MEVZA: The fight for the 11th trophy tomorrow
Union Raiffeisen Waldviertel : ACH Volley Ljubljana 0:3 (-17, -16, -13)
Union Raiffeisen Waldviertel: Vaipoulos 4, Blaginov 3, Vincelovic 1, Weber, Bartos 1, Tille, Licek 2, Boff 3, Streutker 8, Heptinstall, Binder, Šulc 4, Borris 2.
ACH Volley Ljubljana: Toman, Ropret 3, Pernuš, Toukhteh 13, Dagostino, Pavlović, Bošnjak, Okroglič 7, Rutar, Pokeršnik 11, Videčnik 6, Kök, Vučićević 18.
On the first day of the final tournament, the Dragons faced Waldviertel in the semi-finals and beat them 3:0 (17, 16, 13). They will face OK Merkur Maribor in the Slovenian final tomorrow at 20:00.
The Slovenian champions started well and had no problem dictating the pace. Vučićević finished for 5:2, Okroglič added a block for 10:6, and then the hosts scored four points in a row to tie the game at 12. After a half-minute break, the guests rallied and made it 6:0 (18:12) on a baseline shot by Ropret. The Dragons maintained this margin until the end of the set and took a 1:0 lead in the set (25:17).
The second set started with Ropret scoring two aces and the Dragons took a 7:0 lead. The home team did not threaten them seriously in the next set, with the smallest difference in the set being five points (10:5). The Dragons extended their lead with finishes by Vučićević and Pokeršnik (20:12), and Videčnik scored the 22nd point with an ace (22:13). Okroglic made it 25:16.
In the third game, the Ljubljana players quickly took the lead (6:3), which they continued to build. With a successful finish by Toukhteh, the lead was already down to six points (13:7), and Okroglič made a fierce charge for 18:10. The Dragons controlled the action on the court and deservedly won 3:0 (25:13).
Matija Pleško, coach of ACH Volley Ljubljana: ''Today we came to the arena and took what we came for. I am satisfied with the approach and the result, but now we need to rest. Tomorrow is a new day, we have to readjust our minds, we are facing a very tough opponent and the final or the end of the Central European League. There are many factors that can influence the quality of the game. The fact is that we have played three games with Maribor this season and at the moment Maribor is leading 2:1. We have had ups and downs during the season, but I believe the boys are capable of shining when it is needed most.''