Volleyball Continental Leagues 2017 - 2018 Discussion Thread

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Bunge RAVENNA cruise to Challenge Cup quarterfinals 

Luxembourg, January 30, 2018. Italy’s Bunge RAVENNA became the first 2018 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Men quarterfinalist after claiming a second straight-set victory against Volejbal BRNO on Tuesday, this time away, in the Czech Republic.



Volejbal BRNO (CZE) vs. Bunge RAVENNA (ITA) 0-3 (23-25, 27-29, 23-25)

•    Volejbal BRNO put up much more of a fight than they did in the first-leg match in Italy, but still failed to win a set.
•    All three sets ended at the smallest possible difference of two points.
•    In the second set, the home team even missed out on two set points before losing by 27-29 well into the overtime.
•    Paul Buchegger was the best scorer of the match with 24 points for Bunge RAVENNA.
•    Bunge’s quarterfinal opponent will be either Portugal’s Sport LISBOA e Benfica or Romania’s CSA Steaua BUCURESTI.

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TODAY'S SCHEDULE
 

 

LEG 4

 

POOL A

Fenerbahce Istanbul - Cucine Lube Civitanova

SIR Safety Perugia - Knack Roeselare

 

POOL B

VFB Friedrichshafen - PAOK Thesalloniki

 

POOL C

PGE Skra Belchatow - Dinamo Moscow

Lokomotiv Novosibirsk - Chaumont VolleyBall 52  Haute Marne

 

POOL D

Jastrzebski Wegiel - Zenit Kazan

 

ROUND 1/8, 2nd Leg

GFC Ajaccio - Volley Amriswil

Asseco Resovia Rzeszow - Vojvodina NS Seme Novi Sad

Evivo Duren -   Ziraat Bankasi Ankara 

Lindemans Aalst - Posojilnica Aich/Dob

Montpellier Volley UC - Shakhter Soligorsk

Calzedonia Verona - Dukla Liberec

 

ROUND 1/8, 2nd Leg

Orion Doetinchem - Gazprom Urga Surgut

Biogas Volleys Nafaels -  CEZ Karlovarsko

Par-Ky Menen - Parnu VK

Stroitel Minsk - Maliye Piyango SK Ankara

Montana - Foinikas Syrou

 Benfica Lisboa -   Steaua Bucaresti

 

Watch games at: https://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
 

 

LEG 4

 

POOL A

 Fenerbahce Istanbul 0-3  Cucine Lube Civitanova

 SIR Safety Perugia 3-0  Knack Roeselare

 

POOL B

 VFB Friedrichshafen 3-0  PAOK Thesalloniki

 

POOL C

 PGE Skra Belchatow 3-1  Dinamo Moscow

 Lokomotiv Novosibirsk  3-1  Chaumont VolleyBall 52  Haute Marne

 

POOL D

 Jastrzebski Wegiel 0-3  Zenit Kazan

 

ROUND 1/8, 2nd Leg

 GFC Ajaccio 3-0  Volley Amriswil

 Asseco Resovia Rzeszow 3-0  Vojvodina NS Seme Novi Sad

 Evivo Duren 2-3  Ziraat Bankasi Ankara 

 Lindemans Aalst 3-0   Posojilnica Aich/Dob

 Montpellier Volley UC 2-3  Shakhter Soligorsk

 Calzedonia Verona 3-0  Dukla Liberec

 

Qualified to next Round:

 GFC Ajaccio

 Asseco Resovia Rzeszow

 Ziraat Bankasi Ankara

 Lindemans Aalst

 Montpellier Volley UC

 Calzedonia Verona

 

 

ROUND 1/8, 2nd Leg

 Orion Doetinchem 0-3  Gazprom Urga Surgut

 Biogas Volleys Nafaels 3-2  CEZ Karlovarsko

 Par-Ky Menen 3-0  Parnu VK

 Stroitel Minsk 2-3  Maliye Piyango SK Ankara

 Montana 2-3  Foinikas Syrou

 Benfica Lisboa 3-1   Steaua Bucarestik

 

Qualified to next Round:

Gazprom Urga Surgut

Biogas Volley Nafaels

Par-Ky Menen

Maliye Piyango SK Ankara

Montana

Benfica Lisboa

 

 

