2006 Women's World Championship
Ukraine surprise Greece as Europe Pool F starts in Croatia (FIVB)
06/11/2005
June
11, 2005 – The Ukraine, ranked 37th in the world, pulled
off a major surprise at the 2006 Women’s World
Championship second round tournament - Europe Pool E in
Athens on Saturday after beating a new look Greek side,
who have a world ranking of 13, in straight sets (25-15,
25-8, 25-19). Meanwhile, Belarus moved into third spot
with a 3-1 (27-25, 19-25, 25-19, 25-18) win over France.
On the first day of the 2006 Women’s World Championship
second round tournament - Europe Pool F in Zagreb,
Serbia and Montenegro beat the Czech Republic 3-0
(25-17, 25-15, 25-18) while Slovakia beat Croatia 3-1
(23-25, 29-27, 25-13, 25-19). Pic: Stern defence by Greece against the Ukraine
The Ukraine’s victory in Athens was purely inspirational
as they overwhelmed Greece in just over an hour to
retain their perfect record at the conclusion of day two
of the tournament.
"We knew that there was a difference between us and the
Ukraine and we tried to give it our all against such a
strong opponent,” Greek coach Dimitris Andreopoulos said.
“We are not used to playing at such a high level and
thus we made errors. This was a difficult pool for us,
but there still is a combination of results that could
see us through to the next round".
The top sides will advance through to the third round
and after Saturday’s matches, the Ukraine lead Greece,
followed by Belarus and France.
In Zagreb, there were sensational victories to Serbia
and Montenegro and Slovakia on day one of the three-day
tournament. Both teams have progressed from the first
round and now stand a good chance of claiming the two
tickets on offer – given to the two top sides - through
to the third round.
