Hamamatsu, Japan, September 14, 2019 – The Netherlands beat Kenya 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-19) in their first match of the FIVB Women’s World Cup at Hamamatsu Arena on Saturday.
Netherlands coach Jamie Morrison: "First, it’s a start. I think we can still be a little bit better. I think we left a couple of blocks and our defensive quality wasn’t quite there tonight. We’ll improve and get better as this tournament goes on. Argentina’s a good team, so we’re happy with the victory. I thought at times our offence was pulling pretty well. In terms of the way we attacked, I thought our attackers were hitting with some range. Blocking and defensive-wise, I think we did a good job eliminating hitters but I think there were times when we left three or four blocks out on the court. Overall, I’m happy. It’s a good start for us. We had one day of practice before we got here, but we need to get better as this tournament continues.
On the new Mikasa volleyball: We’ve only really practiced with it for three days, plus this match. My first impression is that it will affect the serve-and-receive game a little bit. I don’t feel that it drops as much as the old Mikasa did, so I think receiving numbers might be a little bit higher, but that’s only my first impression after four days."
Netherlands captain Maret Balkestein-Grothues: "I think we played a good match, especially our block and defence was working very well, and our sideout was also nice. We made some good attacks with very nice angles, so I think we can be satisfied with our first match."
On the new Mikasa volleyball: "I heard in the team that the ball feels a bit lighter, so on reception it’s a little bit more floating and the server has to be a little bit careful because sometimes it goes out very fast."
Argentina coach Hernan Ferraro: "We know that the Netherlands are a strong team. We want to attack and receive better and be a strong team like the Netherlands. We need to perform as well as them and to do that, we must improve our attacking and reception."
Argentina captain Julieta Constanza Lazcano: "Congratulations to the Netherlands. It was a tough game for Argentina from the start. They are a strong team with a strong, fast attack and many tall players. From now, we must reduce the number of errors we make so can put on a better performance."