Tag: sweeps

Czechia sweeps Argentina for semis berth

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Czechia celebrates a point against Argentina in the FIVB Challenger Cup knockout quarterfinals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Czechia sent Argentina packing with a 25-15, 25-22, 25-16 sweep to advance to the FIVB Challenger Cup semifinal on Friday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Michaela Mlejnkova led the charge for the Czechs with 14 points off 13 attacks and a block, while Gabriela Orvosova backstopped her with 12 points including two blocks.

“It’s great because this was the hardest game I think of the competition. It’s a really important game because if you win you stay, if you lose you go home. So for us, it’s really important and yeah, I’m so happy we won,” said the 27-year-old outside spiker.

LIVE UPDATES: Alas Pilipinas vs Vietnam FIVB Challenger Cup

Helena Havelkova and Magdalena Jehlarova chipped in 10 and eight points, respectively. Czechia battles the winner of the Alas Pilipinas-Vietnam quarterfinal match in the knockout semis on Saturday.

Czechia star Michaela Mlejnkova

Czechia star Michaela Mlejnkova. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

“If you want to qualify for the VNL, you have to beat everyone so actually it doesn’t matter for us,” said Mlejnkova. 

 Mlejnkova is looking forward to experiencing the Filipino culture during their stay.

READ: FIVB Challenger Cup: Puerto Rico ousts Kenya to advance to semis

“It’s really interesting to see how this country is working and I think it’s good to see the country. We didn’t have much time to see something because we are in the hotel but yeah, I think maybe we’ll have time on Monday,” she said.

After dominating the first set, the Czechs needed to stave off a tough second-frame duel against the Argentinians, breaking a tie at 22- all. Katerina Valkova’s 1-2 play put Czechia ahead, 23-22, before Orvosova’s back row hit and Silvie Pavlova’s ace to take a commanding two-set lead en route to a dominant third-frame performance.

Argentina ended its Challenger Cup stint with just a game with Candelaria Lucia Herrera being the lone double-digit scorer with 10 points.



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Canada sweeps Manila leg but coach wants more

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Stephen Maar and Canada celebrate a point against Netherlands in the VNL.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Canada may have swept four matches in the Manila Leg to book a spot in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Final Eight but it wasn’t perfect for coach Tuomas Sammelvuo as he urges his wards to stay hungry.

Canada turned to Stephen Maar and Eric Loeppky to seal a spot in the Final Eight after overcoming the Netherlands in five sets, 21-25, 25-22, 28-26, 14-25, 15-9, on Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.

But coach Sammelvuo said they won’t stop working on their lapses, which were still exploited by the Netherlands, led by the league’s top scorer Nimir Abdel-Aziz.

READ: VNL 2024: As Paris Olympics nears, Canada focused on improvement

“It’s never perfect but of course four wins, huge performance from the players. I’m very happy for them and we qualified for the Final Eight. That’s amazing,” said the Finnish coach of Canada. “I think we got confidence after a few wins and now we finished the end part of VNL with eight wins. That’s very very good. Now we focus on the Final Eight, we’ll keep on practicing and get ready for the quarterfinals.”

Maar powered the Canadians with 18 points off 15 attacks, two blocks, and an ace. Loeppky delivered the goods anew with 14 points, while Xander Ketrzynski and Lucas Van Berkel added nine points each. 

“Fourth game in five days, five-setter, crazy environment, we wanted that win so bad and so did they. They wanted to win for him and we wanted to win for us. It went to be a really tough match mentally and also physically,” said Loeppky. “I think we needed this game. We really needed to be put in a tough situation to be able to come together and win as a team I think that’s huge for us. This one was tough, so it’s really important for us moving forward because all we have left is the Final Eight and the Olympics so all those games are going to be like this.”

READ: VNL 2024: Canada sweeps Germany for back-to-back wins

Sammelvuo was happy for his players’ improvement after finishing the preliminary round as the No.4 seed with an 8-4 record as they will also play in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“We have improved I think we’re qualified in the Olympic games and last October was a big step for us in terms of confidence. After that many players had a very good season in their clubs and we have been working, being humble and trying to improve. We’ll never stop,” said the Canada coach, who is also eyeing to return in Manila for the FIVB World Championship next year. 

“Amazing. Good crowd. Next year, the world championship is here. So I hope we’ll come back here,” he added.

 The Netherlands ended up winless in Manila with a 3-9 record despite another 37-point explosion from Abdel-Aziz highlighted by six aces. Maarten Van Garderen had 17 points.



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Canada sweeps Germany for back-to-back wins

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FILE–Canada’s Danny Demyanenko during a VNL  2024 Week 3 game at Mall of Asia Arena. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Canada earned its second straight win in Manila after dominating Germany, 25-19, 25-18, 25-21, to bolster its Final Eight chances in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2024 on Thursday at Mall of Asia Arena.

Buoyed by its five-set win over fan favorite Japan two days ago, Stephen Maar and Arthur Swarc dropped 15 points each to lift Canada to fifth place with a 6-4 record.

“I think we did a good job in serving and passing today. Our team had pretty flawless volleyball,” said Maar after nailing 14 kills. “Germany gave some good fight in the end and I think we handled it really well, so I’m happy for the team.”

VNL 2024 SCHEDULE: Week 3 Manila, Philippines leg

In Maar’s second time in the Philippines, he’s glad that he is now in better shape to play in front of Filipino fans.

“This is my second time in the Philippines. Last year, I was struggling a lot physically with my body. Obviously, it’s a long travel to come here so it’s not so easy sometimes. This year, we were able to be a bit more prepared and I think that’s really helping start off our week, so I’m really happy [and] grateful for all our medical staff who did a really good job,” the Canadian spiker said.

Sward had 11 kills, two blocks, and a pair of aces. Setter Luke Herr paced the Canadians, as Eric Loeppky added 11 points to stave off Germany’s last-ditch effort in the third set.

READ: VNL 2024: Canada denies fan favorite Japan in five sets

Canada eyes its third win in Manila against No.4 Brazil (6-3) on Friday at 3 p.m. The Brazilians still have a game against USA on Thursday evening before their crucial match.

“Brazil is obviously another gifted team, technically. Probably a bit more similar to Japan, they’re quite skilled in passing and blocking,” Maar said. “I think we’re gonna have to watch our game back, see what went well, what didn’t go well, see what we can do better to beat Brazil.”

Germany couldn’t sustain its momentum from a 25-23, 25-27, 25-20, 25-23 win over France less than 24 hours ago as it slid to a 4-6 record in 11th place.

György Grozer, who scored 21 points against France, sat out. Moritz Karlitzek stepped up for the Germans with 13 points. 



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Germany battles USA on Saturday at 11 a.m.