Volleyball Continental Leagues 2017 - 2018 Discussion Thread

[VolleyRuller96 264]

TODAY'S RESULTS

 

LEG 6

GROUP A

 Cucina Lube Civitanova 0:3  SIR Safety Perugia

 Knack Roeselare 3:1  Fenerbahce Istanbul

GROUP B

 

 Halkbank Ankara 1:3  VFB Friedrichshafen

 PAOK Thesalloniki 3:1  Ford Store Levoranta Sastamala

 

GROUP C

 

 DInamo Moscow 2:3  Lokomotiv Novosibirsk
 Chaumont VB 52 Haute Marne 3:2  PGE Skra Belchatow

 

GROUP D
 Zenit Kazan 3:0  Spacers Toulouse 

 Berlin Recycling Volleys 3:2  Jastrzebski Wegiel

GROUP E

 Zaksa Kedzierzyn Kozle 3:0  Arkas Izmir

 Trentino Volley 3:1   Noliko Maaseik

 

 

QUARTERFINALS, 2nd LEG

 Gazelec FCO Ajaccio 0:3  Asseco Resovia Rzeszow

 

QUALIFIED TO NEXT ROUND

 Asseco Resovia Rzeszów

 

 

QUARTERFINALS, 2nd LEG
 Gazprom Urga Surgut 3:2  Biogas Volley Nafaels

 Benfica Lisboa 2:3  Bunge Ravenna

 

 

QUALIFIED TO NEXT ROUND

 Gazprom Urga Surgut

 Bunge Ravenna

[VolleyRuller96 264]

CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne make the Playoffs with last point of the night in exciting #CLVolleyM 4th Round ending 
2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Men 

Luxembourg, February 28, 2018. Titleholders Zenit KAZAN, VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN and Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA completed a clean sweep of their matches in the group stage of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Men to make it six wins in a row in Pool D, B and A, respectively. Poland’s Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE stormed to a 3-0 home victory over Arkas IZMIR to secure first place in Pool E on a 5-1 win-loss record. PAOK THESSALONIKI did all they could by winning their final match and wait on other results to know if they progress.  Over in Pool C Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK came out on top in the Russian derby meaning they guaranteed top spot but it was down to the last match of the night to cause the upset as CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne won a thrilling fifth set to take the last spot in the Playoffs at the expense of PAOK THESSALONIKI.

Presenting the teams that will compete for the title in the next stages of the competition:

The draw for the Playoffs 12 and beyond will take place at 12:00 this Friday at the CEV office in Luxembourg, more information to follow shortly.

Pool A

Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA (ITA) vs. Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA (ITA) 0-3 (24-26, 23-25, 25-27)

• Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA scored in the Italian derby with CIVITANOVA their sixth win in a row and closed the League Round of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League at the top of the standing in Pool A, while home team Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA qualified to the Playoffs 12 after claiming the second place with a 4-2 success rate.
• The first set was a very close affair with the visitors edging ahead 15-11 courtesy of their great serves. Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA got back on track to 19-19, but the guests were able to claim a close 26-24 win with a block of Marko Podrascanin on a Taylor Sander attack. Same plot in the second set, in which it was again a block scored by Podrascanin to give the decisive break to PERUGIA (24-22), as the visitors claimed the final 25-23 after an attack of Aleksandar Atanasijevic.
• PERUGIA won the third set 27-25 after an error in attack of the home team opposite hitter Tsvetan Sokolov, he however was the top scorer of the match with 25 points and a 58% success rate in attack.
• Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA and Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA played the sixth match against each other this season, considering also the Italian Supercup Final, Italian Cup Final, and two Italian Championship games. Out of these six matches, PERUGIA have won five and CIVITANOVA one.
• It is the seventh time in a row that Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA make it to the Playoff phase of Europe’s elite club competition, in which they claimed third place in the past two editions.

PERUGIA Serbian middle blocker Marko Podrascanin said: “It was not a great game as both teams made too many errors. But the result was very important for us, first because we got th

e first place in the Pool with a 6-0 success rate in the League Round, and secondly because a victory on the court of the reigning Italian champions gives us a lot of positive mental energy for the rest of the season.”

 

CIVITANOVA’s coach Giampaolo Medei said: “I think we could win this match as we always were very close to the opponent at the end of each set. The problem was that we made too many errors, and when you play against a team like PERUGIA any kind of gift is forbidden. We need to work hard and improve our concentration to achieve our goals in this important competition.”

