Puerto Rico team thank the local fans after loss to Greece
Thessaloniki, Greece, June 23, 2016 - Greece started on the right foot at Alexandrio Melathro Sports Hall and beat Puerto Rico 3-1 sets (25-17, 25-17, 27-29, 26-24) despite their rivals’ impressive performance, in order to make four victories in a row in Group 3 of the FIVB Men’s World League.
Sotiris Drikos, coach of Greece: “The coach of Puerto Rico rotated his team and changed roles to three or four of his players. We were totally unprepared to play against this formation, but the real problem for us, especially in the 3rd set, was the fact that we didn’t adjust our tactics to the special needs of the match”.
Rafael Gaspar, coach of Puerto Rico: “I’m happy with the effort my team had tonight. We lost a tough game. We were in position to go to the fifth set, but we didn’t make it. Greece is a great team and that’s the kind of team we want to become in the future. I’m excited with the way my guys played tonight and the way they fought”.
Rafail Koumentakis, captain of Greece: “It was a very tough game for us tonight, against a very strong team in block and defense. Our opponents played absolutely perfect after the 2nd set, so we had to reach our maximum level in order to win. Many thanks to the fans, who helped us get this important victory”.
Sequiel Sanchez, captain of Puerto Rico: “I think we played a lot better tonight than we did in the first round in Kozani. We changed the tempo with some substitutions, we executed and we were competitive until the end”.