Croatia's women's U-17 team was defeated 0:3 by Poland in the 4th round of Group C at the World Championship in Chile. Health issues in the Croatian camp completely marked the match.
Croatia's women's U-17 national team suffered a convincing defeat against Poland in the 4th round of Group C at the World Championship in Chile. The Poles won 3:0, with set scores of 25:14, 25:16, and 25:18, but this time the result took a backseat due to the significant problems faced by our team.
Croatia played the match significantly weakened. Due to a stomach virus that affected the team, head coach Ceci Ilić could not count on the team's top scorer so far, Erin Ivezić, nor on Lucija Meštrović and Katarina Batina. Additionally, several other players were doubtful until the very start of the match.
Coach Ilić did not hide her disappointment with the circumstances but praised her players' fight: "They fought as much as they could, but they were exhausted, and it showed from the first point; we couldn't match a strong Poland. It's a shame because if we had been in proper physical condition, this would certainly have been one of the better matches at this World Championship. But unfortunately, it is what it is," she said for HRT.
The Poles imposed their rhythm from the start. In the first set, Croatia managed to close to 12:14 with a 4:0 run, but the opponents responded with a fierce surge and pulled away to 22:12, eventually closing the set at a convincing 25:14. The second set brought a bit more uncertainty. Croatia held a slim lead several times in the middle of the set, the last time at 14:13, but failed to pull away. Poland, in the final stretch, after 17:16, went on a scoring run to reach 25:16.
A similar scenario unfolded in the third set. After an initial 5:5, Poland made a key run to take an 11:5 lead. They never relinquished that advantage and controlled the game to close out the match at 3:0.
For Croatia, Drviš scored the most points (14, with one ace), followed by Stojić with 10 points (also one ace). Mamić added three points, Gulin two (one ace), and Došen one. The statistics clearly reflect the balance of power on the court: Poland dominated in blocks (9-0), serves (11-3 in aces), and attacks (30-27), while Croatian players also made more unforced errors (25-18).
