New-form team shows promise
The new national men’s volleyball team, seeking to mold itself for the upcoming World Championship, won bronze in the European League held in Turkey over the weekend after rebounding from a 2-0 deficit against the host nation in an encounter for third place on Sunday. The Greek team, playing with considerable new blood amid its ranks, overcame Turkey with a 3-2 score (22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-10). Up against Croatia In Saturday’s semifinal, Greece was defeated 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 16-25, 26-28). The Netherlands won the title after beating Croatia in yesterday’s final with a 3-1 score (19-25, 25-20, 25-21, 27-25). Ilias Lappas, one of the new squad’s former members, said he believed the Greek team had a promising future. «This is a new team. It has a future, as long as opportunities and the necessary time are provided. We’ve been together for only two months,» said Lappas. «We didn’t win the semifinal, but deservedly won the game for third place, even though we wanted more than that,» he added. Commenting on the upcoming men’s Volleyball World Championships in Japan, beginning in November, Lappas said the main objective will be to get through the tournament’s first stage. «From then on, we’ll take it game by game, depending on who we’re up against,» he said.
