VolleyRuller96

Decent jump by Kot.

Bickner

Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes 127.5 not a stunning result, but Canada will probably havr an athlete in Round 2

Davide Bresadola fell

Wow, I just saw the replay of Ledecka's run

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.”

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.”

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS LEG 5 POOL A SIR Safety Perugia 3-1 Fenerbahce Istanbul QUARTERFINALS, 1st Leg Ziraat Bankasi Ankara 3-1 Lindemans Aalst

TODAY'S SCHEDULE LEG 5 POOL A SIR Safety Perugia - Fenerbahce Istanbul QUARTERFINALS, 1st Leg Ziraat Bankasi Ankara - Lindemans Aalst Watch games at: https://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball

Two home, two away wins in first round of Challenge Cup quarterfinals Luxembourg, February 14, 2018. Bunge RAVENNA claimed a 3-1 victory vs. Sport LISBOA e Benfica in their home match of the quarterfinals of #CEVChallengeCupM. After having lost the first set, the host team got back in the game and eventually won the match. Meanwhile, Olympiacos PIRAEUS took the win in the matchup vs. PAR-KY MENEN and got one step closer to qualifying for the semifinals of the competition - as did also Maliye Piyango SK ANKARA and Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT. Bunge RAVENNA (ITA) vs. Sport LISBOA e Benfica (POR) 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-20) • After three years, RAVENNA played Benfica again, this time in the quarterfinals of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Men. In 2015, in the semi-final, the Portuguese team won both matches and made it the final that they later lost to the Serbs of Vojvodina NS Seme NOVI SAD. • Sport LISBOA e Benfica won the first set thanks to Hugo Gaspar who made the last two points. Their Trinidadian player Marc-Anthony Honoré shined with four points out of four spikes. • The Austrian opposite hitter Paul Buchegger got close to perfection in the second set by scoring seven points (86% success rate), dragging this way his team to winning the set. Also a very good job was made by middle blocker Enrico Diamantini, who successfully finished four attacks out of five attempts. • The four blocks of RAVENNA were the key to win a very balanced third set. Again Marc-Anthony Honore was the leader in the Portuguese team, while Buchegger got a little lower. Yet, his seven points were important for a positive ending of this part of the match. • The great play on block today made the difference between the two teams and was key to the victory for the home side. The Italians made 11 blocks, while Benfica’s players recorded only four. Enrico Diamantini tallied up five blocks alone and got the title of MVP together with setter Santiago Orduna, who scored four points. Paul Buchegger, having scored 20 points, was named Top Scorer of the Match. Fabio Soli, coach of Bunge RAVENNA: “We knew that the match was going to be a hard one, but we forgot that at the beginning and started very slowly. We weren’t concentrated enough. When you play against a team such as Benfica, it gets then harder to recover and focus on the match. Luckily for us, we managed to stay focused during the second set. We started playing with a very good rhythm and we noticed that our opponents aren’t used to it. We have now a good chance to progress to the semis, at least getting to the Golden Set, but we know that in Lisbon we will have a very tough match.” José Antonio Pereira Jardim, coach of Sport LISBOA e Benfica: “We came to Ravenna with the idea of winning, of course, because I think that the level of these two teams is almost equal. Our opponent started slowly, but the power of their service got higher and higher with the match unfolding and this made the difference. RAVENNA is a tough opponent to play, but I think that everything is still open. I expect my team to play better in the second leg in Lisbon and to try everything possible to progress to the next round. PAR-KY MENEN (BEL) vs. Olympiacos PIRAEUS (GRE) 1-3 (17-25, 25-16, 22-25, 21-25) • Even on Valentine’s Day PAR-KY MENEN managed to sell out the tickets for their home match. From the beginning there was a great atmosphere in the sports hall CC de Steiger Vauban MENEN – thanks to the excited home crowd and around 50 Greek supporters; all those attending the game enjoyed an amazing Volleyball show. • PIRAEUS took the first set without major problems. • PAR-KY MENEN showed good play in block during the second set. The home team managed to win this part of the match, making the score 1-1. The strong serving by setter Xavier Folguera was the key for making the result equal. • In the next two sets, both teams showed fighting spirit and great rallies. Neither PAR-KY MENEN, nor Olympiacos PIRAEUS were ready to give up, but eventually the Greek were stronger, taking a well-deserved 3-1 away win. • Julien Winkelmuller (PAR-KY MENEN) topped the charts with 21 points. Mikko Oivanen was the best scorer for PIRAEUS with 17 points. • The away match is scheduled for March, 1 in Greece. Jelle Sinnesael, captain of PAR-KY MENEN: “We knew PIRAEUS would be hard to beat, but the difference between both teams was not so big. The third and the fourth sets were quite close and the difference was in the details. I am convinced that nothing is finished yet. We can play without pressure in Greece. Nobody is unbeatable. Our European adventure has been amazing so far and we still have hope.” Maliye Piyango SK ANKARA (TUR) vs. MONTANA Volley (BUL) 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-22) Maliye Piyango SK ANKARA got one step closer to qualifying for the next round of the competition, after a fast win 3-0 vs. MONTANA Volley. The spectators in attendance at Baskent Volleyball Hall enjoyed some good Volleyball rallies in the three sets. Although both teams showed an almost equal level of play, eventually the hosts claimed the victory. The guests seemed to be close to completing a comeback in the third set, but the Turkish team didn't let anyone spoil their home party. Oliver Venno from Maliye Piyango SK ANKARA was the best scorer of the match with 21 points (nine of which break points). For MONTANA Volley Zlatko Kiosev was best with 10 points.

