European Championship 2023. Women
Brussels (Paleis 12). Belgium
August 28. 1/8 finals
Czech Republic — Ukraine 3-2 (25:22, 25:22, 20:25, 10:25, 15:12)
The women's national team of Ukraine, unfortunately, could not overcome the 1/8 final stage of the European Championship 2023. Today, our volleyball players lost to the players of the Czech Republic.
Let's note the return of Anastasiia Kraiduba after an injury. It was the opposite who scored the points of her team in this meeting. An even start smoothly turned into a four-point lead over the rivals — 9:5. The Czechs acted bravely in defense and over the net. An indicative moment in this regard was the single block by Michaela Mlejnková — 12:5.
On the serve of Anastasiia Majevska, who knocked out the opponent from the reception, the blue-yellow made an incredible spurt (0:4). Soon, effective shots by Oleksandra Milenko and Svitlana Dorsman brought the Ukrainian national team closer to a comeback. However, even after the numbers on the scoreboard became equal, it was the team of Ioannis Athanasopoulos who celebrated the victory - 25:22.
The next set in terms of the development of events and the score resembled the previous one - 8:6. The Czech Republic took the initiative, albeit a minimal one. For their part, the Ukrainians were looking for ways to turn the tide of the match. At a certain point, they succeeded, but not for long. After all, the ace of Kateřina Valková and our attack error signaled that we had to start all over — 18:16. These two episodes became the turning point — 25:22.
The third set was a real hope for the whole volleyball community of Ukraine — that our girls will still manage to perform a comeback. Yuliia Dymar's appearance from substitution significantly refreshed the game, and Petkov's wards finally took courage — 6:11. The irrepressible Czechs did not give up and continued to fight, without looking back at the score. But the blue-yellow team clearly worked out their plan until the end - 20:25.
The previous triumph inspired Ukrainians. Even though it was already the fourth stage of the fierce struggle, they seemed to confidently move towards the tie-break with new enforcement. In the end, the Czech Republic scored only 10 points. So, a tie-break it is. Taking into account the last sets, it was Ukraine that had the total psychological advantage. However, they failed to use it - 15:12.
Starting line-up of the national team of Ukraine: Daria Sharhorodska, Svitlana Dorsman (c), Diana Meliushkyna, Oleksandra Milenko, Nadiia Kodola, Anastasiia Kraiduba, Krystyna Niemtseva (l).
Starting line-up of the national team of the Czech Republic: Ela Koulisiani, Silvie Pavlova, Kateřina Valková, Michaela Mlejnková (c), Helena Havelkova, Gabriela Orvosova, Daniela Digrinova (l).
