Ljubljana overpower Maribor in another convincing victory
In the 8th round of the Sportklub Slovenian Volleyball League, the Tivoli Arena hosted a derby between ACH Volley Ljubljana and i-Vent Maribor. The reigning Slovenian champions justified their role as favourites, winning in straight sets to secure their seventh consecutive league victory and further strengthen their position at the top of the standings.
Ljubljana – Tivoli Sports Hall, Attendance: 320, Referees: Marko Rožej, Bernard Valentar
ACH Volley Ljubljana vs. i-Vent Maribor 3 : 0 (17, 19, 25)
ACH Volley Ljubljana: Štern 19, Pajenk, Jošt Kržič 6, Najdič 2, Marovt 17, Šen 8, Janž Janez Kržič 5, Kovačič (L), Prevorčnik, Ropret 1, Urnaut, Verdinek (L). Head coach: Igor Kolaković.
i-Vent Maribor: Kastelic, Vodušek 4, Almeida 6, Charles 17, Breznik, Špes 1, Donik, Škorc (L), Uremovič, Hribernik (L), Kožar 6, Camino 9, Klinger. Head coach: Sebastijan Škorc.
The opening of the match went to the visitors from Maribor, who took a 3:0 lead after two aces from Kožar. The Dragons quickly found their rhythm—Jošt Kržič equalised with an ace, and Štern’s block secured Ljubljana’s first lead at 4:3. The defending champions grew increasingly dominant, with Kržič adding another block for a five-point advantage (16:11), while the efficient Marovt extended the margin to +7 (19:12). The set ended at 25:17 after Vodušek’s service error.
In the second set, Maribor started stronger, using solid block defence to establish a comfortable lead (5:11). Their Portuguese outside hitter Cavalcanti added an ace for the maximum seven-point advantage. A timeout by coach Kolaković proved effective—Ljubljana responded with a 9:2 run to level the score at 15:15. In the latter half of the set, an in-form Marovt delivered two consecutive aces for an 18:16 lead, and Šen added a powerful attack to make it 21:17. Ropret earned the first set point with an ace, and the Dragons closed the set at 25:19 following Cavalcanti’s service error.
The third set provided a tight battle throughout. ACH Volley broke away to a three-point lead halfway through (14:11), but Maribor fought back to level at 15:15. The teams entered the final stretch tied at 20:20 and continued exchanging leads. Maribor reached set point twice, but Tonček Štern denied both with decisive attacks. A block by Štern then handed ACH Volley their first match point, and young star Marovt sealed the victory with a block for another important league win.
Post-match statement - Klemen Šen, ACH Volley Ljubljana:
"An important victory for us today in Tivoli. Even more important is that we secured it without unnecessary complications, as we know the third set could have easily gone the other way. We expected Maribor to come highly motivated after their win over Kanal, determined to cause us problems. I think we handled them well, especially in the first set and the second half of the second set, and deservedly took another win. There’s not much time to rest—we have another derby against Kanal on Friday."