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VolleyRuller96

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  1. MONTANA Volley, Bunge RAVENNA complete Challenge Cup 8th Finals Luxembourg, December 21, 2017. The last two teams to compete in the 8th Finals of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Men became known on Thursday. Both Bulgaria’s MONTANA Volley and Italy’s Bunge RAVENNA won their return games at home in five sets after winning away three-pointers two weeks ago. Here are the #CEVChallengeCupM results from Thursday, 21st December 2017: Successful European Cups debut for MONTANA In their maiden appearance in the European Cups, Bulgaria’s MONTANA Volley achieved a historic success by eliminating their first opponent and qualifying for the 8th Finals of the CEV Challenge Cup. The Bulgarians had won the first match at Hapoel KFAR SABA in four sets, but the Israelis put up a tough fight in the return match, winning the first set. MONTANA recovered to win the next two and stamp their ticket to the next round. Hapoel reached the tie-breaker only to lose it in overtime, shaping up the final 3-2 (27-29, 25-17, 25-20, 20-25, 16-14) in favour of the home team. Asparuh Asparuhov was the best scorer of the match with 20 points for MONTANA. Daniel Peev, coach of MONTANA Volley: “Hapoel changed the way they played in the first match and we needed some time to adapt. We had our chances in the first set, but made some simple individual mistakes at the end. But the boys fought back in the second and the third. I wanted to give as many of them as possible the opportunity to feel the emotion of a European match from inside.” Bunge RAVENNA snatch second victory against GENTOFTE Volley Bunge RAVENNA became the last eighthfinalist in this season’s men’s Challenge Cup. The Italians managed to score a second win against Denmark’s GENTOFTE Volley to advance in the competition. Having shut out the opponent in the first match in Denmark, Bunge cruised to win the first set at home by a landslide. GENTOFTE fought back in the second, stepping up their blocking efforts, and caught their hosts by surprise, tying the match at 1-1. Bunge did not waste any more time and secured their spot in the next round by winning the third set. The Italians failed to close the game in the fourth set after wasting two match points, but showed their power in the tie-breaker to set the final score at 3-2 (25-9, 20-25, 25-19, 25-27, 15-9). GENTOFTE’s Mads Møllgaard was the best scorer of the match with 19 points, followed by teammate Peter Trolle Bonnesen with 16 and Bunge RAVENNA’s Paul Buchegger and Nicolas Marechal with 14 each.
  2. SWD powervolleys DÜREN power through golden set en route to CEV Cup’s last 16 Luxembourg, December 21, 2017. The line-up of the best 16 teams in the 2018 CEV Volleyball Cup - Men is now complete after the last two clashes of the 16th Finals found their outcome on Thursday. The very last match-up of the round happened to be the only one decided in a golden set, with Germany’s SWD powervolleys DÜREN celebrating victorious. France’s MONTPELLIER Volley UC were more convincing in the way they moved forward in the competition. Here are the #CEVCupM results from Thursday, 21st December 2017: MONTPELLIER pull-off away straight-set win to make CEV Cup 8th Finals Having taken last year’s CEV Cup by storm progressing to the semis, Germany’s United Volleys RHEIN MAIN found themselves back to reality after a 0-3 loss (27-29, 21-25, 19-25) at home against MONTPELLIER Volley UC from France. While their first season seemed like a dream that only ended in the semi-finals against eventual winners TOURS VB, the second European journey of the young squad from the Frankfurt area was over after only two matches. “The end of set one was the crucial point,” said United Volleys head coach Michael Warm. After a close 2-3 loss in France two weeks earlier, his team had several chances to put even more pressure on their opponents. “We worked hard for more than 30 minutes, but then we were a bit reckless and gave away the set too easy,” Warm deplored. After the unfortunate 27-29 loss, RHEIN MAIN was not able to get back their successful flow from the first match. Whilst almost 1,700 visitors made the event a fantastic European Cup night cheering tirelessly for their home team, MONTPELLIER gained more and more control over the game. 19-year-old European silver medallist Tobias Krick and his colleagues never really found the right means to stop the French quick attacks. In addition to that, MONTPELLIER’s Jean Patry showed an excellent performance by scoring 16 points. “Good luck and bad luck sometimes are closely intertwined in Volleyball,” stated RHEIN MAIN middle blocker Lukas Bauer – well aware of the high potential of French teams after having played for four years in Ligue A himself. “MONTPELLIER did a great job tonight with an impressive defence and totally deserve to progress to the next round,” coach Warm acknowledged. With an almost completely new roster this season, the United Volleys will now concentrate on their national championship and try to return even stronger to the European Cups next year. Marvin Prolingheuer scores 33 times to power SWD powervolleys into next round Abiant GRONINGEN came out on court well motivated to cancel out the three-set deficit from the first match against SWD powervolleys DÜREN in Germany two weeks ago. So they did. The Dutch squad fought for a 3-1 (25-18, 16-25, 25-23, 25-22) victory, but when it came down to the golden set, it was the Germans that emerged victorious with a spot among the best 16. A series of eight consecutive points in the first set gave Abiant a comfortable advantage to cruise to a 1-0 opening. SWD powervolleys were well in control of the second set to tie the match. In both the third and the fourth sets, the Germans put on the pressure searching for closure, but the Dutch managed to come back on top in the conclusive moments to win. In a nail-biting golden set, the lead went back and forth several times before the Germans had the final say for a 15-13 win. Marvin Prolingheuer tallied a fantastic 33 points in the five sets to top the scorers’ charts. Abiant’s most prolific player Wytze Kooistra followed not so far behind with 28.
