Czech volleyball players enter the second half of the qualification in Montenegro

With full points in the Group B table, the Czech volleyball players will enter the second half of the CEV EuroVolley 2023 Qualifiers in Montenegro on Sunday 4th September. Giannis Athanasopoulos' team defeated Iceland, Finland and Montenegro in previous matches, all in three sets. Against the Balkan team played the Czechs in Tábor on 27th August and won 25-14, 25-17 and 25-21.

From the training camp in Tábor, the Czech team will move to the ADA Sports Centre in Pljevlja, Montenegro, near the Serbian border. According to national team manager Miloslav Javůrek, the team will have a complicated journey to the venue. "On Friday afternoon we will move from Tábor to Prague airport, spend the night there and on Saturday morning we will fly via Vienna to Pogdorica. From there we will have to travel by bus approximately 180 km to the venue," said Miloslav Javůrek. "Unfortunately, after the home game we had similar health problems as in Finland. We are trying to get them under control and we will try to take a step forward already on Sunday," added the team manager, who recalled the situation when 18 of the 23 members of the squad suffered viral stomach problems after arriving to Finland last week.

Coach Giannis Athanasopoulos thanked the team of Dr. Radka Bartovičová and the physiotherapists after the victory over the Finnish and Montenegrin players. "I would like to thank all the players and our team because they did a great job. It was the most difficult moments I have had in my career in Finland. But Radka and her colleagues did the impossible and prepared the players for the match. We are still not 100% ready, and this tournament is very aggressive, every three days a match and traveling. However, we overcame that and we want to continue our results. I am very happy with the performance of the players, but as I keep telling the girls, we have to continue to improve our game. There were a few weaknesses against Montenegro. Sometimes we fight with ourselves and make mistakes that we should avoid."

Andrea Kossányiová, the captain of the Czech team, said about the double-match against the Balkan opponents after Sunday's victory in Tábor: "We knew that Montenegro is not the easiest opponent, but we made it 3-0. Some of the sets were a bit nervous, but when we play our volleyball, we manage to finish well. The toughest opponents in the group so far have been the Finns, but we beat them on their home field. I hope that it will be easier at home. On Sunday, we will face Montenegro again, where it might be a bit more difficult. The home volleyball players will come to support the fans and they could trouble us. Nevertheless, I believe that we will pull through to victory. We already have one foot in the European championship, so we just need one or two more wins to be sure."