Serbia, Poland retain perfect records in World Champs qualifiers

Warsaw, Poland, May 24, 2017 - Serbia and Poland retained perfect records in Pool B of the European qualifiers for the 2018 FIVB World Championship, after both scored straight-set wins on Day 2 in the Polish capital.

Tijana Boskovic scored 28 points as Serbia edged the Czech Republic 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 26-24) in a blocking party of 14 stuffs for the Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallists. Stefana Veljkovic alone got in six blocks.

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Serbia had to rally back after the Czech Republic led in the top half of the third set and it then took them three match balls to bring the game home.

Hosts Poland, meanwhile, registered a record 25-5 set in their 3-0 (25-16, 25-5, 25-18) win over Iceland - but they too had to fight back in the third set after the Small Countries Division side took an unexpected early lead.


Poland's Marlena Plesnierowicz back sets to Maja Tokarska as Iceland's Frida Sigurdarsdottir look on in Warsaw.

Tamara Kaliszuk with 16 points and Maja Tokarska with 13 led the scoring for Poland who despite the ups and down were dominant throughout.

In the other match of Day 2 in the Warsaw pool Slovakia sailed past another Small Countries side, defeating Cyprus 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-10). Karin Palgutova with 14 points was top scorer of the game, as Cyprus failed to put up any resistance.


Stella Ioannou and Andri Iordanous of Cyprus try to block Slovakia's top scorer Karin Palgutova.

The Warsaw pool was moved a week earlier to accommodate Cyprus and Iceland who compete in the 17th Games of the Small States of Europe next week in San Marino. The other five women's pools of the European qualifiers for the World Championship are next week.

The top teams from the six European pools qualify directly to the World Championship in Japan. The second-ranked of each pool will advance to Round III of the continental qualifiers for two more available tickets to Japan.

Japan as hosts, USA as defending champions and Brazil as 2015 South American champions have already secured their participation in the 2018 World Championship.