  3. Halkbank storm to home victory over PAOK, Zenit concede a set to BR Volleys Luxembourg, December 21, 2017. Turkey’s Halkbank ANKARA made amends for their away loss to VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN two weeks ago and stormed to a 3-1 victory in the matchup with PAOK THESSALONIKI to improve their win-loss record to 1-1 in Pool B of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Men. The gold medal winners from the 2017 FIVB Men’s Club World Championship contested last week in Poland and CL holders, Zenit KAZAN quite surprisingly dropped a set in a closely contested home match with Germany’s BERLIN Recycling Volleys. Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA, the silver medallists from the Club Worlds, hosted Belgium’s reigning national champions Knack ROESELARE in the last match of the day and go into the holiday season’s break with three points resulting from their comprehensive 3-0 home win. Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA (ITA) vs. Knack ROESELARE (BEL) 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-22) • The assistant coach of Knack ROESELARE, Steven Vanmedegael was at the helm of the visiting team on this occasion, as head coach Emile Rousseaux had a bereavement in the family following his arrival to Italy, on the day before the match. • The home team claimed an early lead (10-8) in the opening set and were able to hold on to it (16-12) until the end, before ROESELARE came back and were very close to re-opening the set (24-22).The Challenge system confirmed the block touch of the Belgians and this sealed the final 25-22 win to the Italian team. • In the second, balanced set, local star Jiri Kovar scored the decisive points, finishing this section of the game with 100% success rate in attack. • Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA, playing their sixth match in the last 10 days, as they participated in the Men’s Club World Championship in Poland last week, used their experience to storm to a 3-0 victory. • The world’s vice champions Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA scored their first win in the 2018 edition of the Champions League, claiming second place in the standing of Pool A with the same number of victories but one point clear of ROESELARE. Italy’s Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA are the leaders of the pool with two victories in as many matches. • The opposite of Knack ROESELARE, Hendrix Tuerlinkx top scored with 15 points, while Osmany Juantorena was the top scorer for Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA with 13 points. Giampaolo Medei, head coach of Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA: “My fears were related to the fact that we came from a very strong week in Poland, in which we played five tough matches and took to the court almost every day. My team approached the game with the right attitude, and were able not to lose concentration after they made some important errors that could have re-opened the first and the second sets. Obviously we can’t say that it was our best game, but today the most important thing was to score a victory and we deserved it.” “We faced one of the best teams in the world, and this was a big opportunity for us, as we have many young players on the roster,” said the assistant coach of Knack ROESELARE, Steven Vanmedegael. “We delivered a quite acceptable performance, even though I have to say that we did too many stupid mistakes, which helped our opponents claim the 3-0 win.” Halkbank ANKARA (TUR) vs. PAOK THESSALONIKI (GRE) 3-1 (25-21, 24-26, 25-20, 25-22) • PAOK THESSALONIKI suffered their second straight setback in the pool stage after losing their previous match to CL rookies Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA. • Halkbank, however, made quite many mistakes and their performance from the serving line was not outstanding either. • The hosts enjoyed the loud support from some 3,000 fans – including some members of groups promoting a close connection between sports and reading. • Halkbank now look forward to hosting Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA at Baskent Volleyball Hall. Zenit KAZAN (RUS) vs. BERLIN Recycling Volleys (GER) 3-1 (25-20, 25-19, 25-27, 25-22) • In the second set, BERLIN Recycling Volleys fought back after trailing 3-8. The German team closed in at 11-all but eventually failed to find a way to cope with the terrific serves contributed by Wilfredo Leon. • In the third set, the German team once again showed their strong character and clawed back towards the end after coming from behind (18-20). Steven Marshall turned out to be the main hero of the set with seven points while his teammate Paul Carroll sealed the set for the BERLIN Recycling Volleys, 27-25. • The German team became the first opponent in six matches able to take at least one set in a clash with the Russian titan Zenit KAZAN – since the players of Vladimir Alekno had won all of their five matches at the Club World Championship by 3-0. • Middle blocker Alexander Gutsalyuk played his 200th match for Zenit KAZAN. He became the ninth player in the 17-year history of the club to reach this feat along with Vladislav Babichev, Nikolay Apalikov, Maxim Mikhailov, Alexander Abrosimov, Evgeny Sivozhelez, Alexander Bogomolov, Lloy Ball and Matthew Anderson. • Zenit KAZAN opposite hitter Maxim Mikhailov was the top scorer of the match with 22 points. Vladimir Alekno, head coach of Zenit KAZAN: “Taking into account the condition of my team after we won the Club World Championship, first of all, I am happy that we won the match. As we expected, BERLIN Recycling Volleys proved to be a strong team and tough rival that fights to the very end.” Luke Reynolds, head coach of BERLIN Recycling Volleys: “I think that I am particularly happy because they won the first and second sets but we played at a high level. We showed that we are able to compete against the best team in the world. You know, as a matter of fact we could have claimed one or two points from this game and one of the sets might have gone a different way. We will take only positive things from this game, and as a coach you take negative things as well and work on them.”
  4. YESTERDAY'S RESULTS LEG 2 GROUP A Cucine Lube Civitanova 3:0 Knack Roeselare GROUP B Halkbank Ankara 3:1 PAOK Thesalonniki GROUP D Zenit Kazan 3:1 Berlin Recycling Volleys ROUND 1/16, Leg 2 United Volleys Rhein-Main 0:3 Montpellier UC Abiant Lycurgus Groningen 3:1 Evivo Duren ( GOLDEN SET: 13-15) QUALIFIED TO NEXT ROUND Montpellier UC Evivo Duren ROUND 1/16, Leg 2 Montana 3:2 Hapoel Kfar Saba Bunge Ravenna 3:2 Gentofte Volley QUALIFIED TO THE NEXT ROUND Montana Bunge Ravenna
  5. MATCH OF THE WEEK HIGHLISTS Zaksa Kedzierzyn Kozle - TRENTINO DIATEC
  6. BRNO, DOETINCHEM, BAKU resort to golden sets to advance Luxembourg, December 20, 2017. Three of the twelve 2018 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Men clashes on Wednesday were resolved in golden sets. The squads of Volejbal BRNO, Orion DOETINCHEM and Lokomotiv BAKU persevered through the dramatic deciders to advance to the 8th Finals. Huge drama unveiled in Portugal, where Azerbaijan’s Lokomotiv persevered for a nail-biting 25-23 golden set win after losing in straight sets to Fonte Bastardo AZORES. Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT, Maliye Piyango SK ANKARA, Stroitel MINSK, CSA Steaua BUCURESTI, Foinikas SYROS, ČEZ KARLOVARSKO, PÄRNU VK, Biogas Volley NÄFELS and PAR-KY MENEN were also successful on Wednesday moving forward in the competition. Here are the full #CEVChallengeCupM results from Wednesday, 20th December 2017: Reports received: Gazprom-Ugra win with confidence Russia’s Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT deservedly won the second-leg match against Hungary’s Pénzügyőr BUDAPEST with great confidence and a landslide 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-15) final score. There was a great deal of superiority of the host team in all three sets. At 0-2 at the beginning of the second set was the only time the visiting side was in the lead, but they made three mistakes in a row. An ace by Aleksandr Chefranov, the opposite of Gazprom-Ugra, set the scoreboard at 5-2, changing the course of the game. Gazprom-Ugra increased the pressure and established total control. Almost all their players got a chance to play on the court, while the Hungarian team was unsuccessfully trying to find the optimal line-up. Péter Tormа, assistant coach of Pénzügyőr BUDAPEST: “Today we wanted to play our best Volleyball, but it was really difficult to achieve it being so far from home. Gazprom-Ugra have deservedly won. We wish them good luck in the next matches.” Ruslan Zhbankov, assistant coach of Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT: “Our guys were really good! They did everything we had talked about before the start of the game - there wouldn’t be any looseness and underestimation. We had to win the game fast and with confidence. Today I am almost happy.” Steaua come back victorious after nine-year absence from European Cups Romania’s CSA Steaua BUCURESTI celebrated their tickets to the 8th Finals of the CEV Challenge Cup after winning the match against Slovakia’s KDS-sport KOSICE in straight sets - 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 30-28). The match finished quickly, in 89 minutes. Steaua were clearly the dominant force from the start through the end of the match – with Szabolcs Nemeth being especially effective in attack. Eero Eemeli Kouki scored the most points, 12, for the home side. Steaua are back in the European Cups after a nine-year absence. Stroitel rebuild strength to shut out LAUSANNE Belarus’s Stroitel MINSK entertained Switzerland’s LAUSANNE UC at home for the second leg of their Challenge Cup encounter shortly after winning their eighth Belarus Cup last weekend. Still hot from that victory, 850 Volleyball fans offered great support to Stroitel’s players in this late weekday evening. The Belarusian team were stronger in blocking and reception. In the first set the teams took long to size each other up. The first set was controlled by the team of LAUSANNE UC and only at the end Stroitel were able to jump ahead for a 27-25 win. In the second and the third sets, the home team played more smoothly and the players finally started to get a collective game. As a result, the Belarusian men looked more confident and beat their opponent with an impressive advantage – 25-16 and 25-17. Best scorer of the game was LAUSANNE’s Adrien Prevel with 16 points, followed by teammate Nick Del Bianco and Stroitel’s Siarhei Akulich and Dmytro Shorkin with 13 each. Aliaksandr Sinhayeuski, coach of Stroitel MINSK: “We prepared seriously for this game. Last time we lost in blocking, because we were not ready for such a fast game. Today our block became more effective. Today, the opponents alternated the serve – shortened and powered. At the end of the first set we were able to adjust to this at last. In the first game in Lausanne, the Swiss team acted better in attack, and today we did not give them the opportunity to play their best. Today the whole squad of Stroitel showed great teamwork.” Dmytro Shorkin, player of Stroitel MINSK: “This time the game had a different scenario. The Swiss team are a very difficult opponent for us. Their game is very fast. It is difficult to play against them. In our first game in Lausanne we were unable to rebuild our strength quickly, but now, more or less, we did it. It was really hard, because they are very good opponents.” PAR-KY MENEN qualify for next round after 3-1 victory After a 3-0 away win in the first match at Volley SCHÖNENWERD, PAR-KY MENEN also won the return game at home by 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 16-25, 25-15). The first set was quite close. PAR-KY MENEN managed the first two-point gap at 8-6. The French opposite Julien Winkelmuller scored for a powerful 15-11, but the visitors took a 16-15 lead with Leandro Gerber at the serving line. Two successful attacks by Anshel Ver Eecke and two kill blocks by PAR-KY MENEN’s captain Jelle Sinnesael put 23-21 on the scoreboard. A service error gave the first set to the home team at 25-23. Aiming to secure qualification as soon as possible, PAR-KY MENEN opened an 8-4 gap in the second set and doubled it to 16-8, which gave the coach the opportunity to let some new players come into the court - setter Lars Maddens, outside spiker Jop Vercruysse, middle blocker Basile Andriessen and libero Loic Van de Pontseele, still cruising to a 25-17 win. The qualification did not inspire the home team to finish the game rapidly. On the contrary, SCHÖNENWERD’s new opposite Yves Roth led his team to an impressive 10-2. PAR-KY MENEN never managed to close the gap and lost the third set with a stunning 16-25, before showing their real identity again in the last set for a comfortable 25-15 final score.
