ACH Volley Ljubljana crushed AICH/DOB players

The 9th round of the Central European League MEVZA saw the first match of the season between the two teams with the most Central European championship titles, namely the home team ACH Volley Ljubljana and SK Zadruga AICH/DOB. The Orange Dragons once again confirmed that they are in top form and convincingly defeated their rivals from DOB with a 3:0 score.

Ljubljana - Tivoli sports hall, 55 spectators, referees Rajković, Brlas (both Croatia).

ACH Volley Ljubljana : SK Zadruga AICH/DOB 3:0 (19, 21, 22)

ACH Volley Ljubljana: Pernuš 1, Šket, Rutar, Mašulović 10, Todorović 3, Peruničić 3, Okroglič 2, Kovačič (L), Gjorgiev 11, Pokeršnik 5, Videčnik 8, Kök 14. Coach: Mladen Kašić.

SK Zadruga AICH/DOB: Rainer 3, Hruska 2, Gergely 5, Steiner (L), Miranda De Alcantara, Jeliazkov 8, Formela 5, Marelić 13, Podlesny, Grabmüller 7, Frances 6. Coach: Zvonko Nikolić.

ACH Volley Ljubljana's home team had the better start in the clash of two old acquaintances, leading 4:1 after a successfully completed attack and a block by the playful Mašulović immediately afterwards. A reaction on the visitors' bench and a one-minute break at the request of coach Nikolić quickly followed. This did not stop the Ljubljana players, who continued their fierce pace and took a six-point lead (7:1) after two aces by Videčnik. The unstoppable Mašulović continued to impress with attractive offensive moves and kept the Orange Dragons ahead. In the following minutes, the players of Dob also woke up and with their better and better play, steadily melted away the Orange Dragons' advantage (12:10). However, the Ljubljana players answered in time and after a successful attack by Gjorgiev, they pulled away by three points (14:11). The Orange Dragons maintained their four-point lead throughout the set, but it only increased after a series of successful opening shots by the 25-year-old Kök (22:16). The set ended in favour of ACH Volley Ljubljana on the 19th point after a mistake on the visitors' opening shot.

The second set was opened by Kök, who was in a great mood throughout the match in the above-mentioned volleyball element, with a powerful opening shot and an ace. Soon after, Gjorgiev continued his pressure on the opening shot and took a three-point lead (5:2). The Dob players quickly rallied to catch the rebound and cut the deficit to a point (9:8). However, the Ljubljana team had an answer to that today and regained the initiative and pulled away to within four points (13:9, 14:10). In search of a striking six on the court, the visiting strategist made a lot of substitutions, but to no avail. The multiple national champions continued to keep things under control and the advantage only grew (19:14, 22:16). In the second set, SK Zadruga Aich/Dob managed to score 21 points, which gave ACH Volley Ljubljana a 2:0 lead in the set.

The third set also started on the home volleyball team's note, as they quickly moved into a three-point lead (5:2). With an aggressive approach, they didn't let any of the players from SK Zadruga Aich/Dob to play (12:7). Coach Kašić also gave the rest of the players a chance during the set, with Pernuš, Okroglič and Peruničić entering the game. It was the latter, who replaced captain Pokeršnik, who increased the advantage to 14:9 with a successful attack. With one last attempt to change the course of the game, Dob players came dangerously close to the Ljubljana players (22:21), but the Ljubljana players, with a composed play in the endgame, kept the advantage and won the third set (25:22) after a successful attack by Okroglič.

With the exception of Šket, who was given a rest by coach Kašić, all ACH Volley Ljubljana players took the floor today, led by the most efficient player of the match, Kök.

ACH Volley Ljubljana's Nemanja Peruničić: "I am happy that I got the chance to play against Dob. Today we showed that we have a really wide bench of quality players who can come into the game at any time. We remain undefeated and focused on the pitch, which is the most important thing in a hard-paced match."