Croatia are making their World Grand Prix
debut and they will look to veteran coach Angelo Vercesi to guide them through
the experience. The glory days of Croatian women’s volleyball came in the 1990s
when they took silver medals at the 1995, 1997 and 1999 European Championships
and came fourth at the 1995 World Cup. Their performances raised the sport’s
profile in the country and many of the players at the World Grand Prix honed
their skills on development programmes that sprang up on the back of the team’s
success. The Croatians made it through to the quarterfinals of the Sydney 2000
Olympic Games beating Australia, Kenya and Korea along the way. Their last
appearance at the World Championship was in 2010 when they came 17th. The team
will take encouragement from their fifth-place finish at last year’s European
Championship. They beat the Netherlands in the pool play-offs before going down
to Germany in the quarterfinals.
Despite it being the team's debut in the
competition they are aiming for a spot in the Final Four of Group Three, and
they bring a mix of experienced stars and young prospects to help them achieve
their target. |