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Lokomotiv, Zenit, PERUGIA and ‘Häfler’ through to Playoffs 12 after fourth straight win 
2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Men 

 

Luxembourg, January 31, 2018. On Wednesday, Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK became the first team to progress to the Playoffs 12 of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Men after recording a fourth victory in as many matches they have contested in Pool C this far. Lokomotiv beat CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne for the second time in two weeks, this time doing so in four sets. Zenit KAZAN, VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN and Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA emulated Lokomotiv later in the evening as they all recorded a fourth straight win in their pool as well to secure their spot in the Playoff round. As for the ‘Match of the Week’, almost 10,000 fans witnessed hosts PGE Skra BELCHATOW claim a 3-1 win over Dinamo MOSCOW to remain in contention for a spot in the next stage of the competition.  

Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL (TUR) vs. Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA (ITA) 0-3 (20-25, 19-25, 18-25) 

•    Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA claimed their third win in four matches they have played in Pool A this far. 
•    The visitors from Italy soon claimed an early lead in the opening set (8-4) and they extended it to five points (16-11) before their overall solid performance resulted in a 25-20 win. 

 

•    CIVITANOVA soared to an 8-5 early in the second set before Fenerbahce drew level at 12-all. However, Lube broke away shortly afterwards (16-13) and comfortably took the set 25-19. 
•    History repeated itself in the third set with Lube leading the way (8-7) and sealing a 3-0 victory in the end. 

Dragan Stankovic, team captain of Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA: “It was an important match for us – we played this game only three days after losing the final of the Italian national cup. We came here to win and caught a good start to the match. It was important to start each set in the best way and to put pressure on Fenerbahce.”  

Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA (ITA) vs. Knack ROESELARE (BEL) 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-17)

•    Another three-point victory for PERUGIA to cement their leadership in Pool A and secure their progression to the Playoff round.  
•    This was a great match for Alexander Berger, who played from the beginning of the game and chipped in with 14 points. 
•    The end of the second set was crucial for PERUGIA. Trailing 21-22, the hosts managed to pull out a series of four straight points, including two aces by Aaron Russell. 
•    The last one to raise the white flag on the Belgian side was their opposite Hendrik Tuerlinckx, who scored a total of 17 points. 
•    More than 3,000 people attended the match at PalaEvangelisti, also to celebrate their team’s recent success in the Italian national cup. 

 

 

Alexander Berger, player of Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA: “This game was very difficult because we did not have so much time between the finals of Coppa Italia and today’s match. We knew we had to win this match if we want to finish first in the pool. We did a good job, I think.” 

Hendrik Tuerlinckx, player of Knack ROESELARE: “We were not good enough. PERUGIA are in full swing, they just won the national cup, and you could see they have a lot of confidence. At home we could do something more, but today we were just not good enough.” 

VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (GER) vs. PAOK THESSALONIKI (GRE) 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-18)

•    ZF Arena is a fortress that none can capture this season. VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN scored the third 3-0 victory in a row at home in this CEV Champions League campaign.
•    As many as 2,290 spectators went to see the game between FRIEDRICHSHAFEN and PAOK THESSALONIKI, 120 of them fans of the Greek team. This is a new attendance record for FRIEDRICHSHAFEN in this Champions League season.
•    The “German Greek” was on fire. Athanasios Protopsaltis seized the night to be the top scorer with 14 points for VfB FRIEDRICHSHASFEN. On the Greek side, Nikolay Uchikov scored 12 times.
•    The Häfler have made it to the next round. Now they focus on the remaining games against Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA and Halkbank ANKARA in an effort to top Pool B after six games.
•    Still unbeaten this season. VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN won their 23rd game in a row by combining Champions League, German Supercup, German cup and national championship.

 

Simon Tischer, captain of VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN: “I am proud of the team, but not very proud. There are still things to improve. But the team did a very good job tonight and we are very glad that we have already made it to the next round.”

Athanasios Terzis, player of PAOK THESSALONIKI: “VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN was the better team tonight. We tried to do better but we could not. I really want to thank our fans who cheered for us like crazy. They made it feel like a home game.” 

