Belgium outperformed Poland from the serving line with 10 aces against seven and also made slightly fewer unforced errors during this five-set saga, 25 against 27. Their outside hitter and captain Britt Herbots was above all with a match-high 23 points, including one ace and one block. 22-year-old opposite Pauline Martin added another 19 points, while setter Elise Van Sas delighted the Belgian fans with five aces and three kill blocks towards a 10-point tally.
“Everybody really believed in a big match against Poland today and I wasn’t ready to pack my bag and go back to Belgium. Now it’s all emotions, but when we analyze it in the end, we will find some good things, for sure. Getting this close to a team like Poland is something amazing, but when you get this close, it hurts even more,” commented Herbots in tears. “I think we did a great job. I am really proud of the team. In the fifth set, we were a little bit too shaky. We missed a little bit of experience in some moments. Now it can hurt, but tomorrow we should smile about this. Between the first week of VNL and where we are today, there is a big difference. We’ve been working very hard every single day and, for sure, we will continue to grow in the next few years…”
