SIXTH TRY

The Azerbaijan women's national volleyball team has successfully completed the season. Aleksandr Cher-vyakov's team played with the Slovak women's team in the European Championship play-off, winning two games and getting a pass to the final. 

To get into the final after winning the Baku match 3-0, the Azerbaijan team had to win two sets in their return game. However, giving the first set away to their opponents 26-24, the Azeri players decided not to waste their energy in the subsequent sets. Thus the match ended 3-0 in favour of the host team. Now that the score was even, the result would be decided in the "golden set". This is where the Azeri players showed their mettle using their energy saved for the crucial moment. They left no chance to their adversary and got into the European Championship final for the sixth time in a row. 

On the whole, the Azerbaijan team's performance can be assessed positively. At the same time, we cannot but admit that certain players made serious mistakes. The success was based on team play and the will to win. Reliable playing in the defence and sudden attack hits played a great role in the Slovak team's defeat. However, the Azerbaijani players should be aware that they should not content themselves with winning their pass to the final of the championship of the continent. It is high time they got ahead in the final stage the team has made it into for the sixth consecutive time. This time, they must not only show a good play but also try and rise as high as possible. 

The final stage of the European Championship will be held in Belgium and the Netherlands. All its participants are already known. Sixteen finalist teams have been divided into pools and the composition of the pools has been officially announced. The Azerbaijan national team will be vying in Pool B which also includes the teams of Belgium, Turkey and Hungary. The games will be played in Antwerp. Aleksandr Chervyakov's trainees will play their first game with the Turkish team on 26 September. The next day, our girls will measure their strength against the Belgian team. On 28 September, they will encounter the Hungarian team in the last round. 

Speaking in an interview, the Azerbaijan national team's chief coach Aleksandr Chervyakov told R+ about the team's serious preparations for the Europe Cup 2015. "The number one goal for our team was to win a pass to the final part of the European Championship. It is not so easy to attain success in team sports. In this respect, getting into the final for the sixth time in a row indicates the strength of our volleyball. The players have coped successfully with all tasks assigned to them. I am satisfied with them. We knew that the return match would be difficult. This is why we prepared for it earnestly in terms of tactics. After losing the first set I already knew that everything would be decided in the 'golden set'. As a rule, teams like the Slovakia national team are more successful in home matches. Therefore it was necessary for us to maximize concentration. Our players fought to the bitter end and won in the decisive set 15-6," Chervyakov said. 

He also said that major attention has now been given to participation in the First European Games to be held in Baku. "As is known, the strongest volleyball teams of the continent are going to compete in the Games. Playing in our hometown Baku, we ought to try and perform as best we can. On the other hand, it is necessary to save our players from injuries. After the European Games, the team will be allowed a rest period and then they will start training for the European Championship. I don't want to give any forecasts. The Azerbaijan national team tries to perform decently at all competitions. Sometimes we achieve what we want, sometimes we don't. Our task is to show good play at the European Games and at the European Championship," he said. 

Let it be recalled that the Azerbaijan women's team will join battle at the European Games on 21 June. Their first opponent will be the Turkey women's national team.