  7. Ten more teams advance to CEV Cup 8th Finals Luxembourg, December 20, 2017. As many as ten more eighthfinalists in the 2018 CEV Volleyball Cup - Men emerged on this big European Cups Wednesday. Shakhtior SOLIGORSK, C.S. Arcada GALATI, Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA, Hapoel MATE-ASHER AKKO, Vojvodina NS Seme NOVI SAD, Volley AMRISWIL, Posojilnica AICH/DOB, GFC AJACCIO VB, Lindemans AALST and Calzedonia VERONA did what it takes to line up among the best 16 teams in the competition. Here are the full #CEVCupM results from Wednesday, 20th December 2017: Reports received: Shakhtior find way to victory in tough and interesting rematch with Hurrikaani Shakhtior SOLIGORSK managed a 3-1 (25-23, 28-30, 25-23, 25-18) win against Hurrikaani LOIMAA in the second leg of the 16th Finals of the CEV Cup and qualified for the next round of the tournament. After a straight 3-0 victory in Loimaa, the Belarusian team had a good chance to repeat their success on the home court. In the first set, Shakhtior had a 14-7 lead, but a few mistakes in reception did not allow a speedy close. Thanks to some good serving at the end of the set, the Belarusian team still stamped a 25-23 win. Hurrikaani had problems with the attack at the start of the second set, but afterwards Thomas Douglas-Powell and Max Staples were able to make some important points. The Finnish team made fewer mistakes and got their hopes back in the match. They took the lead in the third set as well. This cast some doubt on the prospects for Shakhtior. However, the home side made several substitutions and was able to regain the initiative. Middle-blocker Viachaslau Shmat brought important points in the end. Two successful sets allowed Shakhtior to achieve a 3-1 victory and advance in the competition. Viktar Beksha, coach of Shakhtior SOLIGORSK: “The match in Mogilev was completely different from the first one in Finland. The players of Hurrikaani managed to play well in attack and service. We had problems in certain elements of the game, but we survived and achieved success.” Posojilnica keep on rolling with straight-set victory over Jedinstvo Bemax The Austrian vice champions were too much to stand for the Montenegrin visitors from Jedinstvo Bemax BIJELO POLJE in the second of two matches of the 16th Finals in the CEV Cup. The locals claimed a comprehensive 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-20) victory in a one-sided match and cemented their way to the 8th Finals. The match started out strong, the scoreboard showing 5-5, but the hosts took control of the game and went in front with a safe 12-9 difference forcing head coach Darko Prebiracevic to call for a time-out. Playing high-class Volleyball this evening, Posojilnica enlarged their margin to 18-11 by putting a lot of pressure on the opponents from the serving line. Jedinstvo tried to get back on track (20-16), but the home team exploited every single error pocketing the opening set with the score of 25-19. Jedinstvo came back strong in the second set leading the way by 8-6, and this trend continued later on in that set – 12-10. Posojilnica tried to keep the score in balance (14-14) and after the second technical time-out they clawed back to set the pace of the game once more (19-17). Although both teams made mistakes at the end of the set, the home side could win all fundamental situations and finally wrapped it up at 25-19. The all important third set was a close affair only until 8-8. After that the local heroes claimed a three point 16-13 lead with their fantastic attacks. The visitors tried to find their rhythm again, but the Austrian heavyweight showed eager determination to wrap it up at 25-20, thus cruising to a well-deserved straight-set victory. Martin Micheu, manager of Posojilnica AICH/DOB: “Jedinstvo Bemax showed a good team spirit and were able to keep the score tight at times, but we managed to control most of the game and won all fundamentals.” Jovan Delic, player of Jedinstvo Bemax BIJELO POLJE: “We could partly live up to the expectations in sets 2 and 3 as we served powerfully and spiked with high intensity, but serious difficulties in defence prevented a victory over the Austrian opponent.” Calzedonia VERONA move forward despite losing a set Calzedonia VERONA worked very well in serving and blocking. Ribnica KRALJEVO toiled to pass and the score came out in favour of Calzedonia - 9-5 to start with. Emanuele Birarelli made two killer aces in a row for 11-5. Calzedonia kept on widening the gap and Aleks Grozdanov aced to close the first set at 25-16. The second set was more balanced. The teams went forward close to each other in the score, but then Ribnica made some mistakes and Calzedonia’s good blocking led to a 21-17 advantage. Ribnica nibbled away at the home team to narrow it down to two points, but Federico Marretta and Emanuele Birarelli decided the set at 25-21. In the third set, Calzedonia made a break at the beginning: a block by Birarelli, an ace of Mohammadjavad Manavinezhad and a spike by Marretta meant an 11-7 advantage for the home team. Some mistakes gave the Serbs a 14-12 lead before the score was balanced again. At the end, Ribnica won the set at 25-23 with a spike by Strahinja Milovanovic for the last point. The beginning of the fourth set brought in the name of Thomas Jaeschke. His kills gave Calzedonia a 5-1 advantage. Everything worked well in the half-court of the Italian squad and the opponents surrendered at 25-12. Hapoel recover from home defeat to knock Jihostroj out Jihostroj CESKE BUDEJOVICE had won the first match in Israel in five sets, but wasted a big chance to complete the important step to the next round. Hapoel MATE-ASHER AKKO mastered a 3-1 away win to progress in the competition. The first set was balanced, but the players of Hapoel were more successful at the end and won it by a narrow 25-23. The home team improved their spiking in the second set to take the lead, but from 16-16 the Israelis kept one or two points ahead, winning by 25-23 in a dramatic ending. With the support of some 1,500 fantastic fans, Jihostroj opened a 16-9 lead in the third set and stayed in control to win it by 25-17. The next set was terribly important for both teams. Jihostroj started off well, but let the slight advantage slip away, as Hapoel played better in the money time and closed the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set. Martin Krystof, player of Jihostroj CESKE BUDEJOVICE: "I think we had this must-win duty in our heads and we did not play relaxed." Lindemans celebrate speedy win against Dutch neighbours Belgium’s Lindemans AALST, leading from start to finish, claimed and celebrated an easy second victory in the 16th Finals of the CEV Cup. Even without middle blockers Ivan Milhalj and Martijn Colson, suffering from injuries, it hardly seemed a problem to achieve a 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-16) victory over Draisma Dynamo APELDOORN from the Netherlands. Lindemans had already taken a 3-0 away victory and continued their domination at home, in front of their own crowd, towards a 25-20 win in the first set. Draisma Dynamo tried to raise the level with more pressure from Nico Manenschijn and Michiel Van Dorsten until 9-8 in the second set. But young Laszlo De Paepe (10 points), opposite Gert Van Walle (12) and Finland’s Antti Mäkinen (13 points) contested a very strong game, leading their team to a 25-16 close in each of the next two sets. Frank Depestele, player of Lindemans AALST: “My team deserved advancement to the next round. We served well, with enough adrenaline in attack and without any lack of concentration, for quite a positive result.” Johan Devoghel, coach of Lindemans AALST: “I have seen a very good performance, even better than in Apeldoorn. It was again a one-sided game. We did not force too much with an aggressive control. The whole team showed character. After two sets we could already breathe easily to celebrate the ticket for the next round.”
