Volero Zurich target to finish on top of the podium in their third consecutive hosting of the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship
Zurich, Switzerland, March 31, 2015 – Hosts Volero Zurich are keen on their campaign to claim gold on home soil in their third consecutive stint after unsuccessful bids in the last two editions of the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship.
The Swiss club team seeks inspiration in other club teams from other sport disciplines, which have made sports history with their winning streaks, thus raising prominent status in their field today.
For instance, The Green Bay Packers had an impressive 19 consecutive wins in the NFL, Benfica Lisbon had an incredible 29 straight wins in the Portuguese League; the Los Angeles Lakers, on the other hand, had an astonishing winning streak of 33 in the NBA, and the Philadelphia flyers collected a breath-taking streak of 33 wins in the NHL.
Nevertheless, that is no patch on Volero Zurich, the multiple Swiss champions have just won gold in the Swiss Cup, consequently recording an overwhelming number of 109 consecutive victories in national competitions.
Volero captain and world champion Courtney Thompson does not see the Swiss League games as a daily routine.
“There were some really close games – even with match points against us,” Thompson said. “We all know that we must not neglect the national competitions since the other teams are all eager to dethrone us.”
The multiple Swiss champions want more than just being the No. 1 in their national league, which is the reason they focus on international competitions like the CEVE DenizBank Champions League and the Club World Championship.
The Zurich-based team have secured themselves a place among Europe’s best eight teams with solid performances in the CEV Champions League over the last few years.
The team also had their share of setbacks, as they failed to make it to the Final Four of the Champions League after qualifying to the Playoffs 6 in the last two years. Dragutin Baltic’s team were beaten by the eventual 2014 Women’s Club World Championship winners Dinamo Kazan last year.
Further disappointment came this season as Volero lost in the golden set, after having made an unbelievable comeback against Eczacibasi VitrA Instanbul.
Volero is set to restore their confidence as they try to make a podium finish in the latest edition of the Women’s Club World Championship from May 6 to 10.
“The last two Women’s Club World Championships were quite disappointing,” Thompson said. “We had our chances to get into the final but we just could not seize them. So we had to settle for fourth place. Nevertheless, these setbacks contributed to our evolution as a team. We have learned from our errors and we are ready. We want to be on top of the podium.”
Volero Zurich seems to have favourable signs of improvement as they signed Dobriana Rabadzhieva and returnee Natalya Mammadova, who could bring a big difference in their attack-game.
“It is a dream to be a setter in this team,” Thompson said. “I have much more passing options that last year. That makes our game much more multi-faceted. We still want to improve and play our best volleyball at the Women’s Club World Championship.”
Volero can also find trust in their feared blocking game as Russian middle blocker Anna Kupriianova and Ukrainian top scorer Olesia Rykhliuk are able to build an almost impervious wall at the net.
“Olesiya, Natalya and Anna contributes to our success,” Thompson said. “I think our strong blocking game will make the difference this year since our opponents are known for their strong offensive game.”