Belogorie, Resovia and VERONA celebrate CEV Cup quarterfinal home wins Luxembourg, February 14, 2018. Belogorie BELGOROD opened the quarterfinals in the 2018 CEV Volleyball Cup with a straight 3-0 win in their matchup vs. ACH Volley LJUBLJANA. The Russian team didn’t have any serious problems and are now only one victory away from qualifying to the semi-finals of the competition. Asseco Resovia also claimed a 3-0 victory in their match vs. GFC AJACCIO VB. Calzedonia VERONA of Italy used the home court advantage as well to claim a hard-fought 3-1 victory in their fixture with MONTPELLIER Volley UC. Belogorie BELGOROD (RUS) vs. ACH Volley LJUBLJANA (SLO) 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-13) • ACH Volley LJUBLJANA could only take an early lead at the start of the third set 4-2, but couldn’t keep it and the host team soon turned the result in their favour – 6-4. This was the only moment when the guests were leading the way. • Both teams were equal in their own mistakes – 20 for Belogorie BELGOROD, and 19 for ACH Volley LJUBLJANA. • Belogorie BELGOROD scored 12 aces, while ACH Volley LJUBLJANA players couldn’t make a single one. • Maksim Zhigalov was the top scorer of the match with 12 points, supported by Ian Iereshchenko with 10. None of ACH Volley LJUBLJANA players could score in double figures. However, Jan Pokersnik was better than his teammates with nine points. • It took Belogorie BELGOROD only 66 minutes to complete the first half of the goal – qualifying to the 2018 CEV Volleyball Cup semi-finals. Alexandr Bogomolov, coach of Belogorie BELGOROD: “The opponent team is good at defence and we knew that. It was not so easy for us, but we were prepared for such a game, it was not a surprise for us. I am satisfied with the result, as we had a chance to give some rest to some players, and give more playing time to others. The away match will be definitely a hard one. They will play at home with the support of their fans. So we have to be prepared for that.” Dmitrii Babkov, player of ACH Volley LJUBLJANA: “Despite the result I have only positive impressions from this match. It’s a pity that we lost 0-3, but Belogorie is a very strong team. We will try to fight in the next match that will take place in front of a home crowd, of course. We have no other options.” Asseco Resovia RZESZOW (POL) vs. GFC AJACCIO VB (FRA) 3-0 (25-22, 30-28, 25-19) • The players of Asseco Resovia showed some great play on serve in the first set. Thanks to this and also to some great blocks, the Polish opened the match with a 25-22 set win. • The spectators in RCWS Podpromie Hall enjoyed some amazing Volleyball rallies. Aleksander Śliwka and Marcin Możdżonek took control of the game and helped the home team close the second set by 30-28 after a nice blocking action. • Asseco Resovia were able to close the match in three sets. • The captain of Asseco Resovia – Jochen Schöps helped his team gain self-confidence, which brought a good atmosphere among his teammates. He was brilliant on serve and attack, scoring as many as 11 points in total. • The opposite spiker Thibault Rossard and the attacker Jose Luis Gonzalez became best scorers of the match, both of them recording 14 points for the home side and visitors, respectively. Mateusz Masłowski, player of Asseco Resovia RZESZOW: “It was a good match with a lot of cool actions. We controlled the first and the third sets. I think that we played very well in defense and counterattack. We made a lot of blocks. In the second set we had some problems with our game and the team from Ajaccio took advantage of it. They played better, but in the middle of the set we regained control to close this part of the match. I think that this was the most important moment in this game.” Brett Adrian Dailey, player of GFC AJACCIO VB: “We played against a very strong team with great players. They do the hard things well, and the simple things even better. They played without mistakes, and us, on the contrary, made too many errors in the first and third set. I think that we played very well in the second set. I hope that we will get prepared in a better way for the next match and we will play better.” Calzedonia VERONA (ITA) vs. MONTPELLIER Volley UC (FRA) 3-1 (26-24, 27-25, 22-25, 25-22) • The visitors caught a good start to the match and claimed an 8-5 early lead; Thomas Jaeschke and Alen Pajenk helped VERONA draw level at 12-all before Jaeschke finished the set off at 26-24 for the home side. • MONTPELLIER edged ahead again in the second set (9-6) but VERONA fought back to 9-all with the help of Mohammadjavad Manavinezhad. Emanuele Birarelli and Jeschke worked very well at the net and their blocks propelled an 11-9 lead for the hosts. The teams fought bravely until the very end of the set with two mistakes in a row by Vladimir Cedic sealing a 27-25 win for VERONA. • VERONA stormed to a 4-1 lead in the third set but the visitors responded to move the score to 9-9. Jaeschke contributed to a 14-12 advantage for VERONA and even though the hosts were able to lead the way at 19-16, MONTPELLIER fought back to make it 25-22. • Jaeschke and Stephen Maar helped the host team storm to a comfortable 14-9 lead in the fourth set and Birarelli caused many problems to the French reception (19-13); however, some mistakes made by VERONA left the door for a comeback by MONTPELLIER (23-22) before Jaeschke and Birarelli sealed the final 3-1 victory (25-22) for the home side.

VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN and Zenit KAZAN keep perfect record in #CLVolleyM Luxembourg, February 14, 2018. Dinamo MOSCOW and Noliko MAASEIK opened an exciting Volleyball night with comprehensive victories in their respective matchups with CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne and Arkas IZMIR to stay in contention for a spot in the Playoffs of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Men. The chances of the Muscovites look slim though in an extremely competitive Pool C. VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN and titleholders Zenit KAZAN extended their winning streak to five matches in a row in Pool B and D, respectively while Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE recorded their second 3-2 victory over TRENTINO Diatec in as many matches between these two teams in Pool E. VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (GER) vs. Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA (FIN) 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-12) • VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN are leading the way in Pool B after five rounds with five wins in as many matches. The Germans have a record of seven victories in the Champions League this season since they contested another two matches in the 3rd Round. • Mister 100% is Jakob Günthör. The Häfler middle blocker scored three points out of three attacks in the matchup with the Finns. • Standing ovations for the away team in Friedrichshafen. Even if they were 0-2 sets adrift, the star player of SASTAMALA, Urpo Sivula jumped over the LED boards to save the point for his team. • Sivula also was the hardest working player on the court. He attacked 25 times and was his team’s best scorer with 8 points. On FRIEDRICHSHAFEN’s side, Bartlomiej Boladz recorded 13 points to his name. • It is a record-breaking season for the Häfler. They have won 26 matches in a row in the German Bundesliga, German Cup, German Supercup and Champions League. Vital Heynen, coach of VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN: “There is no perfect game for a Volleyball coach, but the team was very close to perfection today. SASTAMALA spiked and spiked and we defended nearly every ball. I am very proud of the guys.” Sami Kurttila, coach of Ford Store Levoranta SASTAMALA: “I am proud of my team because they fought so hard today but I am also disappointed to lose this game with sets ending to 15, 13 and 12 points. We were not able to beat such a strong team as VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN.” Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS) vs. CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne (FRA) 3-1 (25-16, 19-25, 25-19, 25-18) • After losing the first matchup with CHAUMONT VB 2-3, Dinamo could celebrate a 3-1 home victory. • Dinamo rejoiced with their first victory in the competition in Pool C where they have gathered five points in five matches. • Dinamo setter Sergey Antipkin served six times in a row in the first set to move the score from 6-5 to 11-5. • The visitors responded in the second set where their star player Stéphen Boyer recorded a 70% success rate in attack and Yacine Louati had 60% positive reception. • In the third set, Dinamo claimed a 15-10 lead and with Boyer spiking out of bounds, the hosts somehow secured their victory in the period. Everything went just easy for Dinamo in the fourth set where they opened proceedings with a terrific 8-1 run. • Boyer and Alexander Markin were the eventual top scorers of this match with 19 points apiece. Silvano Prandi, head coach of CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne: “The game was clear. We played worse than Dinamo did. Dinamo played a good game as they usually do. When one team serves at a high level as they did, they end up winning the match. We had some difficulties in attack, especially against their block. In every match, one team has problems in reception and this is because the opponent is serving much better. The final result is a 3-1 victory for Dinamo because today they showed a better performance than we did.” Boris Kolchin, head coach of Dinamo MOSCOW: “We needed this type of game at the beginning of the Champions League. I am satisfied today because I saw a good level when it comes to the performance of my team. Today we made some mistakes but we showed that we had to win this match. We should use the strength resulting from playing at home and the support of the audience to win. We served very well today. In the Champions League, we could have played better at the beginning of the season if we had not had to cope with so many injuries but we can play at this level only now and can finally show our A-game. I can say again that the game in France was decisive for us. We think we still have a small chance to make it through to the next round and we will fight until the end.” BERLIN Recycling Volleys (GER) vs. Zenit KAZAN (RUS) 1-3 (17-25, 20-25, 25-23, 23-25) • Zenit KAZAN were literally on a class of their own in the first set as they stormed to a 25-17 victory and out-played the hosts in every aspect of the game, leading from start to end. • The BR Volleys stepped up their efforts in the second set and were able to keep the score close, but Zenit took advantage of their routine and experience to break away towards the end and double their lead in the match. • The hosts did not let their opponent claim any comfortable advantage in the third set and the two teams exchanged the lead back and forth until the BR Volleys emerged victorious at 25-23. • The fourth set was another close affair, but this time around, Zenit KAZAN had the upper hand. • As many as 5,228 fans witnessed the premiere of Stelian Moculescu at the helm of the BR Volleys. Stelian Moculescu, head coach of BERLIN Recycling Volleys: “I am happy with our performance we delivered today. We knew whom we were going to play. Zenit KAZAN dominated us in the first set, but we got better in the third and fourth sets. For the few days we have been working together, this match is a sound basis we can build on. There is not that much I can do except from speaking with the players. For the upcoming matches we have to improve in reception first and attack.” Robert Kromm, player of BERLIN Recycling Volleys: “Zenit KAZAN started out very strongly. We faced the biggest problems in reception. However, in the following sets we got used to the pace of the game and with Wilfredo Leon sitting on the bench, we managed to put them under pressure with our service. Unfortunately, we could not take advantage of the chances we had.” Matthew Anderson, player of Zenit KAZAN: “It was a good match; we played very well in the first two sets and gave the younger players the opportunity to play in the following ones. However, we came back when we needed to.” Arkas IZMIR (TUR) vs. Noliko MAASEIK (BEL) 0-3 (16-25, 21-25, 21-25) • Noliko caught a flying start to the match leading 8-4 and 16-8, before securing a compelling 25-16 win in the opening set. • The hosts tried to fight back in the second set with Adis Lagumdzija and Gökhan Gökgöz, thus taking a two-point lead at the first technical time-out. However, Noliko edged ahead by the second one (16-14) to eventually double their lead in the match. • Jolan Cox and Nicolas Bruno set the pace of the game for Noliko in the third set, with the Belgians practically leading from start to end to celebrate with a 3-0 victory. • Youngster Adis Lagumdzija produced 13 points for the home side while Gökgöz added 12 to the tally of Arkas. Nicolas Bruno, Kamil Rychlicki and Jolan Cox all produced 10 points for Noliko. Timo Tammemaa stood out with three blocks for the visiting team. Glenn Hoag, head coach of Arkas IZMIR: “We started the match in a bad way due to Michael Sanchez’s illness. The opponent is very well prepared, and we could not adapt to it. We will continue to work with the lessons we will take out of this match.” Joel Banks, head coach of Noliko MAASEIK: “We took three important points from this match. Today, Arkas did not exhibit one of its best performances. At defence we played well and we were extremely effective with fast attacks; this way we eventually reached the desired result.” TRENTINO Diatec (ITA) vs. Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE (POL) 2-3 (25-23, 22-25, 25-27, 25-21, 15-17) • Zaksa claimed an extremely close match, thus repeating the result they had achieved at home back in December. The Poles, without Sam Deroo, showed to deserve the first place in the pool after cancelling three match balls for TRENTINO in the all-deciding tiebreak. • Puerto Rican opposite hitter Maurice Torres, who scored 19 points with 47% success rate in attack, was the MVP of the match whereas home captain Filippo Lanza top scored with 21 points. • Zaksa confirmed their ability to ‘conquer’ PalaTrento; TRENTINO have lost only 4 out of 34 home matches in the Champions League, with two losses coming in matchups with the reigning Polish national champions. • TRENTINO Diatec will have to win their home match with Noliko MAASEIK scheduled for February 28 to secure at least second place in the pool. Noliko have at this stage the same number of wins – three – as the Italians. • It was a match with lots of mistakes, with as many as 35 service errors and another 25 in attack, with both teams looking quite nervous and inconsistent at the net. Angelo Lorenzetti, coach of TRENTINO Diatec: “It was the match that we were expecting, as already happened in the away game back in December. It is not by coincidence that Zaksa are at the top of the standing in the Polish national league and tonight they showed this to us. We didn’t manage to hold on to a good advantage both in the second and third sets and we were punished for this.” Maurice Torres, player of Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE: “It was a hard-fought match; we had the ability to never give in and to believe in ourselves until the end. This is a beautiful and very important victory for us.”

