Slovenians aiming high in their debut among the volleyball elite

The men’s national team of Slovenia are ready for their first-ever VNL campaign after dominating the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup hosted in their capital Ljubljana. In their first match, they will face Serbia in a repetition of the CEV EuroVolley2019 finals.

One of the most experienced men in the squad, Alen Pajenk, says the team are fully focused on the competition.

“We do not bother with the life in a bubble. We are used to doing our thing, try to make the most of the circumstances and turn everything to our advantage. We are impatiently waiting for the VNL to finally start, because we know how hard the preparations can be and the rhythm of three matches in a row will be very tiring. But I believe that it is easier to play than to train,” said the 35-year-old middle blocker after the first practices in Rimini.

The team captain, Tine Urnaut, also believes the competition will not be easy.

“In this new competition format, when you play three days in a row followed by three days off, the teams with the longer bench will have an advantage. It will be really tough physically on all the teams and we are happy that we can finally perform for the first time in the VNL. And we will try to do our best.”

Slovenia sharpened their form in a preparation tournament in Ljubljana, playing six friendly matches before travelling to Rimini. In three of them, they played against Serbia, their first VNL opponent.

“I think that for such a short preparation period, and after such hard seasons behind us, the level of the game we showed in the tournament was very satisfying," commented Jan Kozamernik. "Of course, we made some mistakes, but so did our opponents. We are doing quite well in the reception, while in the block-defence game, we are considered as one of the best national teams. On the other hand, we need to push hard with strong serving, since this is the element where we have the most room for improvement. Personally, I am very optimistic about the first matches. Having a long bench can certainly be our trump card.”

The 25-year-old is very keen to finally be able to play in the VNL. “It feels really good to be here. We see that we belong here, among the best, and that we want to be here. We have a strong team and I think we will be an equal competitor with all the national teams. But, it will be necessary to play smart, as we have many matches. I am looking forward to the first matches and I cannot wait to start.”