ACH Volley Ljubljana Secure Another Championship Victory in a Derby Match
In the 3rd round of the blue group of the Sportklub First Volleyball League, the Tivoli Hall hosted a clash between the top-ranked teams in the championship—ACH Volley Ljubljana and Alpacem Kanal. For the third time this season, the reigning champions emerged victorious, this time with a 3:1 win.
Ljubljana – Tivoli Sports Hall, spectators: 112, referees: Blaž Markelj, Anton Pevc.
ACH Volley Ljubljana : Alpacem Kanal 3 : 1 (-23, 22, 18, 21)
ACH Volley Ljubljana: Golzadeh 4, Jošt Kržič, Šket 17, Najdič, Esko 8, Marovt 11, Šen, Janž Janez Kržič 7, Kovačič (L), Štalekar, Pokeršnik 12, Videčnik 3, Kök, Kumer (L). Coach: Matjaž Hafner.
Alpacem Kanal: Mugerli, Ćinćur 9, Jerončič, Lavrič 4, Vinčić, Godnič 2, Stojanovič 5, Okroglič (L), Ristić 16, Kovačič, Pičulin (L), Maretič 7, Konjedic, Ranc 21. Coach: Gregor Jerončič.
The match began evenly, with both teams trading leads, neither managing to gain a significant advantage. Marovt delivered a strong attack for a +2 lead (14:12), prompting Jerončič to call a timeout. The pause benefited the guests from Kanal, who soon took the lead, with Maretič making a decisive play. Esko then secured a brief lead for the Dragons with two aces (19:18), but Ristić responded with an ace of his own, giving Alpacem a two-point advantage (20:22). The visitors capitalized on this and clinched the first set with a powerful attack from Lavrič (23:25).
Pokeršnik opened the second set with an ace (3:1), but the guests quickly leveled the score at 4:4. Veteran Šket then stepped up, scoring four consecutive points to push the Orange Dragons to a +4 lead (12:8) and later extending it to 17:12 with an ace. Although Alpacem threatened with a 4:0 run late in the set, Šket remained composed, converting the second set point to level the match (25:22).
ACH Volley Ljubljana started the third set strongly, taking a 4:1 lead with Šket leading the charge. The Dragons’ opposite hitter proved an insurmountable challenge for Alpacem. Pokeršnik’s effective serves led to a 5:0 run and a commanding 15:8 lead. In a calm finish to the third set, Esko capitalized on an excellent serve from Šket to close it out (25:18).
The fourth set began with Alpacem taking the initiative, maintaining their lead throughout much of the set. Stojanovič’s serves gave the visitors a 16:14 lead, while Ranc added three consecutive attacks to increase the gap to +3 (17:20). In response, Hafner called a timeout to regroup his team. The Dragons refocused in the final moments, with Kržič Janez delivering two critical blocks and Pokeršnik sealing the set and the match with an ace (25:21).
Statement from ACH Volley Ljubljana coach Matjaž Hafner:
“Congratulations to the team on the victory, but we cannot be satisfied with today’s performance. The guests played freely and at a high level, while our game had too many inconsistencies. We now need to fully focus on the final group-stage match of the Champions League, which awaits us in Belgium on Wednesday.”