ACH Volley Ljubljana to another victory after turnaround

In the 4th round match of the Sportklub First Volleyball League we watched the match between the undefeated team ACH Volley Ljubljana and the home team Hiša na Kolesih Triglav. In a game of twists and turns, the Ljubljana team won with a score of 3:2 and remain undefeated.

Kranj - sports hall Planina,  spectators: 150, referees: Kodelič, Novak.

Hiša na kolesih Triglav : ACH Volley Ljubljana   2: 3 (25, 25, -15, -17, -10 )

Hiša na kolesih Triglav: Ibrišimovič, Nanut 6, Glamočanin, Tučen 7, Fajfar, Rutar, Snedec 3, Šikanič 2, Mali 8, Adžović, Jovovič 34.   Trener: Sašo Rop.

ACH Volley Ljubljana: Mejal, Šket, Mašulović 2, Todorović 2, Bošnjak 3, Koncilja 18, Šestan 13, Kovačič (L), Gjorgiev 19, Videčnik 6, Kök 7, Šen 11.  Trener: Radovan Gačič.

The opening game of the first set was evenly matched, as neither team managed to secure a significant advantage. The Kranj team made too many errors on their opening shots, but made up for it with a solid block. Ljubljana's captain, Gjorgiev, with an efficient attack and then an ace, took a three-point lead (8:11). This led to a reaction on the home bench and the first timeout at the request of coach Rop. After that Kranj team managed to even the score at 11 points after a mistake by Bošnjak. The rest of the game was even and tense. The home volleyball players were always half a step ahead of the guests from Ljubljana. Tučen used an ace to take advantage of the third final ball from Hiša na Kolesih Triglav to take a 1:0 lead in the set (27:25).

In the second set, Kranj volleyball players had the initial initiative (7:5), but the experienced players of ACH Volley Ljubljana quickly caught them and took the lead at the 10th point. After two successful attacks by Kök and Šestan, the Dragons increased their lead (10:12). After a mistake by Mali on the opening hit and another effective finish by Šestan, the Dragons led by four (14:18), but the home volleyballers came back with a 5:0 partial score and entered the playoffs with a minimal advantage (21:20). Gjorgiev and Šen attacked to give the Dragons the lead, but Triglav players were the first to secure the final ball (24:23) on the wings of an extremely skilled Jovović. The excellent Montenegrin opposite Jovović staged a real simultaneous play in the end of the set and with a block secured the victory of Kranj in the second set (27:25).

At the start of the third set, the game remained even. The volleyball players of the Hiše na Kolesih Triglav still managed to keep up with the increasingly playful Dragons. However, the next half of the set saw a more determined performance from the multiple national champions, who led 19:12 after an ace from Koncilja. The Orange Dragons crowned their complete dominance with an ace from Šen for a convincing win in the third set (15:25).

The visitors from Ljubljana also had the initiative in the opening of the fourth set, taking a five-point lead (6:11) after two errors of their own by the Kranj players. A successful attack by Gjorgiev and Šen brought the Orange Dragons to an unassailable eight-point advantage (13:21). The set ended in favour of the Ljubljana players (17:25) after a successful steal by Todorović.

In the shortened fifth set, the start was in the visitors' favour, who took a two-point lead on the wings of Šestan and Gjorgiev (3:5), but the home players, with the help of the Montenegrin opposite Jovović, did not allow the Ljubljana players to escape at the very beginning (4:5). The Ljubljana volleyball team put things back on track and led 12:7 with a fierce attack by Koncilja over the first tempo. Šen secured their fourth win of the championship with an efficient attack.

Statement of ACH Volley Ljubljana coach Radovan Gačič: "We were aware that Kranj was not going to be easy. The home volleyball players were relaxed and played to the best of their abilities. We didn't enter the game the way we should have, we played in a crunch and the opponent took advantage of it. However, I am happy with the fact that after unexpectedly losing two sets, we came back and played much better. We need to build on this and prepare for the next challenges."