ACH Volley Ljubljana remains undefeated after the city derby
In the remaining match of the 18th round of the Sportklub First Volleyball League, the teams of ACH Volley Ljubljana and Črnuče met for the third time this season in the city derby. In a match in which the multiple national champions were considered the clear favourites, we saw a victory for the volleyball players of ACH Volley Ljubljana, for which the Dragons had to work hard, especially in the second and third sets.
Ljubljana - sports hall Maks Pečar, spectators: 150, referees: Kramar, Perčič (both Slovenia).
Črnuče : ACH Volley Ljubljana 0:3 (-20, -23, -23).
Črnuče: Verdinek (L), Mihelčič, Karadža Pevc (L), Prevorčnik, Vilar, Gornik 9, Tepič 6, Bošnjak 15, Sešek 5, Rojnik 2, Slovnik 1, Jančič 5, Hodžič Šlejkovec, Mejal 1. Trener: Jurij Žavbi.
ACH Volley Ljubljana: Pernuš 1, Šket 15, Rutar 2, Mašulović 9, Peruničić, Okroglič 15, Kovačič (L), Gjorgiev, Pokeršnik, Videčnik 1, Kök 5. Trener: Mladen Kašić.
In an even start, Okroglič for the visitors and Bošnjak for the home team stood out with two successful attacks each. The Črnuče player's took their first significant lead after two aces by Gornik, followed by a successful attack by a playfull Bošnjak (12:8). A timeout at the request of the visiting coach Kašić woke up the Dragons, who caught the opening shot by Šket to tie the game at 13. The Črnuče volleyball team allowed themselves too many mistakes, which ACH Volley Ljubljana took advantage of and took a three-point lead (14:17). The situation on the floor of the Maks Pečar Hall did not change even after the break at the request of the home team, Pernuš, who got a chance from the very beginning of the meeting, further distanced the Orange Dragons with an ace (16:20), while Šket and Kök with a block made sure of an unassailable advantage before the end of the first set (16:22). Šket, who replaced Gjorgiev in the opposite position today, finished the set with an effective attack in favour of the guests (20:25).
The second set started with Črnuče taking a two-point lead on Mejal's service (4:2), and after an attacking error by the guests, they went up by three (7:4). The multiple national champions quickly regained the balance and tied the score at eight, then took the lead and forced the home coach Žavbi to take a half-minute break at 10:12. The break did not stop the onslaught of the Dragons, who took the lead with 14:10 thanks to Rutar's excellent serves. The visitors continued to dominate and kept the pressure on the opening shots, leading by six (11:17). Tepič's unlucky serves initially reduced the home team's deficit a bit, but his work was continued by Gornik, who brought the Črnuče back to life with excellent serves. The teams were tied at 23, then ACH Volley volleyball players with a successful block stopped the home team's attempts and won the second set (23:25).
The Orange Dragons started the third set better and quickly distanced themselves from their opponents (4:8). The players from Črnuče also showed that they were not going to give up and came within a point (9:10). The visitors continued to play better and took a four-point lead (11:15), but the Črnuče players responded and once again proved that they are a relentless team. Šket on the serve and Okroglič on the attack made ACH Volley Ljubljana's volleyball team calmer (15:18). Tepič, with some tough serves, staged a turnaround and tied the game at 21. In the playoffs, the guests were more composed, taking advantage of their rich experience and winning the third set (23:25).
Statement by ACH Volley Ljubljana coach Mladen Kašić: "Today we came to victory quite quickly, which makes me happy, because we are in the middle of a very hard rhythm. Despite today's success, there were too many black minutes in our game, which we need to correct before tomorrow's derby against Maribor."