31.08.07
Friday turned out to be unsuccessful for the Russian players at the SWATCH FIVB Beach Volley World Tour 2007 St. Petersburg Open
Friday turned out to be unsuccessful for the Russian players at the SWATCH FIVB Beach Volley World Tour 2007 St. Petersburg Open.
Friday turned out to be unsuccessful for the Russian players at the SWATCH FIVB Beach Volley World Tour 2007 St. Petersburg Open. After the second defeat of our women’s beach volley team Uryadova – Shiryaeva, the Russian men’s team Arkaev – Kuzmichev lost to the pair from Georgia at 2:0. But the same hurtful loss of the day was the defeat of the Russian Barsouk – Kolodinsky team from the Cunha – Neto team of Brazil. Having won the first set 21:16, the Russian team “relaxed” a little and lost the second set at the same score. It should be noted that it was the first match between the two teams in the SWATCH FIVB series, and the technically performed blocks and precise passes of the Brazilians surprised the Russians, who lost the third set under the press of their opponents – the match ended at 2:1. Now the Russian pair is continuing their play in the loser’s bracket for the teams with one defeat.
Right after the Barsouk – Kolodinsky vs. Cunha – Neto match a press conference with the Russian team was held for the Media. They answered the journalists` questions about their plans and successes in beach volley.
What are your impressions of the today’s match?
Igor: The match was quite tense, the Brazilians showed a very emotional play. There was even some misunderstanding and confusion during the match, one of the Brazilians hooked my foot several times when we were both at the net. First time he did that he apologized but after the second time he turned away without saying a word – it put me into a rage. I approached the referee but the serve was transferred to our opponents anyway. Actually, the match score (2:1) shows that more or less equal teams are playing at this stage of the World Tour, and then it is a matter of luck.
The 2007 season turned out to be very productive for your team. How did you manage to achieve such success?
Dmitry: There are several reasons. Firstly, we are upgrading our teamwork. Secondly, our new coach Marco Solustri helps us a lot. We met him during a tournament in Brazil and yet then were talking about a sparring with his team. And when we returned to Belgorod we were offered to work with a new coach - we chose Marco.
How long have you been playing together? Did you have any difficulties working in pair?
Dmitry: We have been playing together starting from the end of the last season and we are doing fine already. There is actually only one difficulty – he (Igor) has got an extremely powerful hit so everybody is passing the ball to me… (laughs)
Igor: Well, no, there are no specific difficulties. Of course, there is yet a lot to be done. Dima is certainly a more experienced player; he played in numerous World Tour events, so he helps me a lot.
What is your favourite SWATCH FIVB Beach Volley World Tour event?
Our favorite tournaments are those in Gstaad and Klagenfurt. The conditions are perfect for the players, and the audience is very friendly and emotional. The 10-thousand stadium is full already at eight in the morning, they support all the teams.
What should be done to make St. Petersburg Open one of your favourite events?
Dmitry: Beach volleyball is certainly not so popular in Russia as it is in Gstaad for example. The situation is changing gradually – the number of beach volley fans is increasing. This year we were not lucky with the weather in St. Petersburg. I wish there were some changes in the organization of the tournament – for example, the spectators should have access to all the tournament space, except a small area for the players. Any tournament is an event for the fans, and we should not forget about that.
After the press conference, there was a Mass Media beach volley press tournament with 11 teams from the different Media. The matches were held at two courts. As a result of a tough competition, the «Kings» (website www.spbvolley.ru) team – Alexander Korol – Ivan Freiberg took the first prize. The second and the third places went to Mikhail Chirkov – Nastya Gavrielova and Angelina Novozhilova – Vyacheslav Bonadrev (both teams from “Mir Stroitelstva I Nedvizhimosti” Publishing House), respectively.