  8. Drama-filled night ends in three tiebreak wins for home teams Luxembourg, December 20, 2017. Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK opened Wednesday’s programme in the group stage of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Men with a resounding 3-0 victory over Poland’s PGE Skra BELCHATOW. The gold medal winners from the 2013 edition have not lost a set yet in the competition whilst Skra suffered their second setback in as many matches. The rest of the night was filled with drama with three tiebreaks and the three hosting teams – CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne, Noliko MAASEIK and Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE – all coming from behind to claim 3-2 wins much to the delight of their raucous home crowds. Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL (TUR) vs. Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA (ITA) (20-25, 21-25, 23-25) • The visitors from Italy claimed an early lead (8-6) in the opening set and were able to hold on to it (16-14) until the very end (25-20). • The second set followed the same plot with PERUGIA edging ahead at the first technical (8-6) and keeping their advantage (16-14); Fenerbahce fought back but the visitors eventually won the second set as well (25-21). • Fenerbahce used to their advantage the mistakes made by PERUGIA in the early stages of the third set (8-3); however, PERUGIA came back strong, even though they still trailed by one point at the second technical break. The Italians finally levelled the count at 23-all and with two points in a row finished the match in three sets (25-23). Lorenzo Bernardi, head coach of Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA: “It was very important for us to win 3-0 because I think that this will count towards the final standing in the pool, which is a very strong one. We played pretty well in some areas but not as solid as we would like in some others. We know that we have to work especially when it comes to break points. I have some plans in order to achieve this and we will work hard to improve on that.” CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne (FRA) vs. Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS) 3-2 (22-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-11) • CL rookies CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne continue to impress – after their historic 3-1 away victory over PGE Skra BELCHATOW in their Champions League debut two weeks ago, they came back from two sets down to edge Dinamo MOSCOW at the tiebreak. • Dinamo MOSCOW have lost two matches in a row in the pool – since in the previous round they had to accept a 0-3 setback in the Russian derby with Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK, their first loss in three years to the Siberian team. • Pavel Kruglov of Dinamo MOSCOW had a match-high 25 points but home star Stéphen Boyer did shine as well recording 22 points for CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne. • Interestingly enough, the hosts out-blocked Dinamo 15 to 10 – a feat that only a few teams accomplish when playing a Russian opponent of this caliber Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK (RUS) vs. PGE Skra BELCHATOW (POL) 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-19) • The team captain of Skra, Mariusz Wlazly could not join the game as he suffered an injury on Tuesday night during practice. On the other hand, the libero of Lokomotiv, Roman Martynyuk, recovered from injury in time for the match with Skra. • Lokomotiv were clearly the dominant force from start to end of the first set – with György Grozer being especially effective in attack and Skra not finding a way to cope with that. • The game was a much closer affair in the second set, where however Lokomotiv edged ahead towards the end to double their lead in the match. • Grozer propelled the home side to an 11-9 lead in the third set and the hosts increased their advantage with the help of Sergey Savin (14-10). Lokomotiv suffered a little drop of concentration towards the end, with Skra scoring three times in a row. However, after a time-out asked by their coach Plamen Konstantinov, Lokomotiv comfortably ended the match in three sets. • György Grozer top scored for the home side with 14 points; Artem Smolyar registered 13, with 10 out of 11 attacks, plus an ace and two blocks. • Lokomotiv recorded their second straight victory in the pool where they have not lost a set yet, whilst Skra have lost two matches in a row. • Lokomotiv will play their next match on January 16 against France’s CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne. Plamen Konstantinov, head coach of Lokomotiv: “My fears were related to the fact that we could lose the game rhythm since we did not play any matches for 10 days, while the opponent had a tough tournament last week. However, both teams, in the end, had their pluses and minuses in the game. The Polish team was tired, also because of the long journey. Therefore, the most important thing was to start the game well, with the right mood and putting pressure on the opponent. For them, it was a great loss that Wlazly suffered that injury. He trained yesterday, everything was fine, and today we were surprised, because Mariusz’s name did not appear on those listed for the game. Skra with Wlazly and without him is like two different teams.” Roberto Piazza, head coach of PGE Skra BELCHATOW: “It was not our best game. On top of this, we did feel the injury suffered yesterday by our captain Wlazly. This played a big role in determining the outcome of this match. Of course, this is not an excuse, because in the Polish national league, we played some games without him, and they turned out more successful for us. However, against such team as Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK, our efforts today were not enough.” Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE (POL) vs. TRENTINO Diatec (ITA) 3-2 (18-25, 24-26, 25-23, 25-16, 15-12) • Zaksa made some kind of early Christmas present to their supporters as they came back from two sets down to pull out a 3-2 victory in the ‘Match of the Week’ with TRENTINO. • TRENTINO set the pace for most of the opening set before Sam Deroo closed in within one point at 11-12 with a terrific ace. However, the trio consisting of Aidan Zingel, Eder Carbonera and Filippo Lanza helped the visitors cruise to a relatively comfortable 25-18 win. • The course of the game did not change in the second set with TRENTINO leading by four points at 10-6. Two blocks on Uros Kovacevic helped Zaksa reduce the gap (13-14) and the hosts eventually edged ahead at 17-16. However, after leading 20-18, Zaksa found themselves trailing 20-22; the score remained close through to 23-all before Renee Teppan came in for TRENTINO and with two consecutive aces sealed a 26-24 win for the visiting team. • The score was close up to 12-all in the third set before Deroo and Mateusz Bieniek powered Zaksa to a 16-14 lead. Luca Vettori scored some terrific spikes to contribute to a 20-17 Italian lead but the course of the game changed again with the help of Polish youngster Rafal Szymura. His serves surprised the Italian defence and Zaksa got back on track, with Rafal Buszek closing the set at 25-23 for the home side. • Zaksa were the dominant force in the fourth set (6-4, 9-6, 11-6, 16-11) and it was again Szymura who played a leading role in propelling the hosts to a landslide 25-16 win. • Szymura and eventual top scorer Maurice Torres joined forces to keep the score tight in the early stages of the tiebreak; Zaksa scored five straight points to claim