Croatian U17 Volleyball Girls Crush Czech Republic
In the Round of 16 at the World Championship in Chile, the young Croatians defeated the Czech Republic 3:0 in just 70 minutes, securing a quarterfinal clash against China.
In the Round of 16 at the World Championship in Chile, the young Croatians defeated the Czech Republic 3:0 in just 70 minutes, securing a quarterfinal clash against China.
The Croatian women's U17 national team advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Championship in Chile after a convincing 3:0 (25:21, 25:21, 25:19) victory over the Czech Republic in the Round of 16. The match lasted only 70 minutes, and according to Sportske novosti, the Croatians dominated from start to finish. Even a viral illness that affected part of the team did not deter them.
Croatia showed who was in charge from the very first set, taking a 3:0 lead and allowing the Czechs only two equalizers, the last at 5:5. With a constant three-to-four-point advantage, the first set ended 25:21.
The second set was very similar. After the Czechs took an initial 1:0 and 2:1 lead, the Croatians went on a run to 12:6, and then to 16:7. The Czechs only managed to soften the defeat with a 5:0 run near the end of the set. Interestingly, the Czechs briefly leveled at 6:6 in this set, but Croatia immediately responded with a 5:0 run to break the set open.
In the third set, the Croatians did not allow a single tie. Particularly impressive was a run from 18:12 to 22:12, when the match was practically decided. The set ended 25:19.
The Croatian girls shone in attack (44-26) and serving (8-3), while the Czechs were better in blocks (9-4) and made fewer errors (19-23). As usual, Erin Ivezić was the most effective with 23 points (1 ace), followed by Lana Drviš with 11 points (3 aces, 2 blocks), Emilie Stojić with 10, Petra Došen with 5 (1 ace and 1 block each), Lucija Meštrović with 4 (2 aces, 1 block), and Karla Gulin with 3 points (1 ace). Libero Marta Novačić also did an excellent job. Incidentally, Lana Drviš is the daughter of legendary Croatian boxer Stipe Drviš.
"I think we said everything on the court today. We fully deserved the win, into which we put every last ounce of strength. This team truly deserves to be among the top eight national teams in the world, because they made even impossible things possible. Congratulations to everyone on the relentless fight, to the staff for a well-prepared match, and to our loyal fans who cheer us on and follow us all this time, whose support we truly feel. We want to keep making them happy and proud," said head coach Ceca Ilić after the match.
In the quarterfinals, Croatia will face China, who defeated the Dominican Republic 3:1 in their Round of 16 match. The game is scheduled for Friday at 8 PM Croatian time, though the exact date is not specified by the source. China has been perfect so far in the tournament, with five wins in the group stage and a win in the Round of 16.
