Russia coach Vladimir Alekno said his team encountered some first day jitters but they were able to overcome this difficulty and win in the end
Hamamatsu, Japan, September 8, 2015 – Russia defeated Venezuela 3-0 (29-27, 25-16, 25-15) in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup at Hamamatsu Arena on Tuesday.
Russia coach Vladimir Alekno: "I don’t have much to say but we won, so I’m happy. The first set wasn’t so good. Maybe the players were a little nervous as it was the first set of the first match of the World Cup; that’s understandable. But we got over the problems of the first set and it was OK."
Russia captain Dmitriy Muserskiy: "It was our first match so we had a little difficulty, but we solved the problems we had in the first set. We came to Japan a little early so we could adapt to the conditions here. Physically we are OK and well prepared, so I think we can play better in the remaining games."
Venezuela coach Vincenzo Nacci: "We expected it to be a hard game as we were up against a team that is more physical, taller and more powerful than us. They’re a top-level team. But we did better than expected in the first set and overall I think we did very well. We have a young squad so they need a lot of hard work."
Venezuela captain Kervin Pinerua: "We did good in the first set but dropped a bit in the second and third sets. It was tough, but it was the first match and we hope to do better in the second match tomorrow. "
Venezuela player Fernando Gonzalez: "We concentrated well in the first set and did pretty good. We had a chance to win it, but in the second and third sets we realised the different strength between Russia and ourselves. I think we did better than expected and I’m satisfied with the result even though we couldn’t win."