Rotterdam, Netherlands, August 11, 2019 - USA defeated the Netherlands on the final day of Tokyo Volleyball Qualification Pool B in Rotterdam to qualify for the Olympic volleyball tournament in 2020.
John Speraw, head coach USA: “In a lot of ways,
there’s a huge sense of relief. I think when you’re trying to get back
to the Olympic Games, and you are playing and coaching in men’s
volleyball, it’s so competitive, it’s never a foregone conclusion, and
we knew that. We have the upmost respect for all the teams in our pool,
and certainly for the Netherlands tonight. We knew they were going to
play incredibly hard, and they did. I thought that we did a great job of
staying poised, especially late in sets. We did what we had to do in
order for us to go to Tokyo, and I’m just proud of the way that we
fought.”
Gijs van Solkema, setter of the Netherlands: “We could almost touch it. We were in it point for point until 17-17 in the first two sets, even leading at the beginning. We were playing well and putting pressure on USA. Then you see the quality of their team. Some guys who fire some bombs from the serving line, putting the pressure on us from which we can’t escape. We’re close, so that’s tough.”
Roberto Piazza, head coach of the Netherlands: “I’m very proud of my guys. They put everything on court. We have to grow up again. It’s not in the matches that we have to grow up, we have to grow up in the practices. We were close in the beginning. At 17-17 in both first and second set they found a solution on serve, like we did in the third set. But I told my guys, I’m very proud.”