Volleyball Continental Leagues 2017 - 2018 Discussion Thread

[VolleyRuller96 264]

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
 

 

LEG 5

 

POOL A

 SIR Safety Perugia 3-1  Fenerbahce Istanbul

 

QUARTERFINALS, 1st Leg

Ziraat Bankasi Ankara 3-1  Lindemans Aalst

[VolleyRuller96 264]

PERUGIA back on the top in Pool A of #CLVolleyM 

 

Luxembourg, February 15, 2018. Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA got back the first place in Pool A of the #CLVolleyM after winning the last scheduled match of  the fifth and penultimate round in the pool stage of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Men. Searching for their first win in the competition, the guests from Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL could only take the third set of this matchup, while this was a fifth straight win for the ‘Block Devils’.

Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA (ITA) vs. Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL (TUR) 3-1 (25-22, 25-12, 20-25, 25-18) 

•    Perugia’s serves (4 aces) and blocks (3 points) in the first set were the key point for the ‘Block Devils’ taking the lead. Aleksandar Atanasijevic became best scorer of this part of the match, by scoring 6 points.
•    A superb Atanasijevic ruled the second set with 8 points and 88% success rate in attack. Alexander Berger also helped a lot with his 5 points, including 1 ace and 2 blocks.
•    In the third set Fenerbahce made a great comeback, keeping the intrigue in the match alive. The Turkish team took  advantage of Perugia’s 12 errors (6 of which made in attack).
•    There were no doubts as to which team was best in the fourth set, as the Italians closed it by 25-18 and claimed the final victory.
•    Aleksandar Atanasijevic became best scorer of the match with 28 points (3 of them from aces).

 

 

Simone Anzani, player of Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA: “It was a very intense match. In the first two sets we were able to neutralize their spikers. In the third set, instead, maybe we slowed down a bit and we lost it. We managed to get the fourth set back instead and we started playing again as we are capable of and they couldn’t get out of it. We were good in our attitude by closing the match as fast as possible, without making things too difficult for us.”

Ferhat Akdeniz, player of Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL: “We knew that is was going to be a hard game for us. Before the match, we were just thinking  «OK, let’s go and have fun». And I think we did it, we fought until the end. For sure they have a better team than us. We did what we could do.”
 

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Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA getting closer to the #CEVCupM semis 

 

 

Luxembourg, February 15, 2018. Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA are now one step closer to the semifinals of #CEVCupM after having claimed the victory in their matchup vs. Lindemans AALST. The Turkish team controlled the game during most of the time, giving away only one set to their opponents.

Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA (TUR) vs. Lindemans AALST (BEL) 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-20)

The Turkish side of Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA needed exactly 116 minutes to win this matchup. The spectators at Baskent Volleyball Hall had the opportunity to enjoy some classy Volleyball.
The most interesting moment of the match was in the third set – both teams showed wonderful skills in the different aspects of the game, delivering a real Volleyball show. Eventually Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA managed to close this part of the game in their favour after an intense battle that lasted for 36 minutes. Oleg Antonov top scored with 18 points for the home side. The spiker of Ziraat was the key player, helping his team with two aces and 14 winning spikes.
The next quarterfinal match between both teams is scheduled for February 27. 

Joshko Milenkoski, head coach of  Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA: “We played against a young team and thıs vıctory is very important for us, especially because it was claimed at home. I am happy, because my team showed discipline, the players were highly motivated. The support that we received from our fans also helped us a lot.  Of course, the next match that will take place in Belgıum will be a hard one for us, but we are ready. Our aim is to qualify for the next round.”

Johan Devoghel, head coach of Lindemans AALST: “If we take a closer look at the teams that we played against, we could say that we definitely have played against some of the strongest ones. So it was kind of expected that this away match would be difficult for us. But I think, that after all, we played well. We will try to prepare for the upcoming revenge match and we will try to do our best in front of our home crowd in order to progress to the semi-finals.”

