Idman.biz
Less than a month remains until the start of the European Volleyball League. The performance of the Azerbaijani women's national team in this tournament will be a serious test before the European Championship to be held at home. Therefore, experienced volleyball players who have not participated in the recent European Leagues for various reasons have been involved in the team.
Idman.Biz reports that the European Volleyball League is traditionally considered an important tournament for teams to test young players.
The Azerbaijani national team also continues this line to a certain extent. It is especially important for the team to assess its current potential before the European Championship. Because the results in the European League have not been encouraging in recent years - our team finished eighth in the previous season and last in the past year.
However, in recent years, competition in the national championship has increased, and young volleyball players have gained more playing experience. International matches will be a good opportunity to determine the real strength of the current team. Moreover, the rivals are quite ambitious - Sweden, Estonia, North Macedonia, Spain, Israel and Switzerland.
One of the notable aspects of the national team's preparation is the return of experienced leaders to the team. Ayshan Abdulazimova, who returned to her homeland after playing in the Hungarian championship for many years and became the champion with "Turan", is back in the national team camp. Elizaveta Ruban has also returned to the team after a two-year break. She had a successful season in the Russian club "Leningradka". In addition, Kristina Besman, a passer who wore the "Omichka" uniform in Russia, is also in the squad.
Forming a fighting and competitive team before the European Championship is one of the main goals of the federation. The national team led by Faiq Garayev is entering an important stage of preparation in this regard. The team is still in the process of formation, and the European League games will be an important indicator to assess the current situation of the players.
The format of the tournament has not changed compared to last year. The games will again cover several weekends. The Azerbaijani national team will start the competition at home - our team will face Sweden on June 5 and Estonia on June 7.
Then the national team is waiting for a trip to Spain. The team will face North Macedonia on June 12 and the hosts on June 13.
The next stage will be held in Skopje. Our team will face the Israeli team on June 19, and the next day will play against Switzerland. This match will be the last game of our national team in the group stage.
The vice-president of the Azerbaijan Volleyball Federation, the head coach of the women's national team, Faiq Garayev, who spoke to Idman.Biz about the future plans of the national team, said that the main goal of the team is to return to a high level again:
"Our strategic task is to return the national team to a high level. If the clubs also work in the right direction, we will witness serious progress in three or four years."
