Jon Uriarte joined his Australian players to celebrate
Wroclaw, Poland, September 7, 2014 – Argentinean coach of Australia Jon Uriarte considered the five-set battle with Venezuela like a small final for the two teams, something he was anticipating since long time ago.
Australia head coach, Jon Uriarte: “Long time ago I heard that the match with Venezuela would be a like a small final for us and it really was. It was a really difficult meeting. Venezuela challenged our experience. They did a great job. So I am very proud and happy that we gained the qualification.”
Question – what did you say to your team when you were losing 2-1?
“It was a tough moment for us. Piñerua showed some outstanding serves but years ago my team learned how to stay focused and that was the key to our victory.”
Australia captain, Aidan Zingel: “Today was an incredibly tough match for us. Both teams showed a passion and determination. Fortunately, we managed to win this meeting. I am very happy and grateful that we are in the next round.”
Venezuela coach, Vincenzo Nacci: “Congratulations to Australia. In this moment I think mainly about my team. It was a long way for us to be a part of this championship. I think that in those five matches we showed that we know how to react on the court. We are improving our game and evolving ourselves.”
Venezuela captain, Kervin Piñerua: “I would like to congratulate Australia for this victory. We did everything what was possible to win the match. The fourth set was catastrophic for us because we lost our concentration. So this is the end. It was a great experience for us to play in this pool. I hope that we showed a good side of ourselves. Surely we improved our game. It was not easy to play with such opponents but hopefully we gained an experience. Personally it was a really great event for me and I am sure that I improved my game.”