Czechia Starts its CEV EuroVolley 2023 Qualifiers Journey Against the Icelanders

One of the highlights of the busy Czech national volleyball season is approaching. Giannis Athanasopoulos' squad has started preparations for the CEV EuroVolley 2023 Qualifiers in Tábor, where they will also play their home qualifying matches.

On Saturday, August 20, Czech team will play against the Icelanders, while a week later they will host the Montenegrin selection. Their final home match will be against the Finns on 7^th September. The rematches on the opponents' courts are scheduled for 24th August and 4^th and 11^th September.

Before the opening match in Tábor, however, the coaching staff of the home team lacks a more detailed knowledge of the opponents from Iceland. "We don't have much information about the Icelanders because they haven't played any friendly matches. We have to find some of their older matches, because they didn't play during the covid period. If you look at the CEV rankings, you can see that they shouldn't be too strong, but we should definitely watch our game and focus on playing well in all activities. Especially on the reception and of course on the block defence. I believe that if we maintain our quality we should have no problem to win," Athanasopoulos approached. In the CEV ranking, the Iceland women's team is ranked 36^th. The Czech women are currently on 12^th place.

The coach's words were also confirmed by the captain of the national team Andrea Kossányiová. "The last time we played against Iceland was in 2017 in the World Championships qualifications. Back then we won 3-0, but it's hard to say how meaningful it is. A couple of years have passed and the team may have undergone a renewal. The important thing will be to focus on our performance and our game. Then I believe it is in our power to succeed."

The Czech volleyball players, led by an experienced Greek coach, played home friendly matches and an international tournament in Budapest in preparation for the CEV EuroVolley 2023 Qualifiers. "We won all the preparation matches, but that was not the most important thing. The crucial thing was to see what phase we are at and whether we can transform the elements we are struggling with into the next match and improve our game. I believe that the tournament in Hungary showed us a lot and that we are on the right track. I am really happy with all the players who played in the tournament. At the moment there are 16 players in the squad and of course I have a clear idea of how I will select 14 of them for nomination for the qualification matches. We are also dealing with a few small injuries, which we are trying to overcome and have the players ready for the matches. That is also the reason why there are 16 players in the selection. All of them are doing very well and I hope that no more injuries will befall us. We will try to put together the strongest team we can," Giannis Athanasopoulos assessed the preparation period and the current shape of his team.

"We are trying to include young players like Formánková, Bukovská, Jedličková and Brancuská in the line-up. They are all working hard and learning our system. It is very important that they were with us because I believe they have great potential and are the future for the national team. I think that we are succeeding in integrating them into the system and thanks to them we will put together the best possible team," added the head coach of the Czech team.

The Czech volleyball players will play in the Mír sports hall in Tábor on Saturday 20^th August from 6 pm. They are already familiar with the local environment, which should be an advantage in all three home matches. "We've been preparing in Tábor for almost two months, it's a home environment for us now and we really like it here. Now we are just looking forward to the spectators filling the hall and helping us to bring the qualification to a successful end," said captain Andrea Kossányiová.