Knack ROESELARE (BEL) vs. Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL (TUR) 3-1 (25-19, 25-9, 23-25, 25-15)

•    Knack ROESELARE embarked on a “mission impossible” against Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL since even a 3-0 victory would probably have been insufficient to proceed to the Playoffs 12. Everything depended merely on the results of the other matches in Pool B, C and D.
•    Fenerbahce took the best start with strong attacks and it lasted until 9-8 before Knack could take over the lead. With float services from Hendrik Tuerlinckx, the home team made a first gap moving the score from 11-10 to 16-10. Fenerbahce made too many mistakes from the service line (eight only in the opening set) to be able to turn the tide. Knack ROESELARE controlled the rest of the set with solid play and finished it with 25-19. 
•    The second set ended in a landslide 25-9 win for the home team. Fenerbahce kept making too many mistakes in serve, block and attack while Knack ROESELARE kept the pressure high with their float services, impressive defence work and clever attacks. The score went quickly from 8-3 to 16-6. Fenerbahce coach Veljko Basic brought in Ogulcan Yatgin, Ferhat Akdeniz and Izzet Ünver as substitutes but it was all in vain. The final score of 25-9 needs no more words.
•    The third set turned out to become the most spectacular one. Fenerbahce started with Bertug Öndes instead of Metin Toy on the opposite position and was able to reduce their errors in reception and service. The two teams kept the score close for a long time (17-17, 20-20, 22-22). This time Knack made some mistakes at the end and Fenerbahce took the set with 25-23. 
•    With a pipe attack from Matthijs Verhanneman (7-3) and a kill block of Arno Van de Velde (8-3), Knack took the best start to the fourth set. Setter Angel Trinidad de Haro found his attackers Verhanneman and Piotr Orczyk with ease while Fenerbahce kept making too many mistakes (16-9). Captain Tuerlinckx took his team by the hand (20-12) before Verhanneman cashed the second match ball for the Belgian champions (25-15).
•    Tuerlinckx and Alen Sket top scored for Knack and Fenerbahce with 21 and 9 points, respectively. 

Hendrik Tuerlinckx, team captain of Knack ROESELARE: “It is a big pity that despite the fact that we took our second victory we won’t proceed to the next round. This was something that all our fans deserved because they supported us again in a tremendous way today. But with only two victories it turned out to be a mission impossible for us.”

Pool B

Halkbank ANKARA (TUR) vs. VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (GER) 1-3 (14-25, 21-25, 26-24, 19-25) 

•    VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN completed a clean sweep of their matches in Pool B with a 3-1 victory over Halkbank ANKARA. 
•    Since the Turkish team had already secured their spot in the Playoffs and they have been struggling with many injuries lately, their head coach Slobodan Kovac decided to use most of his younger players.

 

• PAOK THESSALONIKI concluded the 4th Round with a hard-fought victory over Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA in four sets, securing them the 3rd place of Pool B ahead of the Finnish side - keeping their hope of qualification to the Playoffs alive depending on results from the other pools.
• Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA finished their first-ever presence in the group stage of Europe’s elite club competition with one solitary victory, the one they had got against PAOK on their home court.
• The Greek League titleholders twice wasted a three-point advantage (8-5, 15-12) with the Finnish side managing to take the lead for the first time after the 2nd technical time-out of the opening set. Daniele Ricci’s players reacted and got the score level, however the last word belonged to SASTAMALA, as they defended well and forced Rafail Koumentakis and Nikolay Uchikov to miss their attack efforts, ahead of multiple blockers (22-25).

• Set 2 had quite a few similarities, but the outcome was different. It all came down to the final three points once again, after a 22-22 score line, when outside hitter Koumentakis took the helm for PAOK and led his team to the victory (25-22) with a string of successful spikes, with some help from Alexander Shafranovich’s serves.
• With substitute setter Athanasios Terzis staying on court for the 3rd set, the Thessaloniki-based club managed to keep the pressure on with Uchikov giving his team a four-point lead (22-18) with consecutive spikes.  From here Shafranovich made it 24-18 with an ace service, just before Urpo Sivula’s service found the net for SASTAMALA (25-20).
• Sami Kurttila’s team returned as focused as ever for set 4 and was in command by the second technical time-out, but then succumbed to the passion of the local side. Aided by their fans at PAOK Sports Arena and two consecutive ace services from Koumentakis, the Greek champions regained the lead (18-17) and never looked back. Ioannis Takouridis put the final touch, with a fine block effort to Jacob Ross Guymer’s attack, making it 25-20.