PGE Skra BELCHATOW (POL) vs. Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS) 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 25-23)

•    PGE Skra BELCHATOW defeated Dinamo MOSCOW to move closer to the top of the standing in Pool C. The Polish powerhouse never failed to make it through the group stage in Europe’s elite club competition and this win may become crucial to maintain their perfect record.
•    The ‘Match of the Week’ did not disappoint nearly 10,000 spectators in attendance at Atlas Arena in Lodz and the viewers of the live streaming. After three sets full of emotions, with the score remaining close until the last point, PGE Skra BELCHATOW delivered a great performance in the fourth set, which became a real fiesta for all the black-and-yellow fans. 
•    Mariusz Wlazly was the home team hero once again, scoring 24 points and killing an amazing number of 17 attacks out of 32. The PGE Skra captain took a lot of responsibility, killing many counter-attacks and adding four blocks to his personal tally. The opposition blocked Wlazly only one time (sic!) and he did not miss any of his attacks. 
•    Bartosz Bednorz gave his captain great support from the left wing, scoring 17 points, and Srecko Lisinac added 10 from the middle. The second setter of PGE Skra, Marcin Janusz, proved once again to be a valuable backup for the injured Grzegorz Lomacz, doing a great job in his first such important match in this competition. On the other side of the net, Sergey Antipkin did not manage to put his colleagues on such a high level.
•    Pavel Kruglov scored 15 points for Dinamo MOSCOW, while Alexander Markin added 12, but the attack percentage of the latter was much higher, i.e. 56% vs. 39%. Kruglov, Markin and Alexey Ostapenko did a good job to keep the fourth-ranked team of the Russian national league in play, scoring 12 points in the second set. 

 

We experienced many problems in this match, and we did not feel well physically. We showed everything we could, but it was not enough. We could not find our rhythm of play, we did not have a good connection with our second setter,” stated Dick Kooy, who left the court for Yury Berezhko in the third and from the beginning of the fourth set.

“We played one of the best matches of the season. I am happy we stayed united throughout the whole match, each player put something to that win and gave the right support to his colleagues. It was not an easy win as we were forced to come from behind many times, but finally we managed to win and it will give us a lot of confidence in the coming weeks,” said home star Mariusz Wlazly.

“We broke Dinamo in the third set, while trailing 8-12 and starting to serve very well, adding blocks and spectacular counter-attacks. It was the crucial moment of the game. We received great support from the fans in Lodz, it was amazing,” summed up PGE Skra mentor Roberto Piazza. 

Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK (RUS) vs. CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne (FRA) 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-18) 

•    Lokomotiv and CHAUMONT played for the provisional leadership in Pool C. 
•    The roster of Lokomotiv for this match included three setters – but their latest addition Sergei Andrievskii eventually never took to the court. 
•    CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne claimed a very close first set by cashing their first set ball. 
•    György Grozer claimed two set balls for Lokomotiv at the end of the second set and the hosts sealed a 25-22 win with a powerful attack by Sergey Savin.
•    Lokomotiv had a comfortable advantage at the second technical time-out of the third set (16-11) and after an ace by Arslan Eksi they moved the score to 23-16, practically closing the set in their favour. 
•    The fourth set was a close affair most of the time but Lokomotiv emerged victorious to secure their fourth straight victory and with it a spot in the Playoffs. 
•    Grozer top scored with 29 points, followed by Savin (11). Stéphen Boyer recorded 16 points for the visitors. 
•    Lokomotiv will play their next match in Pool C mid-February in Poland against PGE Skra BELCHATOW. 

 

Plamen Konstantinov, head coach of Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK: “The main goal that the team had to achieve was fulfilled. It was imperative to win this match in order to secure our spot in the Playoffs. It is not that everything went fine, as we had problems in reception and at blocking as well. In short, there were elements that I am not particularly satisfied with but I am satisfied with the result.” 

Mikhail Shcherbakov, player of Lokomotiv: “Yes, we lost the first set, however you cannot always perform at the top. We made many mistakes and we eventually gave the set away. It is the one making fewer mistakes that wins; that is the law in Volleyball. We are satisfied with the result, but no one of us is happy with the game, everyone wanted to perform better, especially in front of our home fans.” 

Daniel Jansen Vandoorn, player of CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne: “Lokomotiv is a very strong team. Obviously, we surprised them in the first set. Unfortunately, it did not turn out to continue the same way, as we could not keep the same high level that we showed at the beginning of the match. They were definitely stronger than us and especially in reception. Being weaker in such key elements, you cannot win against a team like Lokomotiv. We are very disappointed.” 

JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel (POL) vs. Zenit KAZAN (RUS) 0-3 (24-26, 20-25, 18-25)

•    Alexey Verbov, libero of Zenit KAZAN, celebrated his 36th birthday on the day of the clash against JASTRZĘBSKI Węgiel.
•    Wilfredo Leon, outside hitter of Zenit KAZAN was the best scorer of the night, finishing the match with 15 points.
•    None of the players of JASTRZĘBSKI Węgiel recorded a double-figure number of points in this match. 
•    Block was the strongest weapon of Zenit KAZAN. The Russian team scored 12 points in this element of the game. 
•    More than 3,000 spectators attended the match, thus accounting for a full house. The tickets for this clash were sold out in 2.5 hours. 

Patryk Strzeżek, opposite hitter of JASTRZĘBSKI Węgiel: “We couldn’t play worse than in the first match against Zenit in Kazan. We wanted to rub out the stain from that match and play good Volleyball against the reigning world champions. We did it only in the first set where small details decided about their win. Zenit is a team that does not forgive any such mistakes. For us the key will be the next match against Spacer’s TOULOUSE which we have to win by taking three points.” 

Wilfredo Leon, outside hitter of Zenit KAZAN: “It was a harder match than two weeks ago in Kazan, but the most important thing is that we won it 3-0. JASTRZĘBSKI Węgiel under their new coach have some real chances of progressing to the Playoffs.” 
 

 

[VolleyRuller96 264]

Luxembourg, January 31, 2018.  Poland’s Asseco Resovia RZESZOW, Turkey’s Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA, France’s GFC AJACCIO VB and MONTPELLIER Volley UC, Italy’s Calzedonia VERONA and Belgium’s  Lindemans AALST all qualified for the quarterfinals of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Cup - Men on Wednesday, joining Russia's Belogorie BELGOROD and Slovenia's ACH Volley LJUBLJANA, who made it among the best eight of the competition on Tuesday.

Here are the full results and the match reports received:






Asseco Resovia RZESZOW (POL) vs. Vojvodina NS Seme NOVI SAD (SRB) 3-0 (25-20, 28-26, 25-21)



•    Asseco Resovia RZESZOW quickly gained a five-point advantage, before cruising comfortably to a 25-20 win, shaped up with an attack by Jakub Jarosz, who scored seven times in the first set.
•    In the second set, Vojvodina NS Seme NOVI SAD played much better, but the decisive points were won by the home team, securing progression to the next round with a 28-26 close. Aleksander Śliwka was the best scorer of this set with six points, as many as those scored by Jarosz.
•    In the third set, Vojvodina failed to concentrate. The final point was won by Lukasz Perlowski with a kill block.
•    Jakub Jarosz was the best scorer of the game with 14 points. Miran Kujundzic scored 13 times for Vojvodina.

Dominik Depowski, player of Asseco Resovia RZESZOW: “We played a good match. In two of the sets the opponents fought and were close to winning, but ultimately we emerged victorious and advanced to the next round. We are already focusing on the next match.”

Vuk Todorovic, player of Vojvodina NS Seme NOVI SAD: “Resovia played a very good match. We fought, but that was not enough. Congratulations to Asseco Resovia for the victory and the qualification to the next round. We wish them luck!”

SWD powervolleys DÜREN (GER) vs. Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA (TUR) 2-3 (25-27, 18-25, 25-19, 25-23, 9-15)



•    The shortest player of Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA, setter Ulaş Kıyak, delivered two crucial blocks at the end of the first set and closed the set at 27-25.
•    Dawid Konarski brought back Ziraat in the second set with his serves. First, he gave his team a 9-8 lead coming back from 3-8 down. Then he helped his side to an 18-14 lead. This helped silence SWD powervolleys DÜREN and decide who is going to the quarterfinals.
•    Both teams resorted to subs from the start of the third set. SWD powervolleys’ defence and blocking were much sharper at the end of the set. So they avoided being swept in straight sets. Although Ziraat Bankasi played with more intensity in the fourth set, the home team kept their courage and managed to force a tie-break. A couple of mistakes by the hosts helped the Turkish squad, playing on a high level anyway. Oleg Antonov sealed the deal with a couple of strong serves.
•    When Konarski served in the second set, it showed that the German side was a bit short-handed, because their two experienced outside hitters Dirk Westphal and Romans Sauss were out. Young guns Karli Allik and Julius Firkal did a good job, but Ziraat had more to offer with German national team player Denys Kaliberda and Oleg Antonov, the new arrival from Italy. 

