Calcit Volley Kamnik close again, MEVZA to ACH Volley

Calcit Volley lost to ACH Volley 1:3 (23, -18, -22, -23) in the final of the MEVZA League. It was the 13th Central European League title for the Ljubljana players.

Calcit Volley – ACH Volley 1:3 (23, -18, -22, -23)

Kamnik – Kamnik Sports Hall, 500 spectators, referees.

Calcit Volley: Planinsic 1, Mujanovic 9, Vinkovic, Lazar, Kosenina (L), Arsenoski, Okroglic 5, Sosa Sierra 25, Mitrasinovic 3, Aponza 12, Pavlovic 7. Coach: Jurij Zavbi.

ACH Volley: Mejal, Sket, Masulovic 5, Todorovic 6, Bosnjak, Koncilja 10, Sestan 13, Kovacic (L), Gjorgiev 24, Videcnik, Kök 14, Sen. Coach: Radovan Gacic.

Six days ago, Calcit Volley was close to winning the Slovenian Cup, but in the fifth set, ACH Volley, who have won twelve times in the MEVZA League so far, were the better team. Kamnik’s team was the second highest ranked team in the MEVZA competition, and they wanted to win their first trophy in front of their fans. Unfortunately, they had to play without the badly injured Jan Klobucar, who injured his knee in the first set of the Cup final against the Ljubljana team. In the semi-finals, Calcit Volley eliminated SK Zadruga Aich/Dob 2:0, while ACH Volley edged out Merkur Maribor.

With a block by Vuk Todorovic, the Ljubljana players were the first to take a two-point lead in the opening set (5:7), but after a block by Nik Mujanovic, the home team took their first lead of the match (8:7). On a serve by the young Kamnik opposite and a block by Uros Planinsic, Calcit Volley escaped by three points (12:9), which led Radovan Gacic to take his first time-outin the match. With some luck, Luis Sosa Sierra gave the home team a four-point lead (15:11). When the Ljubljana team’s offence ended outside the court and the home team was already up by five points (19:14), Gacic took his second break. After the time-out, the visitors were the better opponent, especially on the serve, as they tied the score at 22 with an ace from Daniel Koncilja. Home coach Jurij Zavbi also took his second time-out. Afterwards, Uros Pavlovic gave Kamnik their first set point, which Mujanovic took advantage of.

ACH Volley also had a better start to the second set, as they went up by five points (8:3) after an attack by Daniel Koncilja, and Matej Kök had a lot to do with his serves for their big lead. Calcit Volley quickly closed the gap to two points (6:8), but the guests regained a five-point advantage (13:8) with a block by Kök. They never let the high lead slip away, also because the home team’s offense was not as efficient as in the first set, and Calcit Volley also fell down on the reception. The set ended with an error by the home team.

In the third set, it was Calcit Volley who got to a two-point lead first, with Daniel Aponza scoring a point (4:2), but ACH Volley tied it on the fifth point and took their first lead (7:6) on a Masulovi? attack. Mujanovic made two points in a row to give Calcit Volley a new lead. The second one came with an ace (11:10), but it was ACH Volley players who were the first to get a slightly bigger advantage (20:17) with a block by Koncilja. They did not waste the big lead again, and Gjorgiev took advantage of the second final ball.

Calcit Volley took a 4:1 lead in the fourth set on Tomislav Mitrasinovic’s serve, but Kök tied the score on the fourth point. An ace from Aponza gave Calcit Volley another two-point lead (8:6), but Todorovic tied it again on the ninth point. Before entering the playoffs, ACH Volley took a three-point lead (16:19) thanks to a block by Filip Sestan, and their captain Gjorgiev also played a big part in the lead. Zurbi took a time-out, and Calcit Volley was a point behind (19:20) with a block by Mujanovic, but Kamnik’s opposite made a successful attack to tie the score at 23. After a time-out, Gjorgiev provided ACH Volley with the first final match point, and then he ended the game with the first one. The home team protested that it was a block, but the Hungarian referee decided otherwise. Unfortunately, there was no video challenge this time.