an edge (9-4) and eventually emerged victorious from such a dramatic game (15-12). Angelo Lorenzetti, head coach of TRENTINO Diatec: “I would like to congratulate Andrea [Gardini] and his team, because they showed that it is worth fighting until the very last second of a match. We made too many mistakes and we ran out of energy towards the end of the match.” ‘Man of the Match’ Rafal Szymura: “We did not look at the result when we were losing; it is so much fun to win with such a team and I am glad that I played an important role after coming in as a substitute, especially since I knew that I had a difficult task ahead.” Noliko MAASEIK (BEL) vs. Arkas IZMIR (TUR) 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 23-25, 25-21, 15-10) • Visitors Gökhan Gökgöz and Michael Sanchez Bozhulev turned their advantage in cm (on average 6 cm per player) into a 14-11 lead, before Timo Tammemaa and Nicolas Bruno levelled the score at 15-15 with an ace apiece. Bruno and Christian Fromm excelled in a neck-and-neck race, but Sebastian Gevert finished it with a massive kill block for Noliko (25-23). • Thanks to Mustafa Koç’s ace, Arkas IZMIR claimed another five-point lead (14-9) in the second set. Setter Jay Blankenau helped Noliko close in at 18-19, but Fromm blocked away Gevert’s spike for the equaliser. Mert Matic sealed the first set win for the visitors in this Champions League with a lucky ace (25-22). • Full of confidence Glenn Hoag’s team once again stormed away to 15-10 in the third set. With a superb series of serves, Tammemaa closed the gap at once at 15-all. Another thrilling race unfolded, this time a local reception error handed IZMIR another win with the smallest margin (25-23). • The suspense even mounted in set 4: neither side could take a two-point advantage, until Blankenau forced a 16-14 edge with a tricky serve. Sanchez Bozhulev levelled again at 20, but substitutes Jolan Cox and Kamil Rychlicki pulled their team into a tiebreaker (25-21). • With 21-year old Luxembourg spiker Rychlicki on fire, MAASEIK took the lead in the decisive set at 8-4, pulling this bonus through to 15-10 to secure a first victory in this Champions League campaign. • Nicolas Bruno scored the match point and crowned himself best scorer of the locals with 21 points, two less than Sanchez Bozhulev who topped the charts for IZMIR. • The audience at the Steengoed Arena witnessed a unique double challenge at 9-13 in the second set. At first, the video turned Bruno’s spike into an attack out of bounds. However, local coach Joel Banks called for a block touch, and the video challenge confirmed there actually was such touch, eventually giving the point to Noliko. Christian Fromm, player of Arkas IZMIR: “We are very disappointed with this result, especially when we got 2 sets to 1 up, we should have taken the three points. However, after MAASEIK changed their line-up, we started to commit many technical errors and we lost our focus, so this is a bad experience.” Sebastian Gevert, player of Noliko MAASEIK: “Of course, my block point, which gave us the first set, was a very important one. However, in this game, every point was extremely important. You just have to take a look at the score line to realise this!” Nicolas Bruno, player of Noliko: “We won this match by fighting for each point. There was this one big rally in the fourth set that gave us a 19-17 lead. That point gave us the confidence for the tiebreak. This victory is very important, because in our second game, we really had to take some points.”
  9. YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Leg 2 GROUP A Fenerbahce Istanbul 0:3 Sir Safety Perugia GROUP C Chaumont VB 52 Haute-Marne 3:2 Dinamo Moscow Lokomotiv Novosibirsk 3:0 PGE Skra Belchatow GROUP E Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle 3:2 Diatec Trentino Noliko Maaseik 3:2 Arkas Izmir ROUND 1/16, 2nd Leg Jihostroi Ceske Budeiovice 1:3 Hapoel Mate-Aher Akko Arcada Galati 3:0 Kladno Volejbal GFC Ajaccio 3:0 Calcit Kamnik Omonia Nicosia 3:2 Volley Amriswil Vojvodina NS-Seme Novi Sad 3:1 Barkom-Kazhany Lviv Ziraat Bankasi Ankara 3:2 SCM U Craiova Posojilnica AICH\DOB 3:0 Jedinstvo Bjelo Polje Lindeman Aalst 3:0 Drasma Dynamo Apeldoorn Shakhtior Soligorsk 3:1 Hurikani Loimaa Calzedonia Verona 3:0 Ribnica Kraljevo QUALIFIED TO THE NEXT ROUND: Hapoel Mate-Asher Akko Arcada Galati GFC Ajaccio Volley Amriswil Vojvodina NS-Seme Novi Sad Ziraat Bankasi Ankara Posojilnica AICH/DOB Lindemas Aalst Shakhtior Soligorsk Calzedonia Verona ROUND 1/16, 2nd Leg Gazprom-Urga Surgut 3:0 Penzyugor Budapest Orion Doetinchem 3:0 Levski Sofia (GOLDEN SET: 15-13) CEZ Karlovarsko 3:0 Mladost Zagreb Biogas Nafaels 3:1 Union Reifeissen Waldviertel PAR-KY Menen 3:1 Volley Schoenenwerd Parnu VK 3:0 Pafiakos Pafos Fonte Bastardo Azores 3:0 Lokomotiv Baku (GOLDEN SET: 23-25) Maliye Piyango SK Ankara 3:0 VKP Bystrina SPU Nitra Stroitel Minsk 3:0 Lausanne UC Foinikas Syros 3:2 Viking Bergen CSU Steaua Bucaresti 3:0 KDS Sport Kosice Lokomotiv Kharkiv 3:1 Volejbal Brno QUALIFIED TO THE NEXT ROUND: Gazprom-Urga Surgut Orion Doetinchem CEZ Karlovarsko Biogas Nafaels PAR-KY Menen Parnu VK Lokomotiv Baku Maliye Piyango SK Ankara Stroitel Minsk Foinikas Syros CSU Steaua Bucaresti Volejbal Brno
  10. TODAY'S SCHEDULE Leg 2 GROUP A Fenerbahce Istanbul - Sir Safety Perugia GROUP C Chaumont VB 52 Haute-Marne - Dinamo Moscow Lokomotiv Novosibirsk - PGE Skra Belchatow GROUP E Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle - Diatec Trentino Noliko Maaseik - Arkas Izmir ROUND 1/16, 2nd Leg Jihostroi Ceske Budeiovice - Hapoel Mate-Aher Akko Arcada Galati - Kladno Volejbal GFC Ajaccio - Calcit Kamnik Omonia Nicosia - Volley Amriswil Vojvodina NS-Seme Novi Sad - Barkom-Kazhany Lviv Ziraat Bankasi Ankara - SCM U Craiova Posojilnica AICH\DOB - Jedinstvo Bjelo Polje Lindeman Aalst - Drasma Dynamo Apeldoorn Shakhtior Soligorsk - Hurikani Loimaa Calzedonia Verona - Ribnica Kraljevo ROUND 1/16, 2nd Leg Gazprom-Urga Surgut - Penzyugor Budapest Orion Doetinchem - Levski Sofia CEZ Karlovarsko - Mladost Zagreb Biogas Nafaels - Union Reifeissen Waldviertel PAR-KY Menen - Volley Schoenenwerd Parnu VK - Pafiakos Pafos Fonte Bastardo Azores - Lokomotiv Baku Maliye Piyango SK Ankara - VKP Bystrina SPU Nitra Stroitel Minsk - Lausanne UC Foinikas Syros - Viking Bergen CSU Steaua Bucaresti - KDS Sport Kosice Lokomotiv Kharkiv - Volejbal Brno Watch games at: https://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball
  11. Olympiacos win golden set to snatch qualification Luxembourg, December 19, 2017. Greece’s Olympiacos PIRAEUS and Portugal’s Benfica LISBOA celebrated on Tuesday with their tickets to the 8th Finals of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Men. Here are the full #CEVCupM results from Tuesday, 19th December 2017: The drama unfolded after France’s TOURS VB managed to please their fans with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-20) shutout of Olympiacos, which tied the overall score between the two teams. The Greeks had also delivered a straight-set win at home in the first-leg match, so it was all to be decided in a Golden Set. Olympiacos persevered for a 15-11 win to emerge victorious with a spot in the next round. It was far less dramatic in Austria. Benfica had won in straight sets at home in the first leg against UVC Holding GRAZ, so all the Portuguese squad had to do is replicate their performance in the away game. They did so in a convincing fashion – a 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-18) victory hammered out in just 68 minutes, with Milija Mrdak contributing 16 points to top the scorers’ charts of the match.