 

Daniele Ricci, head coach of PAOK THESSALONIKI: “I am happy because it was a difficult match and a must-win situation for my team. It didn’t start so well for us but we managed to win and we are pleased.”

Sami Kurttila, coach of Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA: “I am disappointed with losing tonight. In the first two sets there was some good volleyball with long rallies, but in the following two sets we lost too many points in the same rotation and this is how we lost the match. Of course, it is not easy to win an away match at this level. We saw how tough it can be. Playing in the CEV Champions League was a great lesson for us, we are just in the beginning of our journey and I hope that this will not be a one-time opportunity for us. We will try to be part of this competition in the coming years, too.”

Pool C

CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne (FRA) vs. PGE Skra BELCHATOW (POL) 3-2 (25-22, 25-19, 20-25, 22-25, 16-14)

•    CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne controlled the first and second sets courtesy especially of Yacine Louati’s serves. 
•    PGE Skra BELCHATOW claimed the third and fourth ones, as the hosts made too many mistakes and the visitors had the upper hand with the help of the many points scored by Mariusz Wlazly. 
•    The ambiance in the hall was extremely cool, with some 40 Polish supporters in attendance as well next to those rooting for CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne.
•    Via this victory, CL rookies CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne secured their progression to the Playoffs 12 in their first-ever participation in the competition. 

 

Nikola Mijailovic, player of CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne: “It’s a really good result, for the team of course and also for the club because I think that at the beginning of the competition, only a few people believed that we could make it through to the Playoffs.”

The PR Manager of Skra: “We are disappointed with the result of this game but this is a relative disappointment because it was a high-quality match and after all, both teams have progressed to the Playoffs, so everyone is happy.”

Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS) vs. Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK (RUS) 2-3 (25-16, 25-21, 21-25, 24-26, 19-21)

• Dinamo MOSCOW started strongly and confidently, despite them sitting bottom of Pool C and their Russian rivals being top.  The home side excelled at the net, dominating with the attack and the block.
• With Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK looking to win to secure top spot in the pool, they were powerless to stop the side from Moscow as the hosts strode to a 2-0 lead.  In the second set, Dutch outside hitter Dick Kooy scored 64% in attack and scored 9 points – his side went on to win the set 25-21.
• The start of the 3rd set was where the game changed as the travelling side started to come back into it.  By the time they reached double figures they were comfortably ahead and the set concluded with Sergey Savin excelling with the block scoring three points in the third set before Lokomotiv won to stay in the match.  It was a similar story in the 4th set with the away side sneaking it to level the match.  The block of Lokomotiv made the difference in the fifth set, stopping Pavel Kruglov when it counted and Lokomotiv won the game.
• Yury Berezhko (Dinamo MOSCOW) and Sergey Savin (Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK) were the best players in their teams, both gaining 22 points across the 147 minutes of play.
• Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK now progress to the Playoffs as Pool winners, while Dinamo MOSCOW’s 2018 European Cups journey ends here. 

Plamen Konstantinov, head coach of Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK, said: “I think the game was very interesting both for the teams and for the spectators. I did not like the beginning of the match and the lack of spirit in our team. We lost the first set without putting up a fight. Then the team felt the game and the rival. At the end of the second set we showed a much better game. In the third set, we were better at reception and at the block we showed what we can. We gave a good chance to our young players to play in the fifth set and look forward to the Playoffs.  This win was very important for us as we lost two matches of the Russian championship to Dinamo.”

Boris Kolchin, head coach of Dinamo MOSCOW, said: “Today Dinamo showed two different games. One level of Volleyball in the first two sets and the other later. Before the game, we talked a lot concerning the rival and prepared our game strategy but we could show it only in the first two sets; after that, the team lost the feeling of the game, the mood and at the same time, the rival began to be more confident and changed the course of the match. After losing the third set, we lost the energy and maybe our confidence. My players were waiting for Lokomotiv to make mistakes but they did not. I do not know how many lessons more we have to learn to be more confident and win the game after winning the two first sets."

