Saturday’s MEVZA U20 tournament semifinals showcased a gripping contest for both men’s and women’s teams. In a remarkable first men’s semifinal, Austria clinched victory against Croatia with a decisive 3-0 scoreline (25-23, 25-21, 25-14). Despite grappling with illness, which led to their forfeiture against Slovenia after the third set, Austria’s triumph has propelled them into the finals of the MEVZA tournament. This victory holds significant importance as it could pave their way to the European Championship this summer.
However, Austria’s coach Markus Hirczy expressed tempered satisfaction with their performance. Facing adversity with only seven players available due to illness and a fresh thumb injury sustained during the match, Hirczy acknowledged the victory but reflected on the challenges, stating, “We won, but it’s not our tournament.”
The Croatian team, now set to compete for the third spot, showed grace in defeat. Croatia’s assistant coach Sven Sarcevic commended the Austrian team’s effort under difficult circumstances, saying, “I want to congratulate Austria. They overcame many problems and played a really good game today. On our end, we fell short. We missed several opportunities in defense, attack, and reception. Our serve was lacking too. Congratulations to Austria, the better team today.“