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS LEG 5 POOL B VFB Friedrichshafen 3-0 Ford Store Levoranta Sastamala POOL C Dinamo Moscow 3-1 Chaumont VB 52 Haute-Marne POOL D Berlin Recycling Volleys 1-3 Zenit Kazan POOL E Zaksa Kedzierzyn Kozle 3-2 Diatec Trentino Arkas Izmir 0-3 Noliko Maaseik QUARTERFINALS, 1st Leg Belogorie Belgorod 3-0 Ach Volley Ljubljana Asseco Resovia Rzeszów 3-0 GFC Ajaccio Calzedonia Verona 3-1 Montpellier UC QUARTERFINALS, 1st Leg Biogas Volleys Nafael 1-3 Gazprom Urga Surgut Maliye Piyango SK Ankara 3-0 Montana Bunge Ravenna 3-1 Benfica Lisboa PAR-ky Menen 1-3 Olympiacos Piraeus

@hckosice are you alive?

Slovenia beat the USA

It would be terribly unfair if Slovakia loses or draws this...

Yay From 0-2 to 3-2

TODAY'S SCHEDULE LEG 5 POOL B VFB Friedrichshafen - Ford Store Levoranta Sastamala POOL C Dinamo Moscow - Chaumont VB 52 Haute-Marne POOL D Berlin Recycling Volleys - Zenit Kazan POOL E Zaksa Kedzierzyn Kozle - Diatec Trentino Arkas Izmir - Noliko Maaseik QUARTERFINALS, 1st Leg Belogorie Belgorod - Ach Volley Ljubljana Asseco Resovia Rzeszów - GFC Ajaccio Calzedonia Verona - Montpellier UC QUARTERFINALS, 1st Leg Biogas Volleys Nafael - Gazprom Urga Surgut Maliye Piyango SK Ankara - Montana Bunge Ravenna - Benfica Lisboa PAR-ky Menen - Olympiacos Piraeus Watch games at: https://www.laola1.tv/en-int/channel/volleyball

Once again a half-empty venue What for bid to host the Olympic Games if you can't even provide an proper atmosphere in the crowd?

