Missing out on victory by a hair’s breadth
“We weren’t lucky in being set against such rivals. The Belarusian team unites skilled players from the Turkish, Italian, Russian and Polish championships so it will be a challenge to win,” emphasised the head coach of the Polish women’s team, Jacek Nawrocki, before the match. Our team is ranked below Poland’s, but our Belarusian sportswomen put up a serious fight, losing only five sets.
The match was full of drama, although the Belarusian team looked weak in the first two sets. It was only later that it truly transformed, with the Belarusians leading a tie-break — 10:7. Sadly, victory escaped them, resulting in the squad leaving the European Championship.
However, it deserves no criticism, since our sportswomen defeated the strong Croatian and Bulgarian squads and played worthily against the Russians (Europe’s plenipotentiary champions). The play off match against Poland will be long remembered by fans.
By Kirill Pirogov
