Kaliningrad, Russia, July 10, 2015 – USA Captain Courtney Thompson said that she expects her side to continue to play well in the FIVB World Grand Prix after their 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-19) defeat of Russia.
“Russia has a great volleyball program and it is always fun to play someone in their own country,” she said. “We will continue to play well here. The best part of our game is serving and passes. We want to be tested and pushed, and play with strong teams.”
USA Coach Karch Kiraly added: “Russia have a strong team, and they won World Championships. Both teams are different. Kosheleva did not play. Maybe Gamova is going to play later and some new faces for USA, too.”
Russia’s Ekaterina Orlova said: “It is a pleasure when your friends and relatives support you in your home town. My dream came true, because I play in Russian National team. But today we made a lot of mistakes. USA are very strong competitors, they play fast volleyball. We will try to play better.”
Russian Coach Yury Marichev added: “USA showed high quality, fast volleyball. Our young outside spikers had the chance to play with World Champions, and they did very well. USA receives the ball well, and we could not block. We are trying to play fast volleyball and boost our game.”