Gilles Braas, player of SWD powervolleys DÜREN: "We can be proud of our performance. In the first, the third and the fourth sets we showed that we can compete on a very high level, even with some injury problems. To be out of the CEV Cup is painful, but we did not go down without a fight. All of our reserves were motivated and that showed. For sure Ziraat did not want to play a tie-breaker, but we forced them to."

Denys Kaliberda, player of Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA: "It was tough for DÜREN with two outside hitters out. In the first set they really put us to the test. We made too many mistakes. After that we increased the intensity and secured the ticket to the next round. Hats off to DÜREN! They deserved to force us into the tie-break."

GFC AJACCIO VB (FRA) vs. Volley AMRISWIL (SUI) 3-0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-20)



Report expected...

MONTPELLIER Volley UC (FRA) vs. Shakhtior SOLIGORSK (BLR) 2-3 (25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 23-25, 9-15)



•    MONTPELLIER Volley UC started the match easily and quickly took the lead. However, on several good series in serving, Shakhtior SOLIGORSK came back. In a beautiful duel, MONTPELLIER won by 25-23 in the end.
•    Shakhtior raised their level and stepped up the pace in the second set. With very good blocking, they won the set by 25-23.
•    The third set was very balanced. Both teams showed some very nice Volleyball. MONTPELLIER chased the attacks and won the set by 25-21, thus qualifying for the quarterfinals.
•    With the stakes off, Shakhtior continued to fight and took control of the fourth set. The young players of MONTPELLIER brought in more energy to tie it at 23-23, but at last a block won the set for the Belarusians - 25-23.
•    Both teams rotated their squads for the tie-breaker, which eventually led Shakhtior to the 3-2 victory in the match.

Davide Saitta, player of MONTPELLIER Volley UC: "We are happy with the qualification. We confirmed our victory in the first match in front of our many supporters. Personally, I am excited to play against an Italian team in the next round."

Viktar Beksha, coach of Shakhtior SOLIGORSK: "The first match was crucial for the outcome of this clash. We wanted to show our true face. I am still satisfied with our performance tonight despite the overall defeat. It was a good experience for my young team."

Calzedonia VERONA (ITA) vs. Dukla LIBEREC (CZE) 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 28-26)



•    The beginning of the first set was balanced, before Calzedonia VERONA did some good things in blocking for a 10-8 lead, which was then extended to 18-12. Dukla LIBEREC narrowed the gap down with an ace and a block-out - 18-16, but then Tonček Stern became the key player  to carry his team to a 25-19 win.
•    There was no story to tell in the second set - Calzedonia powered to a 17-5 lead. Jan Stokr tried to lessen the damage with his serves - 23-13, but Mitar Tzourits closed the set at 25-16.
•    With qualification guaranteed, Calzedonia played more relaxed in the third set, taking a 12-10 lead thanks to Stephen Maar’s serving and Aleks Grodzanov’s spiking. Dukla did not give up and benefited from Calzedonia’s mistakes to tie at 19-19. Two mistakes in a row by the Czech team ended the tough overtime battle at 28-26 in favour of the home side.
•    Jan Stokr was the best scorer of the match with 13 points for Dukla.

Lindemans AALST (BEL) vs. Posojilnica AICH/DOB (AUT) 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-21)



After the 3-1 victory that they had claimed two weeks ago in Austria, two sets were enough for Lindemans AALST to qualify for the last eight in the CEV Cup. The hosts cruised to a 25-23, 25-15 and 25-21 victory, much to the delight of the almost 600 fans in attendance. 

Lindemans ran slightly behind at 12-14 and 19-20 in the first set, but after edging ahead at 23-22, they eventually claimed the first set 25-23. Lindemans needed another set to qualify. The home team stuck together, jumping from 8-6 to 16-9 at the second technical time-out. The difference grew to 23-14 as opposite Gert Van Walle scored 18 points and team captain Adrian Staszewski added 15 to the Belgian team’s tally by the end of the match. 

