Home volleyball players in Orleans entered the match better and won six of the first seven exchanges. The Czech volleyball players ruined a lot of services, but they managed to erase the seven-point shortfall when they settled at 18:18 when the alternating Denisa Pavlíková passed. However, the ending belonged to the representatives of the Gallic rooster.
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Also in the second set, the trustees of the Greek coach Jannis Athanasopulos had to catch up. In the nervous second half, marked by the controversial statements of the German referee Oana Cristina Fortuová, the Czech volleyball players reached the set at 24:23, but the French turned it away and then their most productive player Lucille Gicquel took over, who sent them into a two-hundred-point lead.
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In the third set, the national team quickly bounced back to a seven-point difference. The Czechs approached 10:13, but then they stopped doing well and clearly lost. “It’s a pity that we didn’t fight the third set until the end. The French showed that they play strong volleyball at home. It was nice and we take the medals home. I hope that the silver one also suits us,” regretted Czech libero Veronika Dostálová, who was at the Czech triumph three years ago.
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The French were significantly more productive in the attack throughout the match. Only eleven-point universal Gabriela Orvošová got over ten points in Czech colors.
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This year’s highlights for Czech volleyball players will come later. Qualifications for the European Championships await them in August and the World Championships in the autumn. “I would like to remind you again that the Golden European League has not been our main goal this season. I am very proud of the players as they fought in the whole competition. This year the most important for us is the European Championship qualifiers and not other tournaments,” said the Greek coach.
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He saw the main difference on the pass. “We have to work on this element. And I think we have to focus on this activity already among young people. It is a problem that I see in Czech volleyball. We are already discussing it. It is something we need to improve if we want to compete with the world “The coach added.
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| European Volleyball League Final in Orleans (France): |
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| France – Czechia 3: 0 (22, 25, 14) |
| Judges: Fortuová (Germany), Robles García (Šp.). Time: 86 min. Attendance: 2174. |
| Lineup and points of the Czech Republic: Faltínová 5, Jehlářová 4, Orvošová 11, Mlejnková 6, Trnková 5, Valková, libero Dostálová – Pavlíková 1, Grabovská, Svobodová 1, Bukovská, Blažková. |
| Most points France: Gicquelová 20, Sylvesová 12, Cazauteová 11 |
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