Azerbaijan's U20 women's volleyball team failed to achieve its expected result at the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) Championship, according to national team player Leyla Aliyeva.
As reported by İdman.Biz, citing Report, Aliyeva reflected on the team's performance at the tournament held in Rustavi, Georgia, from October 22 to 25.
"We faced Latvia and Poland in the group stage. The match against Poland was very difficult for us, while we performed better against Latvia. Although we had some good opportunities, we couldn't achieve the result we wanted.
"I think we lacked a little consistency and composure. After two defeats, it was very important to regroup and show our own game as a team. I'm very happy that we managed to finish the tournament with a victory.
"Of course, fifth place was not the result we expected. But the most important thing is to learn from our mistakes and look towards the future," Aliyeva said.
The young volleyball player also highlighted the age difference between Azerbaijan's squad and their opponents, expressing confidence in the team's potential for improvement.
"Our team was younger compared to our opponents. I believe that in the future we will be able to demonstrate better volleyball and achieve stronger results.
"I would like to thank the Azerbaijan Volleyball Federation for believing in us and giving us the opportunity to gain experience at an international tournament. I'm also grateful to the coaching staff for their hard work and to all my teammates for their determination," she added.
Azerbaijan, coached by Gokhan Edman, competed in Group A of the EEVZA Championship, suffering straight-set 3-0 defeats against both Poland and Latvia.
However, the team managed to end the competition on a positive note, defeating hosts Georgia 3-1 in the fifth-place play-off.
The victory secured fifth place for Azerbaijan and provided valuable international experience for a young squad looking to develop ahead of future competitions.
