SLOVENIA steamrolled past the Netherlands, 25-20, 32-30, 25-22, on the final day of the Manila leg of the 2023 Volleyball Nations League on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Team captain Tine Urnaut led from the front with 14 points on 12 attacks and two aces as the Slovenians secured seventh place and a ticket to the Final Eight carrying a 8-4 (win-loss) record.
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Outside hitters Klemen Čebulj and Rok Možič provided support with 13 and 11 markers, respectively.
“It was very, very important for us to win, especially after the loss to Italy. It was not easy for us to regenerate [our energy] but we stuck together, we talked about what needs to be changed and our attitude for us to continue in the right way,” said Čebulj.
“I'm happy that we really showed what we expected from each other. We played as a team in difficult moments, in nice moments when we were winning, and this is how it should be from us.”
Možič added: “We played some really good matches, some not so good. At the end, eight victories is great and now we are looking forward to the quarterfinals. I know it will be difficult but I think we can manage to fight for it.”
After a tantalizing second canto which they won, 32-30, Slovenia went on to close out the match in the third frame and ultimately denied the Orange Tulips a chance at cracking the Final Eight of the tournament.
Netherlands concluded their 2023 VNL campaign on a three-game losing streak to finish with a 5-7 [win-loss] record.
Holland captain Abdel-Aziz Nimir left it all out on the court with 22 points on 18 attacks, two blocks, and two aces.
Box scores:
Slovenia - Urnaut 14, Čebulj 13, Možič 11, Pajenek 9, Kozamernik 7
Netherlands - Nimir 22, Plak 8, Wiltenburg 7, Tuinstra 5, Van Garderen 4, Ter Horst 4, Keemink 1, Jorna 1
Set scores: 25-20, 32-30, 25-22
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