At 2-0, the qualification was in the bag. Coach Johan Devoghel: “The most important thing was not to lose concentration. That is how I wanted it. I decided to replace Gertjan Claes with Antti Mäkinen. In the third set AICH/DOB pressed on until 8-11. However, we wanted to win by 3-0. That was mentally important for competing with leaders Noliko MAASEIK in the national league this coming weekend, especially after they beat Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE in the Champions League”. Best scorers for Posojilnica AICH/DOB were Lukasz Wiesze and Michal Petras with eight and seven points, respectively. 

[VolleyRuller96 264]

Luxembourg, January 31, 2018.  Turkey’s Maliye Piyango SK ANKARA, Bulgaria’s MONTANA Volley and Switzerland’s Biogas Volley NÄFELS  became the first three teams to progress to the quarterfinals of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Men on Wednesday. They all played tie-breakers in their return matches after having secured their advancement in earlier sets. Russia’s Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT and Belgium’s PAR-KY MENEN also made the best eight after straight-set wins in the second leg of the 8th Finals. In the last game of the day, Portugal’s Sport LISBOA e Benfica took the penultimate quarterfinal spot available, with one more left to be assigned on Thursday.

Here are the full results and the match reports received:




 

Stroitel MINSK (BLR) vs. Maliye Piyango SK ANKARA (TUR) 2-3 (24-26, 25-20, 25-15, 19-25, 12-15)



•    It was the second time in history Maliye Pyango SK ANKARA met Stroitel MINSK in the CEV Challenge Cup. In 2015 Stroitel had also lost the first match in Ankara, but won the Golden Set at home, in Minsk. This time Maliye Piyango took revenge with a 3-2 victory in Belarus.
•    Close to a thousand spectators watched the game at the Uruchje Palace of Sports and offered their noisy support for the players of Stroitel.
•    Oliver Venno was the best scorer of the match with 24 points for Maliye Pyango.
•    Kanstantsin Panasenko was Stroitel’s top scorer with 16 points on his tally.
•    Uladzislau Davyskiba, who is just 17 years old and came in as a sub, also showed a good game.

Aliaksandr Sinhayeuski, coach of  Stroitel MINSK: “Good game! A turning point, of course, was the first set, which we should have won, but we made mistakes and gave it away. In the next two sets we played well. I should say ‘thanks’ to my team becaus we were able to gather up and adequately fix the errors. But we failed in the beginning of the fourth set. We were all so sure that the opponents were weakened and it would come down to a Golden Set, but they are experienced and were able to get together and take the game. I am sorry we could not repeat the success from three years ago. We will continue to work.”

Siarhei Akulich, captain of Stroitel MINSK: “There was no surprise for us about the way the opponents played their game. There was nothing new compared to the last game in Ankara. We were prepared, but the errors we made were our own fault. Too bad we gave away the first set! Then we pulled out the next two sets, but again the errors on our side affected the outcome of tonight’s game.”
 
Foinikas SYROS (GRE) vs. MONTANA Volley (BUL) 3-2 (29-31, 25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 15-12)



Report expected...

Biogas Volley NÄFELS (SUI) vs. ČEZ KARLOVARSKO (CZE) 3-2 (25-23, 27-29, 25-21, 19-25, 16-14)



Report expected...

Orion DOETINCHEM (NED) vs. Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT (RUS) 0-3 (20-25, 14-25, 17-25)



Report expected...

PAR-KY MENEN (BEL) vs. PÄRNU VK (EST) 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-20)



•    PAR-KY MENEN easily secured the qualification for the quarterfinals by taking set 1 and set 2 each by 25-21.
•    Outside spiker Gilles Vandecaveye played a stunning first set: 80% in attack and 80% in reception.
•    The qualification gave the opportunity to PAR-KY MENEN’s coach Ratko Peris to give all his players opportunities in set 3. 
•    Gilles Vandecaveye topped the charts with 13 points. Kevin Saar and Edvinas Vaškelis were the best scorers for PÄRNU with seven points apiece.
•    PAR-KY MENEN’s quarterfinal opponent (either Greece’s Olympiacos PIRAEUS or Azerbaijan’s Lokomotiv BAKU) will become known on Thursday.

Jelle Sinnesael, captain of PAR-KY MENEN: "It was easier than we thought before the game. Of course, we are stronger in our own town, be we were expecting some revenge after VK PÄRNU lost by 1-3 at home. Nevertheless, we played a very solid game and we are happy we could finish the match in straight sets. We are looking forward to the next round. Hopefully, we can play against Olympiacos, which are a very strong team."

