Montreux, Switzerland, May 1, 2016 - The 31st edition of the Montreux Volley Masters will go on without host nation Switzerland after their defeat by the Netherlands left them unable to qualify from Pool A. The Dutch, playing their first fixture at this year’s Montreux Masters, overcame the hosts 3:0 (25-22, 25-9, 25-19) to boost their own chances of reaching the semi-finals.
The Dutch skipper, Opposite Judith Pietersen, was fantastic for the “Oranje” throughout, inspiring her team with some clinical attacking play and an impressive personal tally of 14 points before being forcibly withdrawn due to injury. Not far behind was Middle Blocker Quinta Steenbergen, who clocked up a further 12 points for the girls in orange. The blocking game of Nicole Koolhaas also impressed, tallying 7 blocks over the course of the match to secure crucial points for the Netherlands at key stages of the game.
For the Swiss, Middle Blocker Gabi Schottroff particularly stood out with her own brilliant blocking show, which twinned with Maja Storck and Julie Lengweiler’s emphatic scoring run of 15 and 9 points respectively over the three sets kept the hosts in the game for long periods. But even their most valiant efforts were not enough to prevent the young team from leaving their own party early, having not won a single set in this year’s competition so far.
The Swiss were quicker out of the blocks in the first set, with a superb block from Schottroff edging them into a 2-0 lead. The hosts went toe to toe with their Dutch counterparts, exchanging some superb rallies one of which included a fantastic spike from Laura Kunzler, holding their own and retaining parity as the pendulum swung one way then the other. Yet the Dutch eventually shrugged off the attentions of the Swiss to take a pulsating first set, Pietersen sealing the crucial 25-22 set point just as Maja Storck’s seven point haul looked to have pulled the hosts back into the game.
The “Oranje” started the second set the stronger, edging into an early two point lead as they looked to stamp their authority on the game. Though even with the Swiss nipping at their heels in an attempt to gain a foothold in the match, a successful challenge by Myrthe Schoot on a ball initially deemed out of play by referee Sonja Simonovska turned the tide back in favour of the visitors. There was always a sense throughout this set that the Dutch had the edge, and a key block from Koolhaas minutes later helped the “Oranje” remain in the ascendency and cruise to a 25-9 victory.
Switzerland’s promising start to the game was seemingly going up in flames by the start of the third set, but the Dutch completed their job on the hosts the hard way, both teams neck and neck for much of a tight closing set which also saw the impressive Judith Pietersen’s forced withdrawal through injury. Yet without their captain, the Netherlands were still to prevail, grinding out a 25-19 win with Anne Buijs’ match point to seal an emphatic opening 3:0 triumph.
The Netherlands will no doubt take great heart and confidence from an impressive opening performance despite the absence of several key players, thus their prospects in Montreux this year will still take some effort to knock down. They may however, be left sweating on the fitness of key player Pietersen for the remainder of the tournament.
The Dutch will be looking to put one foot in the semi-finals on Thursday (2 May) when they face Thailand in the late 9:15pm CET fixture. The Swiss meanwhile will attempt to find some consolation in a so far dismal campaign when they take on the Thais on Friday (3 May) in the 6:45pm CET showdown.
The Dutch skipper,
Opposite Judith Pietersen, was fantastic for the “Oranje” throughout,
inspiring her team with some clinical attacking play and an impressive
personal tally of 14 points before being forcibly withdrawn due to
injury. Not far behind was Middle Blocker Quinta Steenbergen, who
clocked up a further 12 points for the girls in orange. The blocking
game of Nicole Koolhaas also impressed, tallying 7 blocks over the
course of the match to secure crucial points for the Netherlands at key
stages of the game.