Ljubljana, Slovenia. On Tuesday, Slovenia’s Beach Volleyball national team, composed by Tjaša Kotnik, Tajda Lovšin, Nina Lovšin, and Špela Morgan (women), along with Danijel Pokeršnik, Crtomir Bošnjak, Nejc Zemljak, and Jan Pokeršnik (men) will be travelling to Izmir, Turkey to compete in the 2nd phase of the CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.
Team Slovenia at work ahead of the Continental Cup event in Izmir
It is no secret that the main objective is reaching the CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Finals, taking place from June 23 to 26, 2021 in The Hague, Netherlands, although everyone is aware that this will not be easy. After the Slovenian national cup finished on Friday with Calcit Volley KAMNIK claiming the title, Jan Pokeršnik and Crtomir Bošnjak were the last two to join the Beach Volleyball national team for the final practices before the departure.
Tadej Boženk, who together with Matija Slobodnik will be coaching the national team, is confident: “Jan and Crtomir have just joined the national team, but I hope for some good training and for upgrading their performance. For the girls, I dare to say they are very well prepared and in a good shape. They have been working hard from the beginning of the preparation and I believe we will go to Izmir with some good energy and to show that we are able to play on a high level.”
Tjaša Kotnik, who joined forces with Tajda Lovšin before the start of this season, emphasises that the team spirit will also be a very important factor: “I think we trained pretty well and made a lot of progress. The competition will be tough, but I still think we have good chances to qualify for the final round. We need to play as a team and be aware that every point and every match counts. I hope for the best.”
“For Jan and me, this was a typical start to the season. Jan is a great professional and he can switch from indoor to Beach Volleyball instantly. We are entering the season optimistically, in the same way as in the past. The favourites of the group in Izmir are Italy and Latvia, followed by Estonia and Turkey, but we have our chances, too. I am very much looking forward to the qualifiers and some good matches. Advancing to the finals is realistic, but we will have to prove that on the court,” adds one of the most experienced Slovenian Beach Volleyball players, Nejc Zemljak.
The members of Team Slovenia practicing ahead of their journey to Izmir
News:
CEV – European Volleyball
OZS – Volleyball Federation of Slovenia
