Italians Tiziano Andreatta (left) and Andrea Abbiati celebrate their victory in Ljubljana.
Ljubljana, Slovenia. Denmark’s Clara Windeleff and Line Trans Hansen claimed the gold medal in the women’s competition, while Andrea Abbiati and Tiziano Andreatta emerged victorious in the men’s gold medal match of the 1-Star event held in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana on Sunday.
Denmark continued their strong run in the tournament with both of their teams reaching the finals, even if they had to play three sets to get there.
In the third place match Belgium’s Sarah Cools and Lisa Van Den Vonder started strong with a 4-1 lead, but Latvia’s Anete Namike and Varvara Brailko managed to close the gap. Later, the Belgians took advantage of their height at the net, as well as their good serving to secure a 21-14 win in the first set. The Latvians pushed harder in the next set and yielded only at 21-19.
Van Den Vonder was happy to claim bronze. “The second set was a little bit different and more difficult than the first one. The opponents were really fast and we were not used to that fast rhythm and that is why it was so close. We are very happy with the victory and the bronze medal.”
In the Danish finale Clara Windeleff and Line Trans Hansen were in full control of the match, leaving Cecilie Olsen and Sofia Bisgaard no chance to develop their game. In the end, they stormed to victory over their compatriots 2-0 (21-11, 21-10).
Clara Windeleff and Line Trans Hansen of Denmark
“I think we dominated throughout the match. We played aggressively and committed fewer mistakes. Our focus was on winning each next point, we gave 200% and we are so happy with the outcome,” Trans Hansen, who was also voted MVP, could not hide her excitement after winning the gold.
In the men’s semifinals, Slovenia’s home heroes Vid Jakopin and Tadej Boženk caught a flying start and claimed the first set, but Italy’s Andrea Abbiati and Tiziano Andreatta staged a comeback and it was Abbiati’s two points in a row that earned the Italians a spot in the finals. In the Austrian semifinal, Clemens Doppler and Alexander Horst outplayed their compatriots Alexander Huber and Christoph Dressler.
The Slovenians did not want to disappoint the home crowd that came to support them and did their best in the bronze medal match. It was their strong serving that brought them a 24-22 victory in the first set. Huber and Dressler stepped up and got into a double-digit lead closing the second set at 10-21. They kept their rhythm and emerged victorious in the third as well (8-15).
Dressler, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Sunday, was pleased with the third place. “I want to thank CEV and FIVB for hosting my birthday party this year at the Ljubljana World Tour event. I really enjoyed it here and I thank my partner for playing such a nice tournament with me and see you next year.”
Doppler and Horst claimed the first point of the men’s final, but highly motivated Italians changed the course of the set, getting into a three-point lead at 17-14. The experienced Austrians closed the gap at 18, but Andreatta sealed the first set with a true monster block.
Austria’s duo did not give up and with a solid performance left their opponents with only 15 points in the second set. The Italians, however, regained their focus and prevailed in the tie-break for a 15-11 win.
“We did not expect this victory, since it is the first tournament after a long break. Our opponents are a very good and strong team. It was beautiful to play on this amazing square, in this atmosphere. Even if it was really hot at some moments, it was really fantastic, especially because we won,” commented Andreatta after the triumph, while his partner Abbiati won the MVP title.
Also read:
Danish women lead the way in Ljubljana
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Sources:
FIVB – Volleyball World
OZS – Volleyball Federation of Slovenia
