Germany qualified for the quarterfinals of the Women's European Volleyball Championship after an extremely dramatic 3:2 (20:25, 25:21, 25:20, 25:27, 15:8) victory over Belgium in Istanbul.
The Germans were very close to finishing the match already in the fourth set. They managed to make up a seven-point deficit, reached two match points, but Belgium survived and snatched the set 27:25, sending the match to a tie-break.
In the decisive fifth set, Germany left no doubt as to who would advance. Giulio Cesare Bregoli's team imposed their will and closed the tie-break with a convincing 15:8.
The big figure in the match was Liana Groesser. The daughter of German volleyball legend Georg Groesser finished as the top scorer with 28 points. It was Groesser who had the honor of scoring the last point, with which Germany sealed its place among the top eight teams in Europe.
For Belgium, Pauline Martin finished with 23 points, Britt Herbots added 17, and Tea Radovic scored 16. For Germany, Lina Alsmeier finished with 14 points after Groesser.
The match lasted 143 minutes – 2 hours and 23 minutes, with both teams scoring a total of 211 points.
| Indicator | Germany | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks | 10 | 8 |
| Attack efficiency | 39% | 37% |
| Attack points | 69 | 68 |
| Positive reception | 35% | 41% |
| Aces | 8 | 5 |
| Points from opponent errors | 23 | 20 |
| Total points | 110 | 101 |
The numbers show how evenly matched the game was. The difference in attack was only one point – 69:68, and Belgium even had a better percentage of positive reception. However, Germany made the difference in blocks and serves – 10:8 blocks and 8:5 aces. Thus, Germany once again found its place among the top eight in Europe. In the quarterfinals, the Germans will face the winner of the round of 16 match between hosts Turkey and Azerbaijan.
photo:cev.eu