  12. Straight-setters propel Belogorie, Dukla, ACH Volley and Asseco Resovia to next round of CEV Cup Luxembourg, December 19, 2017. The first four eighthfinalists of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Cup - Men emerged on Tuesday, all of them mastering straight-set victories over their opponents in the second-leg matches of the 16th Finals. Russia’s Belogorie BELGOROD, Czech Republic’s Dukla LIBEREC, Slovenia’s ACH Volley LJUBLJANA and Poland’s Asseco Resovia RZESZOW are all through to the next round. Here are the full #CEVCupM results from Tuesday, 19th December 2017: Reports received: Belogorie win clash of the 40-and-above Just like two weeks ago in Sofia, the match was over in straight sets with powerful domination of the Russian squad – 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-10). This match could be called an ordinary one, but some features made it look unlike the others. First, on both sides of the court Volleyball fans could see the oldest players of their respective national leagues – 44-year-old Ivaylo Stefanov in CSKA SOFIA and 42-year-old Sergey Tetyukhin in Belogorie BELGOROD. Both of them scored six points each for their teams, and both showed the way to play Volleyball to their young partners. The second and the most impressive feature of the match was Russian giant Dmitriy Muserskiy playing the whole match in position 4, and it was not bad at all. Muserskiy made 14 receptions without any errors and showed an impressive 62% success rate in attack – 13 of his 21 spikes touched the floor on the Bulgarian side. After the match CSKA’s head coach Alexander Popov said he was not surprised to see Muserskiy in position 4, as two weeks ago he made the same trick with Hristo Tsvetanov in Sofia. “It’s fashionable now,” the Bulgarian mentor joked. “We were very, very happy to play against such a great team. This is a great experience for us,” Popov summarised their performance in this duel. Belogorie’s assistant coach Alexandr Bogomolov said he was satisfied with the result and with the chance to try out all the players on the court. “We could try different combinations of the players on court which can help us in future.” Now Belogorie BELGOROD are waiting for the final result in the clash between Jihostroj CESKE BUDEJOVICE and Hapoel MATE-ASHER AKKO to know their next opponent in the 8th Finals. ACH Volley do not allow another drama against OK NOVI PAZAR The home team started determined from the beginning and very quickly took the lead. The Serbian side did not take their opportunities, so ACH Volley extended the gap wide open before Jan Pokeršnik closed the deal at 25-13. In the second set it was not that easy for the Slovenian champions. OK NOVI PAZAR managed to play on a higher level and for the first time in the game they were leading by two points at 10-8. The two teams continued taking turns in the lead. When, after what went on in the first match, another drama seemed to be in the making, Jan Pokeršnik was once again the man who finished the set, this time at a much tighter 25-23. In the third set the home team started better than the opponents and quickly gained the advantage. ACH Volley stayed focused throughout the set, but towards the end let the lead slip away as NOVI PAZAR tied it at 24-24. However, in the next two rallies the Orange Dragons showed a better performance and won the set (26-24) and the match (3-0). Zoran Kedačič, coach of ACH Volley LJUBLJANA: “I am happy that we started the match at our home venue very well. The visiting team was a little sleepy at the beginning and we managed to take advantage of that. We knew the other sets would be much tighter than the first one was. We were playing very focused today and I would like to congratulate my team for that.” Andrija Vilimanović, player of OK NOVI PAZAR: '“Today we didn't show our best performance. We had troubles in our team because our best players got injured and couldn't play. This obviously had an impact on us and our game. Even though we lost the first set very quickly, we thought we would come back, but we just didn't stand the chance.” Schöps and Śliwka drive Resovia to straight-set win Poland’s Asseco Resovia RZESZOW defeated Finland’s Perungan Pojat ROVANIEMI in three sets, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-19), in the second-leg match between them. Perungan Pojat started better, opening an 8-3 lead in the first set. The home team finally managed to catch up at 16-16. In the decisive moments, bocks by Jochen Schöps and Marcin Mozdzonek gave Resovia a two-point lead (23-21), and the last point fell after the effective action of Thibault Rossard for 25-22. Effective in spiking and serving, Asseco Resovia’s players gained a 9-3 advantage in the second set. A well-performing Schöps was well supported by his teammates, as Aleksander Śliwka attacked successfully for 13-5. The opponents “chipped in” with some simple mistakes towards the eventual 25-20. The two sides fought point for point until 6-6 in the third set. With Mozdzonek contributing from the serving line and Dawid Dryja in blocking, Resovia stepped forward to an 11-9 lead, which they eventually stretched to 25-19 for a victorious outcome of the match. Aleksander Śliwka, player of Asseco Resovia RZESZOW: “We are very pleased with the result. We slept a little bit at the beginning of the first set, but we managed to get back to our game rhythm. Our goal for this match was to win without losing a set and carrying out our tactical assumptions. We have completed the plan at 100%.” Dawid Dryja, player of Asseco Resovia RZESZOW: “We are pleased with the victory over Perungan Pojat ROVANIEMI. This win gave us promotion to the next round of the CEV Cup. The Finns were a demanding rival today and we are happy that we took another step towards this trophy.”