PAOK and Skra delight home crowds as #CLVolleyM resumes with fifth round Luxembourg, February 13, 2018. PAOK THESSALONIKI and PGE Skra BELCHATOW made full use of the home-court advantage as the pool stage of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Men resumed on Tuesday night. The Greek national champions stormed to a 3-1 victory over Halkbank ANKARA to remain in contention for a spot in the Playoffs as PGE Skra routed Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK in three sets to extend their winning streak in Pool C to three matches in a row. Lokomotiv, on the other hand, suffered their first setback in Europe’s elite club competition this season, with their superstar György Grozer leaving the court after the first set and Nikolay Pavlov taking his spot. In Pool A, Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA beat Knack ROESELARE in three sets to fight with their compatriots Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA for first place in the group once these two teams cross swords in about ten days. Knack ROESELARE (BEL) vs. Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA (ITA) 0-3 (16-25, 23-25, 23-25) • Knack ROESELARE and Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA played their tenth match in the history of the Champions League. These teams had previously locked horns in the 2016, 2009 and 2007 editions (in 2007 they crossed their ways in the first round and in the Playoffs 6 as well). In all these years, Lube had never been able to claim a victory at Schiervelde Sports Hall.• Knack made a terrible start with consecutive mistakes in attack and serve. In no time, the visitors took the lead with 8-2 and 11-3. The home team started to score their first points with an ace from Arno Van de Velde and attacks from Ruben Van Hirtum. However, Lube kept control over the set with Tsvetan Sokolov and Taylor Sander as their best scorers. Finally, the Italians needed four set balls to finish the first set 25-16.• Set two brought a more balanced game with 8-7, 14-16 and 20-21 as intermediate scores. Every time Knack Volley could force a small gap, Lube, or read Osmany Juantorena, levelled the score again in no time. Sander and Juantorena finished the set for the visitors (25-23). • Set three looked like a copy of set two. Both teams fought for every ball and the audience at Schiervelde got to enjoy a nerve-wracking spectacle delivered by both teams, with spectacular saves from both outstanding liberos, Stijn Dejonckheere for Knack Volley and Jenia Grebennikov for CIVITANOVA. The tension stayed high until the end but finally Lube finished the set and the match with 25-23. • Matthijs Verhanneman (11 points) and Tsvetan Sokolov / Taylor Sander (13 apiece) top scored for Knack and Lube, respectively. Micah Christenson, setter of Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA: “We expected a difficult match here. Up to now, we were not able to win at Schiervelde. Even not two years ago when we lost 3-1. Knack ROESELARE have a very good defence and the home crowd is bringing a real atmosphere. Luckily, we made a very good start in the first set. After winning that first set, we kept control over the match. Now we are looking ahead for the last match in Pool A in which we will go for the victory against PERUGIA.”Angel Trinidad de Haro, setter of Knack ROESELARE: “Indeed, our start was terrible. It made it impossible for us to fight back after such a backlog. Even in the other sets, we felt that every small mistake that we made had an immediate effect. Now, we will have to concentrate on our last home match against Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL to keep our chances to proceed to the next round.” PAOK THESSALONIKI (GRE) vs. Halkbank ANKARA (TUR) 3-1 (25-16, 16-25, 26-24, 25-20) • PAOK THESSALONIKI celebrated their first victory in this edition of the CEV Volleyball Champions League - Men, beating Halkbank ANKARA 3-1 and keeping alive their hope to qualify to the Playoffs as one of the best third-placed teams across all pools.• Despite having setter Matthias Valkiers on the bench due to injury and starting with Athanasios Terzis instead, the Black-and-Whites managed to come from behind (6-10) and win the first set in an emphatic fashion. • The visitors took a slight advantage and got four points ahead right after the first technical time-out (10-6), but Ioannis Takouridis stroke back: three consecutive ace points by the Greek middle blocker made it even (12-12) and PAOK’s rally extended to a 7-0 (15-12) series. • Halkbank ANKARA continued having serious problems in reception and the local side stretched their advantage to seven points (20-13) and ultimately nine (24-15) before the final score stood at 25-16. • The second set had a completely different storyline, as the Turkish team learned from their mistakes. They once again made it first to the technical time-out (8-5) and took it from there to expand their lead to six points (14-8), giving PAOK no chance to fight back and winning easily 25-16. • The third set was the most suspenseful and critical one, as the lead changed hands quite a few times, before it all came down to the final points: with a 22-22 tie on the scoreboard, Burutay Subasi delivered two kills in a row (24-22), but then was blocked by Terzis (24-24). Rafail Koumentakis made it 25-24 for PAOK and Subasi himself had another chance, however he missed target and the set was over (26-24).• The Turkish side reacted in a positive way after the loss and caught a flying start into set four, nevertheless it was far from over when they took a 10-5 lead. Greece’s national champions found the way to put extra pressure with their serves before they drew level (12-12) and got ahead by three (18-15). In spite of the visitors’ efforts, Takouridis delivered an important long-fought point (23-19) and Lucas Loh’s missed spike put an end to the match (25-20), much to the joy of the local fans who attended the match at “PAOK Sports Arena”.• Legendary Cuban Freddy Brooks, former player and assistant coach of PAOK, attended the match along with his pupils at Kronos Academy, among many other spectators. 