Krakow, Poland, May 25, 2018 – Russia coach Sergey Shlyapnikov was commended the performance of his players as they showed they were the stronger side in their encounter against Canada at the Volleyball Nations League.
Russia coach Sergey Shlyapnikov: "The first set in this match was very difficult, the game was very tight and I think that this set was crucial for this match and our victory. We showed that we were the stronger team. I think that the first part let us believe in ourselves. We are still not fully integrated because we didn't play a lot together and preparation period was also not too long. We need time to adjust to each other and therefore the first set was a challenging one."
Russia player Dmitriy Muserskiy: "We just started the Volleyball Nations League and for me it is something new, because for a long time I didn't play with the national team. In the first set all us were under a little pressure. We are happy that we won. Now our target is the match against Poland. It will be very difficult because they are playing at home."
Canada coach Stephane Antiga: "Russia were much better. In the first set we were leading but then we fell down and it was a big challenge. We could and we should have won the first set. We are thinking only about victory in the next games. We are still working and now we know what to improve."
Canada captain Tyler Sanders: "We obviously didn't play close to how we want to play, but we knew that is coming when we haven't trained together for very long. Russia are a very physical, strong team with good serving. They controlled the game, we obviously weren't on the level we want to be at. It is the very beginning of the Volleyball Nations League we will develop things together. I think it will be very interesting to see how quickly we can bounce back tomorrow and in the next days."