 

 

[VolleyRuller96 264]

CEV CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND ROBIN STANDINGS

after LEG 5 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	Sir Safety Perugia	5 (2)	0 (0)	13	15:5
2	Cucine Lube Civitanova	4 (0)	1 (1)	13	14:4
3	Knack Roeselare	1 (0)	4 (1)	4	5:13
4	Fenerbahce Istanbul	0 (0)	5 (0)	0	3:15

GROUP B

 

Standing	Team Name	MW (3:2)	ML (2:3)	PTS	Sets
1	VFB Friedrichshafen	5 (1)	0(0)	14	15:3
2	Halkbank Ankara	3 (0)	2 (0)	9	11:7
3	PAOK Thesaloniki	1 (1)	4 (0)	5	8:13
4	Ford Store Levoranta Sastamala	0 (0)	5 (2)	2	3:14

 

GROUP C
 

Standing	Team Name	MW (3:2)	ML (2:3)	PTS	Sets
1	Lokomotiv Novosibirsk	4 (1)	0 (0)	11	12:3
2:	PGE Skra Belchatow	3 (1)	2 (0)	8	10:9
3	Chaumont VB 52 Haute Marne	2 (1)	3 (1)	6	10:12
4	Dinamo Moscow	1 (0)	4 (2)	5	8:11

 

 

GROUP D

 

Standing	Team Name	MW (3:2)	ML (2:3)	PTS	Sets
1	Zenit Kazan	5 (0)	0 (0)	15	15:3
2	Jastrzebski Wegiel	3 (1)	2 (0)	8	9:8
3	Berlin Recycling Volleys	2 (0)	3 (0)	6	8:10
4	Spacers Toulouse	0 (0)	5 (0)	1	4:15

 

GROUP E

 

Standing	Team Name	MW (3:2)	ML (2:3)	PTS	Sets
1	Zaksa Kedzierzyn Kozle	4 (2)	1 (1)	11	14:7
2	Trentino Diatec	3 (0)	2 (2)	11	13:8
3	Noliko Maaseik	3 (2)	2 (0)	7	10:10
4	Arkas Izmir	0 (0)	5 (1)	1	3:15

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MATCH OF THE WEEK HIGHLISTS

 Berlin Recycling Volleys -  Zenit Kazan

 

 

 

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TODAY'S SCHEDULE

 

QUARTERFINALS, 2nd LEG

 Montpellier UC -  Calzedonia Verona

 Lindeman Aalst -  Ziraat Bankasi Ankara

 

QUARTERFINALS, 2nd LEG
 Montana -  Maliye Piyango SK Ankara

 

 

 

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

 

 

[VolleyRuller96 264]

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

 

QUARTERFINALS, 2nd LEG

 Montpellier UC 1:3  Calzedonia Verona

 Lindeman Aalst 1:3  Ziraat Bankasi Ankara

 

 

QUALIFIED TO NEXT ROUND

 Calzedonia Verona
 Ziraat Bankasi Ankara

 

 

QUARTERFINALS, 2nd LEG
 Montana 0:3   Maliye Piyango SK Ankara

 

QUALIFIED TO NEXT ROUND

 Maliye Piyango SK Ankara

 

 

 

 

 

[VolleyRuller96 264]

Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA and Calzedonia VERONA reach CEV Cup semis 

 

 

Luxembourg, February 27, 2018. Calzedonia VERONA and Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA repeated the results from their home matches in the CEV Volleyball Cup quarterfinals against MONTPELLIER Volley UC and Lindemans AALST respectively, thus securing their place in the semi-finals of the competition. 

Here are the all results of #CEVCupM on Tuesday:

MONTPELLIER Volley UC (FRA) vs. Calzedonia VERONA (ITA) 1-3 (25-18, 17-25, 18-25, 24-26)  

•    The hosting team MONTPELLIER Volley UC began the match in style and continued to show the right momentum thanks to very good actions, taking a significant lead at 16-8. The block remained a strong element of the French club, allowing them to claim the first set 25-18.
•    Calzedonia VERONA regained energy in the second set and went 8-4 ahead with successful attacks. Despite the attempts of Vladimir Cedic and Thiago Sens, Calzedonia VERONA kept calm and continued to lead until winning the second set 25-17.
•    Calzedonia VERONA maintained the momentum and dominated the remainder of the match. In spite of a few reactions, MONTPELLIER Volley UC did not manage to turn the score to their advantage. The visitors won the third set 25-18, which guaranteed their qualification to the semis.
•    Despite the fate of both teams being decided, MONTPELLIER Volley UC wanted to finish their European Cups adventure well and fought point by point with VERONA, but the Italians concluded the match 26-24.

Olivier Lecat, coach of MONTPELLIER Volley UC: “We are disappointed, but VERONA have earned the qualification through both games. There are many positive things to learn from this experience. MONTPELLIER are a young team and many players were discovering this competition this season. We will do everything we can to return next season.”

Nikola Grbic, coach of Calzedonia VERONA: “We had a very good match against a good team of MONTPELLIER. My players responded well after a difficult start to the game. We are delighted with this qualification and that we can continue our CEV Volleyball Cup adventure.”