Pool D

Zenit KAZAN (RUS) vs. Spacer’s TOULOUSE VB (FRA) 3-0 (25-15, 25-10, 25-17) 

•    Zenit KAZAN extended their winning streak in the Champions League to 21 matches.
•    Spacer’s TOULOUSE VB had travelled to Kazan without three of their main players. Bram Van den Dries, their opposite hitter, will be out until the end of the season. Two other players, both Canadian citizens, stayed behind in Toulouse because they could not get a visa in time to travel to Russia. 
•    It is the 11th straight participation for Zenit KAZAN in the CEV Champions League and they have made it to the Playoffs just as many times. 
•    As many as 11 of the 12 Zenit KAZAN players scored points in the matchup against TOULOUSE. Wilfredo Leon was the most prolific player (10 points) for the Russian team. The only player of the club from Tatarstan that scored no points at all is 21-year-old setter Loran Alekno.
•    Zenit KAZAN pocketed the second set with a landslide 25-10 win and almost equalled their record from the 2010-2011 season when they won one set against Bulgaria’s CSKA SOFIA by the terrific score of 25-8. 
•    Spacer’s TOULOUSE VB claimed only one victory over Vojvodina NS Seme NOVI SAD in the third round in what was their first-ever participation in Europe’s elite club competition.

Vladimir Alekno, head coach of Zenit KAZAN: “With all due respect to the opponent, Zenit KAZAN and Spacer’s TOULOUSE VB are the teams of a different level.” 

Stéphane Sapinart, head coach of Spacer’s TOULOUSE VB: “For sure, it was a really difficult game for us, and one could have expected it. I think my team did what it could do tonight, but I think we offered a good fight against a very strong team. Not the whole roster came to Kazan. As a result, we had only ten players and we were really missing these extra two on the court.” 

BERLIN Recycling Volleys (GER) vs. JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel (POL) 3-2 (23-25, 25-16, 18-25, 25-17, 15-9) 

•    JASTRZEBSKI were running all over BERLIN at the very beginning of the first set (0-5), in fact the first point for BERLIN was as result of an error of the travelling Polish side. BERLIN fought to close the gap, but Wegiel established a solid lead.  There were plenty of long fought for rallies, powerful services and a controlled reception from BERLIN brought them back just in time for the second technical time-out.  This followed with an enthralling set’s crunch time with Wegiel claiming the first set (25-23).
•    Despite the heart-breaking end to the first set, BERLIN had the better start to the second one (4-0, 6-2, 8-4); taking their chances BERLIN found their rhythm, stable in service and reception, thus dominating this second set and eventually claiming it 25-16.
•    This time a set on eye-level developed right from the start, both teams searched for their performance from the first or second set, respectively.  A crucial much discussed about decision at 11-12 made the BR Volleys lose control of their emotions and Wegiel ran towards a 25-18 set win.
•    With the third set gone, BERLIN lost also their chances of finishing second in Pool D; still, there was a match to play and a point to take to secure a spot among the best third ranked teams. Therefore, BERLIN started out as in set three to establish an early lead they were able to hold on to, eventually taking the fourth set 25-17. 
•    The tiebreak was to bring the decision, with 8-6 to BERLIN at the change of ends; a long fought for rally made it 10-6, before the set finished 15-9 for the BR Volleys to seal their spot in the Playoffs 12.

Stelian Moculescu, head coach of BERLIN Recycling Volleys said: “We are very happy to have qualified for the Playoffs 12 yet again. This was the expected tough match and we did a good job. In eighty percent of our game today we were doing well. The third set was one to forget about, but even after this we did not give up – there was no reason to. We played with the needed risk in service and showed a solid performance in blocking. For the teams that might come in the Playoff round we will have to get the reception more stable.”

Lukas Kampa, setter for JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel: “It has been a very emotional match. The first set was an important one to take. Losing this one and the match would have finished much earlier. In the fourth set, when some of the decisions brought some nervousness to both sides of the net, we proved mental stability. Of course we wanted to win, but the most important thing is to be qualified for the Playoffs 12.” 

Pool E

Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE (POL) vs. Arkas IZMIR (TUR) 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-23) 

•    It was a close race up to 8-6 in the first set before Zaksa broke away with Kamil Semeniuk scoring for 11-7. The hosts stepped up their efforts and powerful serves by their opposite hitter Rafal Buszek moved the score to 14-7. Arkas made things easier for Zaksa with as many as seven service errors in the first set and the hosts cruised to a comfortable 25-17 win. 
•    Arkas IZMIR responded with a 5-1 lead courtesy of the serves placed by Gökhan Gökgöz. Zaksa coach Andrea Gardini asked for a timeout and his side responded well as they claimed an 8-7 advantage at the first technical break. The score remained close through 13-all and at the second technical time-out as well (16-14 for Zaksa). Mateusz Bieniek’s block on Mustafa Koc contributed to a three-point lead for Zaksa at 18-15 and from there the hosts did not look back anymore to double their lead in the match (25-19). 
•    Zaksa completed their home show with a hard-fought 25-23 win in the third set, thus finishing the pool stage on a 5-1 win-loss record with Arkas bidding farewell to the European Cups with six losses in as many matches. 
 

