ACH Volley Ljubljana too short for a surprise in a real volleyball showdown

ACH Volley Ljubljana and Ziraat Bank Ankara played in the third round of the Champions League group stage at the Tivoli Arena. In front of a crowd of more than 4000 people, we witnessed a real volleyball treat, where we watched five sets, and in the end, the Turkish volleyball team celebrated a very important victory.

Ljubljana – sports hall Tivoli, gledalcev: 4361, sodnika: Aleksander Sikanjic (Slovaška), Salvis Kurtiss (Latvija).

ACH Volley Ljubljana :  Ziraat Bank ANKARA 2 : 3 (-17, 20, 23, -23, -12).

ACH Volley Ljubljana: Mejal, Šket 18, Mašulović 6, Todorović 1, Bošnjak, Koncilja 3, Šestan, Kovačič (L), Gjorgiev 31, Videčnik 10, Kök 1, Šen 8.  Coach: Radovan Gačič.

Ziraat Bank ANKARA: Atanasov 13, Ter Maat 30, Bulbul 9, Yucel 7, Tokgoz, Eksi 4, Firincioglu, Tuinistra 9, Tosun, Gunes 9, Sahin, Bayraktar, Gedik, Yatgin.   Coach: Mustafa Kavaz.

The match started with the guests, Ziraat, taking a six-point lead (4:10) with excellent serves, and home strategist Gačič was forced to call for a second timeout. Ziraat Bank Ankara's volleyball players did not let up and were better in all elements of the game. Gjorgiev was the most spirited of the Orange Dragons and with an ace he reduced the deficit to 14:19. This was not enough for the Ljubljana volleyball players to seriously threaten the Turks, who calmly took the opening set in their favour (17:25), despite the great support from the stands.

The second set started with the Dragons taking a 5:3 lead on the wings of Gjorgiev's attack and Videčnik's outstanding blocks. Šen, who replaced Kök in the second set, with an efficient attack, took a three-point lead (9:6). The Ljubljana players showed a different face than in the first set and stepped up the rhythm of the game. Šket successfully attacked for the 15th point (15:10), which was followed by a timeout at the request of the visitors' coach. This did not change the situation on the court, ACH Volley dominated and won the second set after a successful finish by Šket (25:20).

The Dragons opened the third set perfectly, with Gjorgiev scoring an ace for a 4:1 lead. Ziraat Volley players caught a tie-breaker on the seventh point and the match was tied. Captain Gjorgiev made a great attack to take a three-point lead (18:15) and coach Kavaz called a timeout. The Turks tied the game at 18 and ACH Volley responded with two consecutive points to make it 20:18. In a very tense playoff, the Dragons got the first final ball with two Mašulović attacks. The Turks defended it, and the next one was taken advantage of by the outstanding Gjorgiev with a strong attack (25:23).

In the fourth set, the fierce battle continued in the packed Tivoli Hall, with the two teams exchanging the lead several times. In the second half of the set, Ziraat's volleyball players managed to escape by three (18:15), but Ljubljana's volleyball players quickly responded and came within a point (17:18) on the opening shot by Šen. A long timeout followed for a review of the point, which was ruled in favour of the guests (17:20). After the Dragons were trailing 23:19, the Orange Dragons' outstanding captain, with his excellent serves and attack, brought the Dragons closer to 23:24. The Turks, however, managed to take the set in their favour (23:25).

The excellent play on both sides continued in the fifth set, where Ziraat's players escaped with a four-point lead (6:10) on the wings of the Dutch opposite Ter Maat. Koncilja's strong serves reduced the deficit to just a point (10:11), but the Turks still reached the first final ball after a successful attack by Ter Maat. A successful save by captain Exi put the match in their favour (12:15).

Statement by ACH Volley Ljubljana coach Radovan Gačič: "A great atmosphere and a tough match with quite a few twists and turns. In the first set we were not decisive enough, which was used by Ziraat's players. But then we relaxed and played much better. In the end, it was the little things that decided the winner and this time we were not on the lucky side."

Statement of ACH Volley Ljubljana player Klemen Šen: "It's a pity for us to lose a game that would have opened many doors for us. But nothing is lost yet. Today we proved that we can compete with the best teams and we will travel to Germany with this mentality. Now we need to calm down, because we have a derby in the national championship on Saturday."