ACH Volley and Maribor celebrate wins in MEVZA League top matches

ACH Volley LJUBLJANA (SLO) extended their winning streak in the men’s MEVZA League to four games in a row. The defending champions and competition leaders celebrated a 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-22, 25-17) away win against their closest pursuers Calcit Volley KAMNIK (SLO) on Sunday night. As a result, ACH Volley are five points ahead of their national rivals. Already on Saturday Mladost Ribola KASTELA (CRO) moved up to third place in the current standing after a hard-fought 3-2 (22-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 16-14) home victory over last season’s silver-medallists SK Zadruga AICH/DOB (AUT). On Monday, OK Maribor claimed a quite compelling straight-sets (25-15, 25-23, 25-20) home win over Mladost Zagreb and kept their final four chances alive.

Matija Plesko, ACH Volley coach: “Congratulations to Andrija Vilimanovic who was able to keep up because yesterday he could not walk. Yesterday we also learned about Kök that he has broken vertebrae and who knows when we can count on him again. I’m glad the guys responded as they did and with a solid game they got three points. Unfortunately, we lost a set that could even be somehow decisive, but I’m still pleased with the win.”

Marko Brumen, coach Calcit Volley: “Koncilja’s injury in the third set had a psychological impact on the team, and it was a very big burden for young Luka Lazar, who stepped into big shoes, but I must honestly say that ACH Volley was three sets better than us and that they deservedly won. Maybe the ball bounced in their favour a few times, but it somehow paid off what went into our hands in the first game in Tivoli.”

PHOTO Ach Volley Ljubljana © Alen Hadzic

In the women’s MEVZA League OK KASTELA (CRO) suffered a disappointing 0-3 (20-25, 17-25, 15-25) home loss at the hands of  Mladost ZAGREB (CRO). ZOK Bimal-Jedinstvo BRCKO (BIH), on the other hand, needed five sets (28-30, 27-29, 25-20, 25-21, 15-13) to overcome hosts and bottom of the table Banjaluka Volley BANJA LUKA (BIH) in another national derby.

“The quality in the MEVZA league is such high that you can never relax. Two of our players stayed in Brcko because of a cold, the others showed a poor performance today and our setter was on the floor for the first time since a break because of illness. I am pleased with this result but I do not think that we deserved this win”, Bimal Jedinstvo head coach Smail Pezerovic explained. Radmila Markovic, head coach from the host team, said: “Jedinstvo didn’t play well, but we missed our chances in the third, fourth and even in the fifth set. We have to improve our service performance and we must analyse the mistakes we have made as well. Today we lacked the courage to emerge victorious.”

Slovenia’s reigning national champions Nova KBM Branik MARIBOR came back from one set down to secure a 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-19) home win against der compatriots Calcit Volley KAMNIK on Monday evening. Therefore, Nova KBM Branik are topping the current table with a 6-1 win-loss record on 17 points, Calcit Volley follow in second place three points behind. 

Men’s MEVZA League

30.11.: OK Mladost Ribola KASTELA (CRO) vs. SK Zadruga AICH/DOB (AUT) 3-2 (22-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 16-14)
01.12.: Calcit Volley KAMNIK (SLO) vs. ACH Volley LJUBLJANA (SLO) 1-3 (20-25, 25-20, 22-25 17-25)
02.12.: OK MARIBOR (SLO) vs. HAOK Mladost ZAGREB (CRO) 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-20)

Women’s MEVZA League

30.11.: HOK KASTELA (CRO) vs. HAOK Mladost ZAGREB (CRO) 0-3 (20-25, 17-25, 15-25)
01.12.: UOK Banjaluka Volley BANJA LUKA (BIH) vs. ZOK Bimal-Jedinstvo BRCKO (BIH) 2-3 (30-28, 29-27, 20-25 21-25, 13-15)
02.12.: Nova KBM Branik MARIBOR (SLO) vs. Calcit Volley KAMNIK (SLO) 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-19)

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