Glenn Hoag, coach of Arkas IZMIR: “We played according to our tonight’s capabilities, and it is a shame we lost our chance to change the course of that match in the third set.”

Pawel Zatorski, libero of Zaksa: “We are happy with our victory over such a strong rival. We had to step up our efforts especially in the second section of the match.” 

TRENTINO Diatec (ITA) vs. Noliko MAASEIK (BEL) 3-1 (25-16, 29-27, 24-26, 26-24)

 

Angelo Lorenzetti, head coach of TRENTINO Diatec: “I am very happy because we wanted and had to win this match against a team that we knew could put us in trouble. We claimed this victory thanks also to the medical staff and especially to the physiotherapist who managed to make sure Giannelli could recover in time for the match after he suffered a serious back pain.” 

Joel Banks, head coach of Noliko MAASEIK: “We obviously feel very sorry for not having extended the match until the tiebreak because we would have deserved it. However, in the final parts of the sets we were not very focused. It is a pity because the battle was really hard fought and we deserved something more.”

 

[VolleyRuller96 264]

Asseco Resovia RZESZOW reach the #CEVCupM semis without losing a set

 

 

Luxembourg, February 28, 2018. Asseco Resovia RZESZOW played the 4th Finals of CEV Volleyball Cup without a set loss they defeat GFC AJACCIO VB for the second time. The Polish club is still to learn the semifinal rival, who will be determined on Thursday after the match between ACH Volley LJUBLJANA and Belogorie BELGOROD.

 

Here are the all results of #CEVCupM on Wednesday:

• The Asseco Resovia quickly took he advantage in every set of the match. However, the French team were trying to catch up their opponents.
• ŚLIWKA Aleksander of Asseco Resovia was the best scorer of the game with 12 points, including three Break points, just one point ahead of his teammate Jakub Jarosz.
• Dawid Dryja of Poland team has become the best blocker of the game with three successful block points.

Frédéric Ferrandez, head coach of GFC AJACCIO VB: “We have committed too many mistakes and the teamed lacked of discipline.”

[VolleyRuller96 264]

Bunge RAVENNA and Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT move forward to the semis of #CEVChallengeCupM 

 

 

Luxembourg, February 28, 2018. It took two five set games on Wednesday to determine another two teams that made their way to the next round of CEV Challenge Cup. Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT defeated Biogas Volley NÄFELS on home court, while Bunge RAVENNA played an away game in Lisbon, where they made a comeback from losing 1-2 to confirm their place in the next stage of the competition. In the semis RAVENNA will be playing against Maliye Piyango SK ANKARA, while Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT are yet to know their opponent - Olympiacos PIRAEUS or PAR-KY MENEN.

Here are the all results of #CEVChallengeCupM on Wednesday:

Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT (RUS) vs.  Biogas Volley NÄFELS (SUI) 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 25-13, 22-25, 15-10)

• Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT took a 19-12 lead in the first set, but missed their chance to maintain the gap, allowing Biogas Volley NÄFELS to level the score at 22-22. The hosts made a lot of mistakes in the middle of the net, but they managed to achieve a minimal advantage, 25-23.
• In the second set the game continued point by point until 11-11, when Biogas Volley NÄFELS put pressure on the opponent, forcing them to make mistakes. This time Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT couldn’t overcome their errors and NÄFELS used the provided opportunities in a good way, equalising the score in the match. At 20-16 in favour of NÄFELS in the second set, their setter Reto Giger suffered an ankle joint injury and left the court until the end of the game. This fact became the determining point for the further development of the game.
• In the third set the new setter Kai Yendrik Aebli simplified the game, which allowed Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT to make seven kill blocks. It did not come as a surprise that the hosting club defeated the opponent 25-13.
• In the fourth and the fifth sets Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT used their reserve squad, with only Bogdan Glivenko remaining on the court. NÄFELS followed with their own replacements. Even though the two sets would not influence the result of this double fixture, NÄFELS tried to get the victory, but  Denis Ignatyev, who showed a good performance at the service line, surprised them completely, getting the victory on SURGUT’s side. 

Dalibor Polak, coach of Biogas Volley NÄFELS: “First of all, I want to congratulate SURGUT who made the step to the next round. We came here to show a good game and win. We showed a good game in the first two sets, but in the first one we made a lot of mistakes in the most important moments. In the second one we lost our first setter, which created problems for us in the decisive third set. We are a small club, we have only five professional players, so Volleyball is just a hobby for the rest of the team. It was a great success for us to make the quarterfinals of the Challenge Cup. It's amazing to play against Russian teams, and I think during the first two sets we were a good opponent for the Surgut team.”

