Dutch with perfect start into the Montreux Volley Masters campaign

Montreux, Switzerland, May 1, 2016 – The 31st edition of the Montreux Volley Masters will go on without host nation Switzerland after their defeat by the Netherlands left them unable to qualify from Pool A. The Dutch, playing their first fixture at this year’s Montreux Masters, overcame the hosts 3:0 (25-22, 25-9, 25-19) to boost their own chances of reaching the semi-finals. The Dutch skipper, Opposite Judith Pietersen, was fantastic for the “Oranje” throughout, inspiring her team with some clinical attacking play and an impressive personal tally of 14 points before being forcibly withdrawn due to injury. Not far behind was Middle Blocker Quinta Steenbergen, who clocked up a further 12 points for the girls in orange. The blocking game of Nicole Koolhaas also impressed, tallying 7 blocks over the course of the match to secure crucial points for the Netherlands at key stages of the game. For the Swiss, Middle Blocker Gabi Schottroff particularly stood out with her own brilliant blocking show, which twinned with Maja Storck and Julie Lengweiler’s emphatic scoring run of 15 and 9 points respectively over the three sets kept the hosts in the game for long periods. But even their most valiant efforts were not enough to prevent the young team from leaving their own party early, having not won a single set in this year’s competition so far. The Swiss were quicker out of the blocks in the first set, with a superb block from Schottroff edging them …

continue reading in source www.fivb.org