Slovenian champions offered excellent resistance to Trentino
In the final home match of this year's Champions League, the Slovenian champions, ACH Volley Ljubljana, faced the Italian team Trentino in the excellent atmosphere of Hala Tivoli. Despite the enthusiastic support from the home crowd, the Ljubljana team had to acknowledge the superiority of the visitors, who convincingly outperformed them in all elements of the game, securing a 3-0 victory.
Ljubljana – Tivoli Sports Hall, spectators: 2574, referees: Jurković, Geukes
ACH Volley Ljubljana : Trentino Itas 0 : 3 (-30, -15, -18).
ACH Volley Ljubljana: Marković 2, Kržič, Satler, Šket 5, Najdič, Marovt 1, Šen, Koncilja 3, Kovačič (L), Gjorgiev 18, Sešek 1, Pokeršnik 10, Videčnik 4, Song. Coach: Radovan Gačič
Trentino Itas: Kozamernik 8, Michieletto, Sbertoli 5, Cavuto, Pace (L), Berger, Rychlicki 14, Magalini 14, Laurenzano (L), Brignach, Lavia 15, Podraščanin 8, Acquarone. Coach: Fabio Soli
After an initial tie in the first two points, the Italian guests took the lead with 5:2. The current Italian champions further increased the difference, and at 4:8, the expected move by the head coach of the dragons, Gačič, followed by the first timeout. Initially, this did not bring significant changes to the game, and the guests maintained a four-point advantage at the beginning of the second half of the set (11:15). Then, the Ljubljana players woke up; the exceptionally well-performing captain Gjorgiev first brought ACH Volley dangerously close (14:15), and at the 17th point, the orange dragons leveled the score. Šket, in excellent form today, provided the first lead (18:17), and with a tie at 19th and 20th points, an exciting conclusion to the first set was promised. In the final stages, we witnessed a real drama and a marathon ending, concluding with a score of 32:30 in favor of the favored visitors.
The second set was better opened by the Ljubljana volleyball players, and they gained a two-point lead (6:4). The Trentino volleyball players quickly restored the balance and took the lead with excellent serves. Lavia, with another ace, created a six-point advantage (8:14), which the home volleyball players managed to reduce to three in the continuation (14:17). In the final stages of the set, the guests once again demonstrated a higher quality game, concluding the set with a successful block at the 15th point.
The start of the third set was marked by ties, witnessing a division of points in the first five points. The visiting players were the first to gain a two-point lead, and Pokeršnik later leveled the score with an ace. In the continuation, the Italians, with a partial score of 5:1, managed to pull away from the home volleyball players, and at 11:16, a timeout was called by Gačič. With the break, the home team initially managed to somewhat stop the opponents' onslaught and reduce the gap to three points (14:17). However, the Trentino volleyball players were not easily swayed, and they increased the lead again in the following minutes (17:22). At 18:24, the guests successfully capitalized on the first match point, celebrating a convincing 3-0 victory.
Statement from ACH Volley Ljubljana coach, Radovan Gačič: "After the shaky start of the match, we managed to relax and play as we know. This brought an evenly matched battle with Trentino, and towards the end, we even had a few set points, which, unfortunately, we did not capitalize on. There was a slight drop in our game, something a team like Trentino quickly exploits. Now we have a trip to France ahead of us, and we'll focus on both domestic competitions. Congratulations to the guys for their performance."
Statement from ACH Volley Ljubljana player, Alen Šket: "We had our chances, especially in the first set, but the Trentino team capitalized on all their quality and rightfully celebrated another victory in the Champions League. We need to rest and continue the undefeated streak in the domestic league on Saturday."