  13. JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel and VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN continue their fine form in CLVolleyM Luxembourg, December 19, 2017. As we commenced another week of Champions League action, it was two teams who got off to a positive start in the 1st Leg who continued their winning ways, each securing a straight sets win. JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel from Poland dominated around the court and swept aside Spacer's TOULOUSE VB in Pool D, while over in Pool B it was the German side of VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN who walked off winners against Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA. Action continues on Wednesday with five more matches as we near the New Year break. JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel (POL) vs. Spacer's TOULOUSE VB (FRA) 3-0 (25-10, 25-21, 25-20) In the first set, the outside hitter of JASTRZĘBSKI Węgiel Salvador Hidalgo Oliva finished all four attacks that he made. Finally, he scored 20 points across the three sets. After two sets the opposite of JASTRZĘBSKI Węgiel Maciej Muzaj had 80 per cent efficiency in attack (finished 8 out of 10 of his offensive actions). In the whole match he scored an efficiency level of 76%. After two legs of the 4th Round, JASTRZĘBSKI Węgiel are the leader of Pool D having not yet dropped a set. Bruno Temponi Araujo was the best scorer for Spacer’s TOULOUSE VB (11 points) Jakub Popiwczak, libero of JASTRZEBSKI Węgiel, said: “Today the French team didn’t cause any real problems for us or maybe we from the very beginning showed them who would rule in this match. Our results show that generally we play better at home than away from home.” Stéphane Sapinart, coach of Spacer’s TOULOUSE VB, said: “Today JASTRZĘBSKI Węgiel played very well, especially in service. We had big problems with reception. With such quality of reception like we had, it’s difficult to play against such team as JASTRZĘBSKI Węgiel.” Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA (FIN) vs. VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (GER) 0-3 (22-25, 15-25, 15-25) VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN gave no chance to Ford Store Levoranta, with the host team making a lot more mistakes than the German team. The visitors got 20 points across the three sets from home team errors. The Germans were much better in service/reception play and their attacks were very efficient across the width of the net. Only 183 cm tall outside hitter Athanasios Protopsaltis was a key figure in the match scoring 15 points, more than anyone else on the court. Opposite Urpo Sivula was the best scorer of the Finnish team with 14 points. There was again a nice crowd of spectators (2,450) for the second home match of Ford Store Levoranta played in Energia Areena, Vantaa Simon Tischer of VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN said: “We are of course satisfied. We took three points and we played the kind of Volleyball that we wanted to play. A nice evening for us. The opponent has very good players, but we kept our patience and tried to limit our mistakes.” Coach of VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Vital Heynen: “We had problems in the first set, but after that our game became better. Three points is a good result for us. Ford Store Levoranta is a very good team, which had a bad day today but they will be better next time we play early next year.” Mikko Esko of Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA commented: “The start of the match was okay, but in the two other sets we did not play well. We could never break their reception. I am quite unhappy after this kind of match.” Coach Sami Kurttila of Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA said: “Our serve and reception play was not good today. We knew that their service and attacks are very powerful and so they proved to be. I am very disappointed of course of our play. We must now take a little rest and start to concentrate on the next matches.”
  14. TODAY'S RESULTS LEG 2 GROUP B Ford Store Levoranta Sastamala 0:3 VFB Friedrichshafen GROUP D Jastrzebski Wegiel 3:0 Spacers Touolouse ROUND 1/16, 2nd Leg Belogorie Belgorord 3:0 CSKA Sofia ACH Volley Ljubljana 3:0 OK Novi Pazar Asseco Resovia Rzeszow 3:0 Perungan Pojat Rovaniemi Neftochimik 2010 Burgas 3:0 Dukla Liberec Qualified to next Round: Belogorie Belgorod Ach Volley Ljubljana Asseco Resovia Rzeszow Neftochimik 2010 Burgas ROUND 1/16, 2nd Leg Tours VB 3:0 Olympiacos Piraeus ( GOLDEN SET 11-15 ) UVC Holding Graz 0:3 Benfica Lisboa Qualofied to next Round: Olympiacos Piraeus Benfica Lisboa
  15. TODAY'S SCHEDULE LEG 2 GROUP B Ford Store Levoranta Sastamala - VFB Friedrichshafen GROUP D Jastrzebski Wegiel - Spacers Touolouse ROUND 1/16, 2nd Leg Belogorie Belgorord - CSKA Sofia ACH Volley Ljubljana - OK Novi Pazar Asseco Resovia Rzeszow - Perungan Pojat Rovaniemi Neftochimik 2010 Burgas - Dukla Liberec ROUND 1/16, 2nd Leg Tours VB - Olympiacos Piraeus UVC Holding Graz - Benfica Lisboa Watch games at: https://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball
  16. Skra LUBE will be the new World Champion i feel
  17. Awful finale to the Nathan Wounembaina case - CEV ruled against Tours VB's complaint and decided that the monkey sounds directed at the player were not racism. Actually, they admit the fans did abuse the player and made monkey sounds towards him, but decided that this was not rascism, but rather discriminations, and there is not any legal way they can punish Olympiacos Piraeus. This is one of the darkest day in the history of volleyball, perhaps even sport as a whole. They basically just said "OK, be racist if you want, we don't really give a s**t". I would not be surprised if the ammount of similar events will now drastically increase.
  18. You can legally wztch games of the Club World Championship starting in z few hours on FIVB official youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/videoFIVB
  19. Yet another moronic step backward by the FIVB Instead of adding a normal Division II with 16 teams, and amongst them the teams from this year's division II in World League, they now decided that the lower division will have only 6 teams, and we do not even understand how the qualification works. Only in Europe there is a tournament which may serve as a qualification. I have no doubt that in case of Africa or even Asia money will decide the participant.
  20. FIVB Executive Committee embraces digital transformation Lausanne, Switzerland, December 7, 2017 – The FIVB’s Executive Committee has approved plans to push forward with a brand new digital transformation project for 2018, ensuring that fan experience remains the key driver in the organisation’s vision to become the world’s number one family sport. The project, which will be unveiled in the new year, will put fans at the heart of the volleyball experience when the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) makes its debut in May 2018. “We are making history in our sport. The digital transformation is not only irreversible and unavoidable, but it is essential in helping us grow,” said FIVB President, Dr. Ary S. Graça F°. “This digital transformation project will bring the action even closer to the fans, wherever they are in the world.” FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° addresses the FIVB Executive Committee Innovation has been a key part of the agenda since President Graça began his first term in 2012. In recent years, the FIVB has become a leader in utilising technology for fan engagement, for both spectators in stadium and those watching around the world. Members of the Committee also had the opportunity to learn about other potential technological developments for the sport relating to 1) the standardisation of national and international team rankings and 2) the optimisation of volleyball and beach volleyball calendars. The meeting was an opportunity for the Executive Committee to agree on the format of the inaugural FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup, a competition for both men and women which will run in concurrence with the VNL. The Challenger Cup will consist of teams not participating in the current edition of the Volleyball Nations League and will feature one host team and five teams from the five continental confederations as follows: The Continental Confederations, responsible for determining the teams that will qualify for the FIVB Challenger Cup, are free to organise their Continental Qualification Tournament or use an existing competition to define the qualified team(s). The FIVB Challenger Cup will be held before the FIVB Volleyball Nations League Finals and the winner will earn the right to participate in the FIVB Promotion Playoff, competing against the fourth ranked challenger team at the end of the round robin phase of the VNL. The winner of that playoff will automatically qualify for the 2019 FIVB VNL. It was also announced that the bidding process for the 2022 Volleyball World Championship will open in February 2018. Members of the Executive Committee also discussed possible changes to the FIVB Constitution and regulations as President Graça emphasised the importance of good governance and transparency in the running of the sport: “Together we have talked about transparency and the need for good governance. We are launching a new FIVB, and this will make us even stronger throughout the sports world.” The FIVB is now part of the ASOIF Governance Task Force, the group that is mandated with helping International Federations to promote and ensure a culture of good governance within their structures. President Graça pointed out the different aspects of good governance that can be improved at the FIVB. All proposals that imply changes to the Constitution must be presented to the Congress next year.
  21. This is how the groups will look in 2nd in 3rd group stage ( in the first stage, from groups A-D, 4 national teams will advance) GROUP E GROUP F GROUP G GROUP H A-1 B-1 C-1 D-1 B-2 A-2 D-2 B-2 C-3 A-3 D-3 C-3 D-4 C-4 B-4 A-4 From Round 2, all group winners and two best second placed teams qualify The Groups in 3rd round will be decided by a draw, so each team may again draw the same opponent they played against before, BUT the 2nd placed teams can not be in the same group GROUP I GROUP J E/F-1/2 E/F-1/2 G/H-1/2 E/F-1/2 2nd placed team 2nd placed team Then of course there will be 5th place match, semifinals and medal matches.
