EUROVOLLEY POLAND 2017 - Pool A - Polish Volleyball Federation

Poland (No. 5 in CEV ranking), Serbia (3), Finland (9) and Estonia (14) will play in Pool A of EUROVOLLEY POLAND 2017 Preliminary Round. Polish Volleyball Federation President Jacek Kasprzyk expressed his content with the results of the Drawing of Lots ceremony, which took place in Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Krakow on Tuesday.

- I think the draw was very good. We will probably play our first match against Serbia. So far all our opening games against that team have ended in our favour. Of course we cannot take any result for granted. There are six teams in Europe, capable of taking the gold medals of the continental championship and Poland is among them – said Jacek Kasprzyk.

Just like during the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Poland 2014, Poland and Serbia will meet in the same pool.

- When Poland was the organizer of the 2014 World Championship, I was the president of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia. I was very glad that our countries could play the opening game. Then came the great result for Poland at the beginning and also at the end of the tournament. Now I am the CEV President and for me each and every one of the sixteen participating teams is the same. And my wish is that the gold medal will go to the truly best team in the end – said the CEV President Aleksandar Boričić.

On Tuesday, the representatives of Estonian Volleyball Federation seemed glad to face Poland, Serbia and Finland in next year’s biggest European volleyball event.

- I think this is a very interesting pool. We will have a chance to meet the host team of the tournament and we expect to have that incredible atmosphere in the hall. We will also play another strong opponent, the team of Serbia. We will try and play our best volleyball. But most of all, we are happy to play our neighbours Finland. We often have opportunity to play many different matches and they are always very exciting for both sides – said Helen Veermäe, Secretary Greneral of the Estonian federation.

Similar opinions were expressed by the representatives of Finnish Volleyball Association, who were happy for the fact that their pool should play in Gdansk.

- First of all, we are happy to be among the best 16 teams of Europe, who are going to play next year in Poland. Our fans will not have far to go and support our team. We’re very happy to play in Gdańsk. We have strong opponents in our pool, but we’ll do everything we can to show our best side – said Sari Korpi of the Finnish Volleyball Association.

Poland, as the host, did not have to play in EUROVOLLEY POLAND 2017 qualifiers. Serbia earned the right to participate by finishing 7^th in the last edition of European Championship. Finland won their Pool B qualifying tournament, while Estonia emerged victorious in a play-off match against Latvia.

Serbia has won the champion’s title twice – in 2001 and 2011 (in the first case still as Serbia and Montenegro). Aleksandar Atanasijević and Srećko Lisiniac, both of them well known in Poland for their games in PlusLiga, are the two key players of Serbian national team, led by coach Nikola Grbić – 2000 Olympic Champion and one of the best setters in the history of the sport.

Estonia and Finland have yet to see notable success in the European Championship. The former team is coached by Romania’s Gheorghe Cretu, who also leads one of PlusLiga’s top teams Cuprum Lubin, two members of which (Keith Pupart and Robert Täht) are also key players of the national team of Estonia.

The White-Reds have won the European gold once in 2009. They took silver five times (1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983) and finished third twice (1967, 2011). At the moment, the process is underway to choose a new head coach for the national team, whose key players are Michał Kubiak and Bartosz Kurek.

Katarzyna Porębska/FG fot. Piotr Sumara

EUROVOLLEY POLAND 2017 - Pool A

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