13/02/2018 23:37 PAOK and Skra delight home crowds as #CLVolleyM resumes with fifth round 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Men Luxembourg, February 13, 2018. PAOK THESSALONIKI and PGE Skra BELCHATOW made full use of the home-court advantage as the pool stage of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Men resumed on Tuesday night. The Greek national champions stormed to a 3-1 victory over Halkbank ANKARA to remain in contention for a spot in the Playoffs as PGE Skra routed Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK in three sets to extend their winning streak in Pool C to three matches in a row. Lokomotiv, on the other hand, suffered their first setback in Europe’s elite club competition this season, with their superstar György Grozer leaving the court after the first set and Nikolay Pavlov taking his spot. In Pool A, Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA beat Knack ROESELARE in three sets to fight with their compatriots Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA for first place in the group once these two teams cross swords in about ten days. Knack ROESELARE (BEL) vs. Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA (ITA) 0-3 (16-25, 23-25, 23-25) • Knack ROESELARE and Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA played their tenth match in the history of the Champions League. These teams had previously locked horns in the 2016, 2009 and 2007 editions (in 2007 they crossed their ways in the first round and in the Playoffs 6 as well). In all these years, Lube had never been able to claim a victory at Schiervelde Sports Hall. • Knack made a terrible start with consecutive mistakes in attack and serve. In no time, the visitors took the lead with 8-2 and 11-3. The home team started to score their first points with an ace from Arno Van de Velde and attacks from Ruben Van Hirtum. However, Lube kept control over the set with Tsvetan Sokolov and Taylor Sander as their best scorers. Finally, the Italians needed four set balls to finish the first set 25-16. • Set two brought a more balanced game with 8-7, 14-16 and 20-21 as intermediate scores. Every time Knack Volley could force a small gap, Lube, or read Osmany Juantorena, levelled the score again in no time. Sander and Juantorena finished the set for the visitors (25-23). • Set three looked like a copy of set two. Both teams fought for every ball and the audience at Schiervelde got to enjoy a nerve-wracking spectacle delivered by both teams, with spectacular saves from both outstanding liberos, Stijn Dejonckheere for Knack Volley and Jenia Grebennikov for CIVITANOVA. The tension stayed high until the end but finally Lube finished the set and the match with 25-23. • Matthijs Verhanneman (11 points) and Tsvetan Sokolov / Taylor Sander (13 apiece) top scored for Knack and Lube, respectively. Micah Christenson, setter of Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA: “We expected a difficult match here. Up to now, we were not able to win at Schiervelde. Even not two years ago when we lost 3-1. Knack ROESELARE have a very good defence and the home crowd is bringing a real atmosphere. Luckily, we made a very good start in the first set. After winning that first set, we kept control over the match. Now we are looking ahead for the last match in Pool A in which we will go for the victory against PERUGIA.” Angel Trinidad de Haro, setter of Knack ROESELARE: “Indeed, our start was terrible. It made it impossible for us to fight back after such a backlog. Even in the other sets, we felt that every small mistake that we made had an immediate effect. Now, we will have to concentrate on our last home match against Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL to keep our chances to proceed to the next round.” PAOK THESSALONIKI (GRE) vs. Halkbank ANKARA (TUR) 3-1 (25-16, 16-25, 26-24, 25-20) • PAOK THESSALONIKI celebrated their first victory in this edition of the CEV Volleyball Champions League - Men, beating Halkbank ANKARA 3-1 and keeping alive their hope to qualify to the Playoffs as one of the best third-placed teams across all pools. • Despite having setter Matthias Valkiers on the bench due to injury and starting with Athanasios Terzis instead, the Black-and-Whites managed to come from behind (6-10) and win the first set in an emphatic fashion. • The visitors took a slight advantage and got four points ahead right after the first technical time-out (10-6), but Ioannis Takouridis stroke back: three consecutive ace points by the Greek middle blocker made it even (12-12) and PAOK’s rally extended to a 7-0 (15-12) series. • Halkbank ANKARA continued having serious problems in reception and the local side stretched their advantage to seven points (20-13) and ultimately nine (24-15) before the final score stood at 25-16. • The second set had a completely different storyline, as the Turkish team learned from their mistakes. They once again made it first to the technical time-out (8-5) and took it from there to expand their lead to six points (14-8), giving PAOK no chance to fight back and winning easily 25-16. • The third set was the most suspenseful and critical one, as the lead changed hands quite a few times, before it all came down to the final points: with a 22-22 tie on the scoreboard, Burutay Subasi delivered two kills in a row (24-22), but then was blocked by Terzis (24-24). Rafail Koumentakis made it 25-24 for PAOK and Subasi himself had another chance, however he missed target and the set was over (26-24). • The Turkish side reacted in a positive way after the loss and caught a flying start into set four, nevertheless it was far from over when they took a 10-5 lead. Greece’s national champions found the way to put extra pressure with their serves before they drew level (12-12) and got ahead by three (18-15). In spite of the visitors’ efforts, Takouridis delivered an important long-fought point (23-19) and Lucas Loh’s missed spike put an end to the match (25-20), much to the joy of the local fans who attended the match at “PAOK Sports Arena”. • Legendary Cuban Freddy Brooks, former player and assistant coach of PAOK, attended the match along with his pupils at Kronos Academy, among many other spectators. Daniele Ricci, head coach of PAOK THESSALONIKI: “We played a good match, against a very strong rival with a budget which is ten times bigger than ours. Maybe it was our best performance so far this season. We managed to play for a long time at a high level. Not at a perfect level, but quite well anyway. This is very important for us, because you cannot win such teams with just 30 minutes of good Volleyball, as we saw on our last home match against VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN. Tonight we did not make too many mistakes and we defended quite well. These are two elements which always are a problem for our team, because of our style of play, but this time we managed to pay more attention and take advantage of ANKARA’s errors.” Slobodan Kovac, coach of Halkbank ANKARA: “My players didn’t show the best of their Volleyball tonight. Maybe we were a little relaxed after our previous matches in the Turkish league. PAOK played better than us, especially in attack and high ball.” PGE Skra BELCHATOW (POL) vs. Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK (RUS) 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-19) • “If you want to fall in love with Volleyball, when Valentine’s Day is coming, there is no better place than Energia Hall and no better team to love than PGE Skra,” stated emphatically the President of PGE Skra BELCHATOW Konrad Piechocki, after his team defeated Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK 3-0. • It was the first defeat of the season for the Russian powerhouse in Pool C of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Men. • The service was the key for the home team, as PGE Skra’s six players recorded a terrific number of 13 aces. The home team added seven blocks to their tally, while Lokomotiv recorded four aces and just two blocks. • Srecko Lisinac was the best scorer of the night with 15 points (12/16 in attack). Mariusz Wlazly added 11 and Bartosz Bednorz 10. • György Grozer killed only three of seven attacks and did not come back to the court after the first set, with Nikolay Pavlov (9/13) taking his spot and the German superstar enjoying some rest. The second opposite of Lokomotiv did not receive much support from the rest of the team. • PGE Skra began this year’s campaign with two losses but have now claimed three wins in a row. Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK, on the other hand, had lost only three sets in four matches before their visit to Belchatow. “We are extremely disappointed. It was the same match like the reverse fixture in Novosibirsk, but the roles changed,” stated Grozer, who had previously played many times at Energia Hall with Asseco Resovia RZESZOW. “When I last visited Belchatow, we won the Polish national league but today it was different. PGE Skra played on a very high level in all elements of the game and we could not cause any problems to the home team. They deserved this victory.” His coach Plamen Konstantinov was another disappointed man, and he knows Belchatow very well too since he played here with JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel. “It was another painful defeat for me here. I am not happy but such matches happen. Our position in the pool is still good.”Konstantinov played versus Mariusz Wlazly and Michal Winiarski in the 2006 World Championships semi-final more than ten years ago in Japan and suffered a setback there as well. Winiarski is currently the assistant coach of PGE Skra. “We motivated our players all the time since the weekend. We were extremely focused and we believed in ourselves; we knew exactly what to do and we did it. The service was the key, but not the only one. We prepared our players for another small final and they won it,” said the former outside hitter of PGE Skra.“Everything is in our hands; we came back and have good chances to qualify to the Playoffs. We will have another small final in two weeks’ time in France,” Winiarski concluded referring to the last match in the pool with CHAUMONT VB 52 Haute Marne. Spacer’s TOULOUSE VB (FRA) vs. JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel (POL) 2-3 (17-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 12-15) • The Spacer’s TOULOUSE played their third tiebreak in 10 days and eventually claimed their first point in Pool D despite losing to their visitors from Poland.• JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel managed to open the match in emphatic style by winning the first set by 25-17. They did so especially with their good blocks and serves. Spacer’s TOULOUSE middle blocker Barthélémy Chinenyeze and captain Diogenes Zagonel were able to close the deficit a bit at 14-18 but the visitors could count on their excellent setter Lukas Kampa to pull out a 25-17 win. • The second set followed a similar plot with Chinenyeze and Luka Basic fighting to keep the home side in contention. Basic moved the score to 21-all with two consecutive blocks but JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel were able to seal a 25-22 win. • The hosts fought their way back in the third and fourth sets, levelling the match. • The visitors claimed an early two-point lead in the fifth set and were able to hold on to it to secure a 3-2 victory. Diogenes Zagonel, captain of Spacer’s TOULOUSE: “We are lucky to be able to play such a match and to measure ourselves against such teams. For me, it is a dream come true and everyone needs to take advantage of these moments and enjoy them to the fullest. The match against the Polish team allowed us to play free from any pressure. I am proud of my team that fought up until the end of the tiebreak.”Miguel Angel de Amo, setter of Spacer’s TOULOUSE: “There was a lot of fighting and quality Volleyball without giving up on our part. It was good for our fans who have been following us since the beginning of the season despite our disappointing results. We fought all the way until the tiebreak that we hoped to win.” Ferdinando De Giorgi, head coach of JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel: “The staff and I advised the team that we needed to have quality in our play. Today we were not able to maintain this quality from start to end, and the match became more complicated because TOULOUSE played with courage and never gave up. Now we are waiting for the result of the match between the BR Volleys and Zenit KAZAN and we are preparing for a “final” when we play our last match in the pool in Berlin in ten days.”

