The Dutch volleyball men, with Robbert Andringa from Assen in the selection, have qualified for the quarter-finals of the Nations League.
The Nations League is an annual volleyball tournament in which sixteen countries participate. The tournament consists of two rounds and in the first round all countries play twelve matches. The top eight teams then advance to the final round; a knockout schedule. The number one of the first round plays against the number eight, the number two against the number seven, and so on.
Yesterday, the Netherlands, where Andringa started in the basic team, lost 3-0 to Italy. Nevertheless, that is enough to advance to the final round. The Netherlands ends the first round in eighth place and therefore plays against the winner of the first round on 20 July. As a result, another confrontation with Italy awaits.
After the first round, 32-year-old Andringa is one of the best ‘diggers’ of the tournament. That is the defensive player who, as it were, dives towards the ball to prevent it from hitting the ground. Andringa – who has played every game – has managed that 72 times so far. This puts him in the top 5 best ‘diggers’.
The Dutch men have so far been stronger in the Nations League than Iran (3-0), Australia (3-0), Slovenia (3-0), Germany (3-1), Argentina (3-2) and China (3 -0), while losing to Japan (1-3) United States (0-3), France (0-3), Bulgaria (1-3), Poland (0-3) and Italy (0-3) . It is the fourth time that the Nations League will be held. The Netherlands is participating for the second time.