair. The loss of first match put a big question mark on the performance of Cicolari-Menegatti in the coming matches. However, the duo showed remarkable improvement and shook off the bad impression with back-to-back victories afterwards.

The second fixture of the day brought Mouha-Gielen from Belgium in competition with Cicolari-Menegatti. The match spanned over two sets and completed its run in just 37 minutes. Italian pair started off well and secured the first frame with three points. Second set of the match unfolded the similar story. The Italians used the competitive edge and remained ahead of their counterparts. Set-2 also ended in Italy’s favour and Cicolari-Menegatti emerged successful with 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) victory.

Both the matches were played on Wednesday, August 15. At the end of the day, Italian side had a mixed result of 1-1.

In the next crucial match on Thursday, Italian ladies crossed their ways with Tsiartsiani-Arvaniti of Germany. The 15^th-seeded German pair showed good fighting spirit and scored well in the opening frame. Scoring remained tight in the first half of the set. However, the Italians paced things with heavy strike of volleys in the latter half. Cicolari-Menegatti concluded first set with final score 21-18 and took 1-0 lead in the match.

German pair played under pressure in the second set and became irresistible. The Italians took full advantage of the nervousness of opponents and cruised past to 2-0 victory. The final sets scores were 21-18 and 21-14.

Success in third match allowed the Italian duo to keep its hopes alive to play in the Round 2 of Main Draw. The team was required to claim one more victory, in order to advance to the next round. Austria Bawden-Hinchley collided with Cicolari-Menegatti in the decisive fourth match on Thursday. Italian duo did an impressive job and finished both sets with identical score of 21-14. Match ended in Italy’s favour and Cicolari-Menegatti successfully booked a spot in Round 2 of the Mazury Orlen Grand Slam.

In the next run, Italian team will be challenged by 8^th-seeded Kuhn-Zumkehr from Switzerland on Friday. Cicolari-Menegatti have high hopes to claw their way to the final four of the tournament.

 

Second leg of 2012 CEV Junior Volleyball European Championship ready to be kicked off – Volleyball

The second round of 2012 CEV Junior Women’s Volleyball European Championship will be kicked off on April 11 with a total of 24 teams.The teams have been divided in four pools. Belarus, Slovenia, Romania, and Slovakia will host the second round games.

For more details, follow the link:
http://blogs.bettor.com/Second-leg-of-2012-CEV-Junior-Volleyball-European-Championship-ready-to-be-kicked-off-Volleyball-a142216