With their win over Nystrom/Lehtonen, Galyna Osheyko and Viktoriia Smetaniuk made a huge step forward for the qualification to the semis in Illichivsk |
llichivsk, Ukraine, June 23, 2011. The home girls of the Ukrainian national team went through a very demanding test in the opening day of the Zonal Phase tournament of the CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup which is currently running in Illichivsk. Ukraine’s heroines opened the program by crossing their ways with Finland to eventually make it to the semifinals. Erika Nystrom and Riikka Lehtonen easily outclassed (21-14, 21-15) Svetlana Baburina and Inna Makhno to claim the provisional 1:0 for the guests from Finland. The Ukrainians were able to play on equal terms only in the second set but the game ultimately ended in a well deserved straight sets win for the Finns. Quite many fans had found their way to the “Martinika” beach resort to support the home girls and they could be more than happy as Galina Osheyko and Viktoriia Smetaniuk drew the count with an easy 2:0 win over Finland’s second best pair, Kirsi Hyttinen and Taru Lahti (21-13, 21-13). The deciding game to determine the final outcome of this clash starring Ukraine and Finland followed in the afternoon as Osheyko/Smetaniuk got the upper hand and cruised past Nystrom and Lehtonen storming back from trailing 0:1 down (19-21, 21-14, and 15-11). Baburina and Makhno did have it quite easy to get the last point for the home side defeating Hyttinen/Lahti in straight sets (22-20, 21-15). “We did not expect to win easy after the first round of matches” says Ukraine’s national coach Volodymyr Kutsenko. “Therefore we were not particularly upset after our girls lost the opening game. We finally got two more points and we will play in the semifinals against Great Britain”. “I was afraid that Inna would have been intimated by the Finns but we finally made it” added a happy Svitlana Baburina. “I am playing with a very young partner, Viktoriia Smetaniuk, but she is smart and has a great potential. Together we can make it to the Olympics which is the dream of every athlete” concluded Galyna Osheyko. In the second quarterfinal Switzerland easily edged Serbia by sweeping three games in a row and will be playing Poland for a spot in the final.
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