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS LEG 5 GROUP A Knack Roeselare 0-3 Cucine Lube Civitanova GROUP B PAOK Thesalloniki 3-1 Halkbank Ankara GROUP C PGE Skra Belchatow 3-0 Lokomotiv Novosibirsk GROUP D Spacers Toulouse VB 2-3 Jastrzebski Wegiel

As I don't think this would fit in any of the Olympic topics, and I don't want to start a new one just for one joke, I will leave this here

Takagi and Kodaira can be in top 3 they surely hoped for more, but "you cant always get what you want"

Alongside the Olympics, usually many smaller events, sometimes promoting smaller and unknown sports, happen and this year it's also the case. Yesterday, for example, the Austrian House in the Olympic Village hosted a special presentation game in Snow Volleyball, starring players from Austria, Brazil, China, Korea, and Serbia for the Korean fans and invited members of the IOC. The goal of the game was to promote snow volley as an Olympic Sport in the near future, and prove Volleyball is a sport that can be played all around the year.

I don't know, is it because of how late in the night ( in Poland ) most competitions take place, is it because of the awful sheduling, is it because our National Broadcaster's coverage of the games is very small and I do not have Eurosport, maybe it's even because Polish athletes (outside of ski jumping) haven't really been succesfull here, but... I do not feel like the Olympic Games currently take place at all. Usually, when the olympic games come, no matter if winter or summer, or any other multisport competition like European or World Games, my excitment spikes before they even start. I try to follow multiple disciplines at the same time, I search for foreign streams to watch at least a bit of every discipline. Now it's not the case. To be honest, all I watched today was the women's luge and curling matches. I did not even bother with other events, I just checked the results later. To me, these are the most disappointing olympics, in all aspects, since I can remember