Sport LISBOA e Benfica (POR) vs. CSA Steaua BUCURESTI (ROU) 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-15, 28-26)



Benfica beat CSA Steaua BUCURESTI 3-1 to progress to the quarterfinals of the Challenge Cup. 

José Jardim, Benfica head coach: “It was a spectacular game, as I expected it would be, and we beat a great team. We played two great Volleyball games. As I told the players before the game, although we delivered a great performance in Romania, we had to raise the level and play even better at home; by not doing so, we would not have been able to beat this opponent.”

Hugo Gaspar, Benfica captain: “We managed to claim a great victory. It was a great fight, a great battle, a great game. It took a lot of soul, a lot of heart, a lot of physical and emotional energy. It was difficult but we secured a great victory against a great team. We all deserve credit for this.”

Bogdan Tanase, Steaua head coach: “First of all, I keep my opinion that Benfica is a very strong team. I respect them. They play very well, they are very experienced but in my opinion, we lost the last set because of a refereeing mistake. Sorry, I respect Benfica but I think this game should have had a fifth set.” 

Nicolae Gabriel Ghionea, Steaua captain:  “We lost the game. In the first set, we had a bad start, also tactically. However, we started to come back right in time, and were able to play better and better. What I did not like was this last set and the last points. I do not know what happened with the referees. In my opinion, they did not judge the last points correctly.”

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TODAY'S SCHEDULE
 

 

LEG 4

 

GROUP B

Ford Store Levoranta Sastamala - Halkbank Ankara

 

GROUP E

Arkas Izmir - Trentino Diatec

 

ROUND 1/8, 2nd Leg

Lokomotiv Baku - Olympiacos Piraeus

 

 

Watch games at: https://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball

 

 

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YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
 

 

LEG 4

 

GROUP B

 Ford Store Levoranta Sastamala 0-3  Halkbank Ankara

 

GROUP E

 Arkas Izmir 1-3  Trentino Diatec

 

ROUND 1/8, 2nd Leg

Lokomotiv Baku 0-3  Olympiacos Piraeus

 

QUALIFIED TO NEXT ROUND

 Olympiacos Piraeus

 

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TRENTINO Diatec motivated to top pool E at the end of 4th Round, Halkbank ANKARA looking confident towards #CLVolleyM Playoffs 
2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Men 

Luxembourg, February 1, 2018. While admitting that the loss in the Italian Cup influenced the team’s start in the match against Arkas IZMIR, TRENTINO Diatec bounced back after the first set, claiming a victory that strengthens their position in Pool E and moves them one step closer towards reaching the Playoffs of the 2018 CEV Champions League. Halkbank ANKARA remain second in pool B with nine points, after defeating Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA in straight sets in Turku, Finland. 

Arkas IZMIR (TUR) vs. TRENTINO Diatec (ITA) 1-3 (25-22, 9-25, 17-25, 17-25)

•   Both teams made a good start in the first set, with TRENTINO Diatec being the leading part at the beginning (8-7). However, the home team controlled the rhythm of the first set at the second technical time out, leading 16-12. Arkas IZMIR kept playing the last part of the set well and won 25-22. 
•   TRENTINO Diatec made a perfect start to the second set leading 8-3. Arkas IZMIR tried to show some resistance, but the visitors used their experience and didn't give a chance to the home side, leading 16-7 and finishing the set 25-9. 
•   The team from TRENTINO controlled the third set with the help of their brilliant setter Simone Giannelli and crafty outside hitter Uros Kovacevic, extending the gap throughout the set from 8-4, 16-11 and winning it at 25-17. 
•   The last set repeated the scenario of the third one with TRENTINO working hard to increase their lead at 8-5, 16-10 and 25-17. Nicholas Hoag, outside hitter of TRENTINO Diatec, didn't show any mercy towards his father, Arkas IZMIR coach Glenn Hoag and the Italians won the away game 3-1. Best scorer of the game was Uros Kovacevic with 18 points for TRENTINO Diatec and Nicholas Hoag followed suit with 17. Cuban opposite Michael Sanchez Bozhulev was the best scorer for the home side with 13 points.

