Maribor offered good resistance to the Slovenian champions

The 19th round match of the Sportklub Volleyball League 1 was played between ACH Volley Ljubljana and Merkur Maribor at the Tivoli Sports Hall. In an attractive match, the young Maribor volleyball players showed good resistance, but the victory remained in Ljubljana. The Slovenian champions won 3:1.  
Ljubljana - Tivoli sports hall, 100 spectators, referees Klinar, Novak.
ACH Volley Ljubljana : OK Merkur Maribor 3:1 (22, -24, 19, 27).
ACH Volley Ljubljana: Mejal, Šket, Mašulović, Todorović, Bošnjak, Koncilja 12, Šestan 13, Kovačič (L), Gjorgiev 25, Videčnik 8, Kök 17, Šen.   Coach: Radovan Gacic.
OK Merkur Maribor: Jevšnik (L), Vodušek, Pernuš 1, Adžović 1, McConnel 21, Bračko 15, Kumer (L), Kržič 7, Donik 13, Leva, Fink 10, Najdič, Iršič, Peruničić 1. Coach: Sebastjan Škorc.
The match was better opened by the guests from Maribor, who led 4:0 and then scored an ace (Bračko) for 7:3. The reaction of the home bench and the timeout at the request of coach Gačić overwhelmed the volleyball players of ACH Volley Ljubljana, who came close to only a point behind (10:11). The home team took their first lead of the match midway through the first set (15:14) after an ace by Kök, but the Mercury volleyball team responded well and regained the lead by two (15:17). The Slovenian champions persistently followed the Maribor volleyball team until the end of the match, when they had the initiative, but the home team managed to tie the match at 19. The set ended in favour of the Ljubljana volleyball team after a successful attack by Gjorgiev (25:22).
The Orange Dragons started the second set more strongly, Koncilja with a block and Videčnik with an ace gave them a four-point advantage (8:4). After the break, the Merkur players, at the request of Škorc, played much better and after two consecutive attacks by Bračko, evened the score at 10.  The Maribor attack did not stop, with a Bračko ace and Donik and Fink's efficient attack giving them a 15:13 lead. The next few minutes were even, with neither team able to gain a significant advantage, so we watched a tense playoff, in which the visitors were more successful with a Bračko block (24:26), tying the score in the set (1:1).
In the third set we saw a better start of the Merkur players, a block and then a strong attack by McConnell gave them a 3:0 lead. The Dragons tied it on the fifth point and then chased the opponent until the 12th point. Great minutes followed for the reigning national champions, who took a 19:15 lead with strong opening shots, Kök (2 aces) standing out. They kept the advantage until the end of the second set and won it confidently (25:19).

In the fourth set, Merkur volleyball players had the initial initiative, leading by three points (3:6) after an ace by Bračko. The Ljubljana players played better in the next set and evened the score at 9:9 after two consecutive successful attacks by Kök. In the second half of the set, Maribor players did not give up, the Orange Dragons were only one point behind (19:18), then captain Gjorgiev made it 21:19 with his 23rd point. Bračko made it 21 with another ace to tie the score at 21. In a tense playoff, the guests from Maribor came up with the first final ball with a cunning play, but the ACH Volley players successfully defended with an attack by Kök. Then came an excellent defensive action by the Ljubljana players and an effective finish by Šestan, which brought the first final ball to the home volleyball team. The guests defended it and the marathon fourth set continued, which was finished by Šestan for a new, 19th championship victory of ACH Volley Ljubljana (29:27).

Statement by ACH Volley Ljubljana coach Radovan Gačič: "The Maribor players proved once again that they are a very tough opponent, who with their youthful energy can quickly cause problems for the opponent. It was a tough match, but we deservedly won. Now we have to prepare well for another match against Maribor, this time in the semi-finals of the Mevza League, where we will have to improve our game, otherwise we could be in trouble."