ACH Volley Ljubljana Players Powerless Against German Champions in Tivoli Hall

Ljubljana – Tivoli Sports Hall, Attendance: 2,234, Referees: Alexandros Mylonakis (Greece), Olivier Guillet (France).
ACH Volley Ljubljana: BERLIN Recycling Volleys 0:3 (-24, -18, -18).
ACH Volley Ljubljana: Golzadeh 18, Jošt Kržič 1, Šket, Najdič 3, Esko, Marovt 7, Šen 4, Janž Janez Kržič 6, Kovačič (L), Štalekar, Pokeršnik 5, Videčnik 1, Kök, Kumer (L). Coach: Matjaž Hafner.
Berlin Recycling Volleys: Kowalski (L), Knigge 12, Mote, Tille 2, Plaskie, Amedegnato, Malescha, Fornal, Schott 5, Reichert 9, Krage 2, Krick, Hanes 18, Dagostino (L). Coach: Joel Banks.

The match began evenly, with ACH Volley players showing great resistance and maintaining a close game against the Berlin players with their spirited play. However, the visitors capitalized on a brief drop in focus from the Ljubljana team, taking a +4 lead (13:17). Despite the deficit, ACH Volley managed to level the score at 17 points, thanks to Videčnik’s serves. A thrilling finish followed, but the Dragons fell short in the extended set, losing at 24 points.

In the second set, Berlin came out even stronger, riding on Hanes’ momentum to gain a four-point advantage. ACH Volley tried to respond with substitutions, as coach Hafner brought in young players Najdič and Šen. However, the changes didn’t lead to the desired turnaround, and Berlin Recycling Volleys secured a comfortable set win with efficient attacking play, going up 2:0.

The third set saw the visitors continue to put pressure on the serve, which caused significant problems for ACH Volley’s reception and hindered their attack organization. As pre-match favorites, Berlin gradually built an unassailable lead and comfortably closed out the match (18:25).

Statement from ACH Volley Ljubljana Head Coach Matjaž Hafner:
“It’s a pity about the first set, where we missed too many serves in the final stages, although we played well throughout the set. In the following sets, our performance dropped, and Berlin took full advantage, earning a deserved three points today. Now, we need to focus entirely on the continuation of the national championship and, of course, the final group-stage match in Belgium, where we must aim for a win to continue competing in Europe.”

Statement from ACH Volley Ljubljana Player Nejc Najdič:
“It was a tough match, and we couldn’t find the right rhythm. We tried different approaches, but Berlin’s players were simply the better team today and deservedly celebrated another victory.”