Glenn Hoag, coach of Arkas IZMIR: “We started well in the first set and won it in front of our fans. Afterwards TRENTINO started to serve strong and we couldn't show much resistance to this. We played well in some parts of the game but we need some more consistency. We will keep working on this aspect.”

Angelo Lorenzetti, coach of TRENTINO Diatec: “We lost the Italian Cup last weekend and this affected us in the first set. Then my players started focusing on the game and served well, which was the key point of the win. We became even more motivated to reach the first position in our group after Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE lost the other day to Noliko MAASEIK.” 

Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA (FIN) vs. Halkbank ANKARA (TUR) 0-3 (21-25, 18-25, 21-25)

•  Halkbank ANKARA have qualified to the Playoffs after winning on Thursday against Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA in Turku, Finland. 
• Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA need two wins in their last two games to have a chance to be among the best three third placed teams across all pools that will qualify to the Playoffs.
• Halkbank ANKARA outside hitters Burutay Subasi, who missed the previous matchup with SASTAMALA in Ankara, and Nemanja Petric showed a great performance. Subasi scored 12 points in two sets and Petric 18. The Turkish team attacked with 61% efficiency, while Petric's attacking performance reached an even higher and more impressive 70% success rate.
• Swedish Erik Sundberg was the best scorer for the home team with 10 points.
• The game was played in Turku with 2,600 local fans supporting SASTAMALA. It was the first ever international Volleyball game held in the recently opened Kupittaa hall. Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA won the Finnish Cup just three weeks ago in the same venue.

 

Sami Kurttila, coach of Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA: “Halkbank is a really, really good team, they played great Volleyball again today. They attacked amazingly. There was a big difference in aggressiveness on the court. Mostly I am upset about the end of the first set, three mistakes in the end made our work too hard. In the second set we lost our service and reception, but in the third we fought again.”

Mikko Esko, captain of Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA: “Halkbank ANKARA were really tough. I think that with this level of performance we would have won matches in our domestic league 3-0. All the respect to the opponent, we can still play better and we are proudly here to fight until the last ball of the last match touches the floor.”

Slobodan Kovac, coach of Halkbank ANKARA: “We showed a good performance, especially in controlling their setter Mikko Esko. We tried to use our good service and made it. I think overall it was a good game from us. We achieved a great result in this game. Every victory is important, and today it was special with this nice atmosphere and our first win away.”

 

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Olympiacos complete Challenge Cup quarterfinal line-up 

 

Luxembourg, February 1, 2018.  Greece’s Olympiacos PIRAEUS became the last known team to secure a ticket to the quarterfinals of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Men, where they will play against Belgium’s PAR-KY MENEN for a spot among the best four.



Lokomotiv BAKU (AZE) vs. Olympiacos PIRAEUS (GRE) 0-3 (12-25, 20-25, 24-26)

•    Olympiacos PIRAEUS once again defeated Azerbaijan’s champions Lokomotiv BAKU in straight sets. The Greeks claimed a 3-0 (25-12, 25-20, 26-24) victory in the away return match. 
•    The visiting team managed to take an early 8-3 lead after blocks by Marcus Böhme and Jeroen Rauwerdink. They were also very effective in serving with Böhme as their main star. Lokomotiv tried to decrease the gap, but the Greeks were incredible, especially in defence, on the way to a 25-12 first set win.
•    Lokomotiv gained a 3-0 lead in the beginning of the second set after some good efforts in attack, but it was Olympiacos who had a one-point lead at the first technical time-out. They widened the gap to 16-11. Amazing blocks by the Greeks proved crucial for the final 25-20 in the second set, which guaranteed their progression to the next round. 
•    Lokomotiv managed to gain some advantage before the first break of the third set (8-6). In the meantime, Olympiacos made some changes in their line-up. Coach Fernando Muñoz Benítez decided to rest some of his key players, but the home side still failed to convert the lead they had towards the end and suffered a 24-26 loss.

Farid Jalalov, coach of Lokomotiv BAKU: “We did everything we could. It is just the difference in class. They were stronger and they deserved to win. This tournament was a big experience for us.”

Fernando Muñoz Benítez, coach of Olympiacos PIRAEUS: “We knew that Lokomotiv play well at home. We had analysed them very well and we played well here as we did in Greece, both technically and tactically. We were better. Our aim is to go as far as possible.”