The Polish team celebrates the semifinal victory over the Czech Republic
Ostrava, Czech Republic, July 29, 2017 – Keeping more concentrated and making fewer mistakes was the key to the victory in the second Group 2 semifinal of the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix 2017, in which Poland mastered a 3-1 win against the Czech Republic.
Jacek Nawrocki, coach of Poland: "It was a difficult match today. We managed to play concentrated, but it was not easy. We are very happy to make it through to the final. Korea are going to be favourite tomorrow, but we will see..."
Agnieszka Kakolewska, player of Poland: "We are happy we won today. The most important thing was to stay focused and avoid making too many mistakes. In the first set, the Czech Republic were luckier in the end, but then we showed character and could actually play the game we are used to. It is a great victory for us and we are looking forward to the final."
Quick links - Volleyball:
Zdenek Pommer, coach of Czech Republic: "It looked really good from the beginning. In the first set we played our game. We were able to keep the opponents under pressure. Unfortunately, in the second set we started making unforced mistakes and Poland caught up. We tried to make some substitutions, but it was not really our day. I hope tomorrow is going to be a better day."
Marie Toufarova, player of Czech Republic: "We played a good match today. The most decisive thing was the second set. We played well at the beginning, but then we could not make it through to the end which was a shame. From then Poland started playing their game and it was difficult to keep up with their pace. Big thanks to all fans! It was a really big support. It always helps. Unfortunately, today Poland were better."