Lindemans AALST (BEL) vs. Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA (TUR) 1-3 (25-18, 28-30, 19-25, 19-25)

•    Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA secured their ticket to the CEV Cup semi-finals with a second 3-1 victory over Lindemans AALST in as many matches with the Belgian team. 
•    Lindemans AALST fought for all it was worth. Ziraat Bankasi, with the formidable Oleg Antonov, laid the foundation for their victory in the second set, which finished at 30-28 for the Turkish team after as many as missed six set points. Lindemans could not capitalise on the opportunity to reach a 2-0 lead, as their performance from the service line dropped in quality. The home team’s only option to progress to the semis was to score at least a 3-1 victory and to win the eventual Golden Set. It seemed like a ‘mission impossible’ at 1-1 and it was clearly game over.
•    Nevertheless, Lindemans caught a very promising start to the match although head coach Johan Devoghel had the misfortune of not being able to count on Gertjan Claes (hernia in the neck), Ivan Mihalj (knee operation) and Laszlo De Paepe (backache). 
•    The first set was a nail-biter. The local side’s block-defence system was not always spot-on, e.g. when Ziraat moved the score from 8-11 and 11-13 with the help of Antonov and Vahit Emre Savas. Antti Mäkinen and local superstar Gert Van Walle responded. Wessel Keemink and team captain Adrian Staszewski played their part as well - 19-15 and 23-18 - with an ace of Keemink to boot. The young Dutchman scored, again with an ace, for 25-18. 
•    After such a spectacle, the home crowd initiated a Mexican wave at 6-4 in the second set. Van Walle pushed his limits to keep the hosts in the match (12-15, 15-16, 19-19 and 22-21). Gert, the twin brother of Beach Volleyball star Tom Van Walle, slapped the roof tiles in the Scholte hall. Along with Frenchman Jhon Wendt, he cancelled as many as six set balls for Ziraat Bankasi until Bartosz Kurek forced the equaliser at 30-28.  
•    In the third set, Lindemans AALST could not recover from the previous blow. Van Walle hurt his foot, while Antonov kept testing the home team. Seppe Van Hoyweghen’s contribution with a change to Keemink in the setter’s position could not turn the tide. The sacred fire quietly died out at 12-17 and 17-23. Lindemans gave its all, but Kurek cashed his side’s second set point to make it 2-1 for ANKARA. Case closed since that secured the qualification to the semi-finals for Ziraat.
•    Lindemans AALST carries no blame. They fought for what it was worth. When push came to shove, they were unlucky. Their attacks may have lacked inspiration. Too much at the corners, too little in the middle, nothing at all ‘in the pipe’. 
•    Van Walle top scored in the end for the home side with 25 points as Martijn Colson, Mäkinen and Wendt finished in double digits with 11, 10 and 10 respectively. 
•    Four players of Ziraat Bankasi – Savas (19), Antonov (17), Dawid Konarski (15) and Kurek (13) – finished the match in double figures as well. 

[VolleyRuller96 264]

TODAY'S SCHEDULE

 

LEG 6

GROUP A

Cucina Lube Civitanova - SIR Safety Perugia

Knack Roeselare -  Fenerbahce Istanbul

GROUP B

 

Halkbank Ankara -  VFB Friedrichshafen

 PAOK Thesalloniki -  Ford Store Levoranta Sastamala

 

GROUP C

 

 DInamo Moscow -  Lokomotiv Novosibirsk
Chaumont VB 52 Haute Marne -  PGE Skra Belchatow

 

GROUP D
Zenit Kazan -  Spacers Toulouse 

 Berlin Recycling Volleys -  Jastrzebski Wegiel

GROUP E

 Zaksa Kedzierzyn Kozle -  Arkas Izmir

 Trentino Volley -  Noliko Maaseik

 

 

QUARTERFINALS, 2nd LEG

 Gazelec FCO Ajaccio -  Asseco Resovia Rzeszow

 

 

QUARTERFINALS, 2nd LEG
Gazprom Urga Surgut - Biogas Volley Nafaels

 Benfica Lisboa -  Bunge Ravenna

 

 

 

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

[VolleyRuller96 264]

So many interesting games tonight in all the competition.

 

I sincerely hope PAOK qualifies to the playofs as the first team since 2010 edition

 

They have "only" to beat the weakest Sastamala and hope at least one team out of  Berlin, Chaumont or Noliko will lose their game.