  22. Awful, disgusting incident took place yesterday during the Challenge cup game between Olympiacos Piraeus and Tours VB . Whenever the Cameroonian player of the French Club, Nathan Wounembaina made contact with the ball, especially when he was serving, some Greek fans were insulting him and making monkey noises What's worse when the player wanted to talk with a CEV official after the game, he was ignored More details http://www.volleywood.net/leagues/greece-leagues/greek-fans-versus-cameroons-nathan-wounembaina/
  23. Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK storm to comprehensive victory in Russian derby Luxembourg, December 7, 2017. The gold medal winners from the 2013 edition, Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK started their journey with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Dinamo MOSCOW in an eagerly anticipated Russian derby. The first Lokomotiv’s victory over the Muscovites in three years. The Belgian reigning national champions of Knack ROESELARE caught a flying start to their campaign in Pool A as they stormed to a 3-1 away victory over Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL in Turkey. Later VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN hosted Turkey’s national champions Halkbank ANKARA and the home team strode to a 3-1 win (99 points to 88). Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL (TUR) vs. Knack ROESELARE (BEL) 1-3 (20-25, 19-25, 25-21, 16-25) • Despite an early lead for Fenerbahce (8-6), Knack ROESELARE edged ahead at the second technical break (16-13) and won the opening set 25-20. • Knack ROESELARE set the pace of the game from start to finish in the second set (8-4, 16-11, 25-19). • Despite enjoying a small lead at both technical timeouts, Knack ROESELARE could not hold on to it and Fenerbahce won the third set 25-21. • Knack ROESELARE were the dominant force in the fourth set where their supremacy was never in danger (8-3, 16-7, 25-16). Veljko Basic, head coach of Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL: “This is not a good start to our Champions League campaign but Knack ROESELARE played very well, especially with their serve, and we had some real problems with that. I think the second match will be a completely different story, since we know what we have to do and how to prepare for this match. They surprised us with their aggressiveness and serve. They won because they were the better team this evening.” Emile Rousseaux, head coach of Knack ROESELARE: “I think everybody knows that we play differently than any other team and this makes us stand out in many ways. We do use float serves without too much spin, and often resort to jump float serves. This is rather unusual and one of our main assets, also when playing at home in Belgium. We do not have particularly good players from a physical standpoint; actually, we have rather normal qualities but certainly not outstanding and as a result we have to play with speed too. I think that today we showed that we have a good team and that we have developed a good system of play. I want to congratulate my players. I think that tonight you could see some big difference between these two teams.” VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (GER) vs. Halkbank ANKARA (TUR) 3-1 (25-14, 25-23, 21-25, 28-26) • VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN won their first opening match in the group phase of the CEV Volleyball Champions League since 2013 when they won in five sets against Hypo Tirol INNSBRUCK. While the last time they had the lead in their group after the opening match was back in 2010. • Challenge-challenge in the second set. Vital Heynen kept FRIEDRICHSHAFEN’s lead of 21-19 instead of 20-20 alive by a successful challenge, a key moment in the match. • It was a statistically amazing first set for FRIEDRICHSHAFEN with 83% kills after positive reception, five blocks and three service winners. • Cheers. Vital Heynen delivered on his promise “beer-bet” again providing all attending fans with some beer. Vital Heynen, head coach of VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN said: “ANKARA is no bad playing team, but we are in a good shape at the moment. Last year we needed one more point to make it to the next round. I think we are on a good way." Slobodan Kovac, head coach of Halkbank ANKARA commented: “Congratulations to FRIEDRICHSHAFEN. They were the more consequent team tonight. We made too many mistakes and this is not enough against a strong team like this.” Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK (RUS) vs. Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS) 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-22) • Roman Martynyuk, the starting libero of Lokomotiv, suffered an injury before the match – as a result, Valentin Golubev replaced him. • This was the first CEV Volleyball Champions League match this season for Dinamo MOSCOW, whereas Lokomotiv had previously played ACH Volley LJUBLJANA twice in the 3rd Round. • Last weekend Dinamo MOSCOW did not participate in the final stage of the Russian national cup and therefore had a little more time to focus on the match with Lokomotiv. • Lokomotiv claimed their first victory over Dinamo in three years. • György Grozer immediately set the tone of the game for the hosts before Dinamo responded with a series of points scored by Alexey Ostapenko. However, Lokomotiv were able to claim the first set by virtue of their strong defence game. • Dinamo did not pose any real threat to Lokomotiv in the second set – with Sergey Savin being especially effective and NOVOSIBIRSK claiming a landslide 25-17 win. • Grozer paved the way towards a massive 10-4 lead for the home side in the third set but Ostapenko helped Dinamo almost level the score. However, Lokomotiv’s block and defence made the difference, thus resulting in a 3-0 victory for the hosts. • Grozer top scored in the match with 21 points. Plamen Konstantinov, head coach of Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK: “I am pleased with today’s performance and the result, and the quality of our game of course, which is the most important thing. It was important to start with a victory in the group stage, especially at home. The second game will also take place in front of our spectators, and we hope to achieve further success. A 3-0 victory over Dinamo is a great success, and this result can only please us. However, we must think about the next matches and quickly refocus, because in two days we will play again in the Russian national league. It is very important not to lose the spirit.” Boris Kolchin, head coach of Dinamo MOSCOW: “Lokomotiv looked more solid and deserved this victory. They played some tough matches in the final stages of the national cup and this was some kind of an advantage for them. Yes, they did not make it to the final, but it is clear that compared to the beginning of the season, they have developed enormously. We did not manage at the beginning of each set to cope with their spikes, and this somehow affected us. Although we prepared for this match very carefully, we did not execute our plan. In all the decisive moments, Grozer made the difference for Lokomotiv. This is a player, whom I have been lucky to work with in Belgorod. I know all of his strengths and he truly is a great player. We still lack the right attitude and quality but tonight we did everything we could.”
  24. CEV CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND ROBIN STANDINGS after LEG 1 out of 6 Best 2 teams in each group and the best 2 3-rd placed teams will qualify to the play-offs round mw = matches won ml = matches lost pts = points sets = sets won:lost GROUP A Standing Team Name MW (3:2) ML (2:3) PTS Sets 1 Knack Roeslare 1 (0) 0 (0) 3 3:1 2 Sir Safety Perugia 1 (1) 0 (0) 2 3:2 3 Cucine Lube Civitanova 0 (0) 1 (1) 1 2:3 4 Fenerbahce Istanbul 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 1:3 GROUP B Standing Team Name MW (3:2) ML (2:3) PTS Sets 1 VFB Friedrichshafen 1 (0) 0(0) 3 3:1 2 Ford Store Levoranta Sastamala 1 (1) 0 (0) 2 3:2 3 PAOK Thesalloniki 0 (0) 1 (1) 1 2:3 4 Halkbank Ankara 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 1:3 GROUP C Standing Team Name MW (3:2) ML (2:3) PTS Sets 1 Lokomotiv Novosibirsk 1 (0) 0 (0) 3 3:0 2 Chaumont VB 52 Haute Marne 1 (0) 0 (0) 3 3:1 3 PGE Skra Belchatow 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 1:3 4 Dinamo Moscow 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 0:3 GROUP D Standing Team Name MW (3:2) ML (2:3) PTS Sets 1 Jastrzebski Wegiel 1 (0) 0 (0) 3 3:0 2 Zenit Kazan 1 (0) 0 (0) 3 3:1 3 Spacers Toulouse 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 1:3 4 Berlin Recycling Volleys 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 0:3 GROUP E Standing Team Name MW (3:2) ML (2:3) PTS Sets 1 Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle 1 (0) 0 (0) 3 3:0 2 Diatec Trentino 1 (0) 0 (0) 3 3:1 3 Noliko Maaseik 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 1:3 4 Arkas Izmir 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 0:3
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