European Women down to 16 teams at World Championship
A confident Spain went undefeated in the second round
Lausanne, May 18, 2009 – The 16 teams to vie for eight European berths at the 2010 Women’s World Championship in Japan were decided this weekend during second-round play in Azerbaijan, Croatia, Bulgaria and France.
Joining Italy in third-round play in Conegliano in July are Bulgaria, Belarus and the Czech Republic. Bulgaria topped European Pool F at home with an undefeated run that included a 3-1 (26-24, 26-28, 25-22, 25-20) win over group runner-up the Czech Republic on Sunday. Belarus, meanwhile, cruised through its second-round matches undefeated to finish first in Pool D.
In third-round Pool E matches to be played in Serbia, Spain, Croatia and Romania earned the right to battle the hosts in July. Spain advanced with a 4-0 record during second-round play in Marseille, where hosts France (2nd) and Slovakia (3rd) also moved on to the next round. Croatia topped Pool E at home with an unblemished 3-0 record, while Romania (2-2) survived to fight another day by finishing 3rd in Pool F.
Poland will host Pool J in Bydgoszcz, where the hosts and Turkey received byes. Joining them will be Belgium, runner-up finishers from Pool E, and France.
The final grouping, Pool K, will take place in Almere, the Netherlands, and feature the home team, Germany, Slovakia and Azerbaijan, the latter finishing second as hosts in Pool D.
The third-round competitions for Europe will take place from July 17-19. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Final Round of the World Championship, scheduled to take place in Japan from October 29-November 14, 2010.
Final standings, second round:
Pool D 1. Belarus 6 pts. (advances to Pool H in Italy) 2. Azerbaijan 5 pts. (Pool K in Netherlands) 3. Israel 4 pts. 4. Ukraine 3 pts.
Pool E 1. Croatia 6 pts. (Pool I in Serbia) 2. Belgium 5 pts. (Pool J in Poland) 3. Slovakia 4 pts. 4. Hungary 3 pts.
Pool F 1. Bulgaria 8 pts. (Pool H in Italy) 2. Czech Republic 7 pts. (Pool H in Italy) 3. Romania 6 pts. (Pool I in Serbia) 4. Albania 5 pts. 5. Moldova 4 pts.
Pool G 1. Spain 8 pts. (Pool I in Serbia) 2. France 7 pts. (Pool J in Poland) 3. Slovenia 6 pts. (Pool K in Netherlands) 4. Greece 5 pts. 5. Finland 4 pts.
