S-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, June 7, 2015 - Belgium defeated Low Countries rivals the Netherlands 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-14) in the second of their two FIVB Volleyball World League Pool E matches this weekend. At the press conference following the match, Belgium coach Dominique Baeyens praised his players for reacting so well after losing to the Dutch in five sets on Saturday.
Belgium coach Dominique Baeyens said: “All our plans worked out perfectly today. Yesterday night, after watching Saturday’s match on video, we decided to change our tactics for today. The team adapted the new tactical instructions very well. We are very happy with this win.”
Belgium captain Sam Deroo said: “Yesterday, we started poorly, and we were not so focused. But in the third and fourth set we already showed improvement. Holland won the match yesterday because they were serving exceptionally well. Today we never gave the Netherlands a chance to grow into the game. Our goal is to win this pool and advance to the Group 2 Finals. In the long term, we want to make it to Group 1.”
Netherlands coach Gido Vermeulen said: “Belgium played very aggressively today and we never escaped from the pressure they put on us. Our serves were not as good as yesterday, so we were always one step behind. We tried to change our game by bringing in Van Harskamp and Klapwijk, and that helped a little bit, but in the end Belgium was just too strong today. We still want to win this pool and go to the Finals in Bulgaria. From now on, every match is going to be a final.”
Netherlands captain Yannick van Harskamp said: “Sometimes sports can be quite weird. Yesterday we were dominating the court for three sets, today it was the other way around. Belgium made a very aggressive and good start today, and they never stopped putting pressure on us. We tried to fight and change our game, but it didn’t work today. Now we will recover and prepare for next week’s matches against Finland.”