Dalibor Polak, coach of Biogas Volley NÄFELS: “First of all, I want to congratulate SURGUT who made the step to the next round. We came here to show a good game and win. We showed a good game in the first two sets, but in the first one we made a lot of mistakes in the important moments. In the second one we lost our first setter, which created problems for us in the decisive third set. We are a small club, we have only five professional players, so volleyball is just a hobby for the rest of the team. It was a great success for us to make the quarterfinals of the Challenge Cup. It's amazing to play against Russian teams, and I think during the first two sets we were a good opponent for the Surgut team.”
 

Ruslan Zhbankov, assistant coach of Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT: “NÄFELS showed good Volleyball today, but the opponent plays as they are allowed to play. I think that today we did not show our best game. The players were thinking about the victory, and it is not a difficult task to win two sets at home. But when the opponent comes out and begin to resist, it is very difficult to regroup. It is very hard to turn a negative trend into a positive one. So the game was nervous on our side.”

Sport LISBOA e Benfica (POR) vs. Bunge RAVENNA (ITA) 2-3 (21-25, 25-22, 25-18, 22-25, 14-16)

• Wednesday night brought an upset to Sport LISBOA e Benfica from the CEV Challenge Cup after a 2-3 defeat in the 2nd leg of the quarterfinals.
• After the previous 3-1 defeat in Italy in the 1st Leg, Benfica needed to get a 3-0 result or, eventually, a 3-1, in order to play the Golden Set and keep their chances to remain in the competition alive.
• Although the match was quite balanced and emotional until the end, the experience of the Italian club was decisive to determine the final result.

José Pereira Jardim, coach of Sport LISBOA e Benfica: “It was a great Volleyball match against one of the best teams we have played with, with a very consistent and decisive service, maintained by their side even when we were responding well. We never stopped believing but in the fourth set Nicolas Marechal made the difference for RAVENNA.”
 
Ivo Casas, libero of Sport LISBOA e Benfica: “We were very close to taking this match at least to the Golden Set. There was a lack of luck because it was a balanced match since the beginning and the result shows it. I am sad but we left a good impression.”
 
Fabio Soli, coach of Bunge RAVENNA: “We are so proud because we fought against a great team, in a great atmosphere. The performance of both teams was very good. We are honoured to reach the semis, mostly because we won against such a good team as Benfica.”
 
Nicolas Marechal, outside hitter of Bunge RAVENNA: “It was a difficult game, because maybe after the first set, we thought that the game was finished in our favour. Sport LISBOA e Benfica came back hungry for a victory and played very well. We are happy that we made it to the semis.”

[DaniSRB 896]

@VolleyRuller96, how do you see game of Nikola Mijailovic?

[VolleyRuller96 264]

1 hour ago, DaniSRB said:

@VolleyRuller96, how do you see game of Nikola Mijailovic?

He played really well (although I think he played better in the first game against Belchatow where he scored 4 service aces). Mijailovic definitely was an important player, as he scored 12 points,including some of the key points in the game, especially by the end of the match. He also seemed to have a great understanding with the rest of the team, as I don't recall any errors being made between him and the other Chaumont players

 

[VolleyRuller96 264]

@DaniSRBAlso,I just checked the stats and Mijailovic was also the best receiving player in his club

 

[DaniSRB 896]

4 minutes ago, VolleyRuller96 said:

@DaniSRBAlso,I just checked the stats and Mijailovic was also the best receiving player in his club

 

he is surprise for me in this season, i hope will be called in national team

[VolleyRuller96 264]

TODAY'S SCHEDULE

 

QUARTERFINALS, 2nd LEG

 ACH Volley Ljubljana -  Belogorie Belgorord

 

QUARTERFINALS, 2nd LEG
 Olymiacos Piraeus -  Precura Antwerp

 

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

 

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YESTERDAY'S RESULTS

 

QUARTERFINALS, 2nd LEG

 ACH Volley Ljubljana 1:3  Belogorie Belgorord

 

QUALIFIED TO NEXT ROUND

 BELOGORIE BELGOROD

 

QUARTERFINALS, 2nd LEG
 Olymiacos Piraeus 3:0  Precura Antwerp

 

QUALIFIED TO NEXT ROUND

 Olympiacos Piraeus