UVC Graz end MEVZA League campaign with very first win

UVC Holding GRAZ (AUT) finalised their MEVZA League campaign on Tuesday evening with a 3-1 (20-25, 26-24, 26-24, 25-20) home win over Mladost ZAGREB (CRO). It was the rookies’ very first victory in the competition. As a result they finished on five points after twelve matches at the bottom of the table, while the Croatian side’s win-loss record dropped to 2-6.

“To end our first MEVZA League season with a win is just great. Congratulations to my team that delivered a strong performance today as they already did in the previous games. We knew from the beginning of the season that it would not be easy for us to compete with those strong teams, but our players have developed very well over the past few months. Therefore, it was definitely the right decision to participate in the MEVZA League for the first time”, UVC Graz manager Frederick Laure explained.

PHOTO © CEV

Johannes Kratz top scored for the hosts on 22 points, while Zagreb’s Kruno Nikacevic managed to put 18 to his name. Match stats: attack 51% vs 46%, aces 3 vs 0, winning blocks 8 vs 12, reception 65% vs 53% and opponent errors 25 vs 32.

On Wednesday, Mladost ZAGREB will be facing second-placed OK Calcit KAMNIK that are already qualified for the Final Four tournament, scheduled for February 27 and 28 at the Zwettl sports hall. Alongside Calcit KAMNIK, table leaders OK MERKUR MARIBOR (SLO) and hosts Union Raiffeisen WALDVIERTEL (AUT) have also secured their participation in the grand finale.

MEVZA League

09.02.: UVC Holding GRAZ (AUT) vs. HAOK Mladost ZAGREB (CRO) 3-1 (20-25, 26-24, 26-24, 25-20)
10.02. OK Calcit KAMNIK (SLO) vs. HAOK Mladost ZAGREB (CRO) 3:0 (25:17, 25:19, 25:11)
11.02. Union Raiffeisen WALDVIERTEL (AUT) vs. HAOK Mladost ZAGREB (CRO) 3:0 (25:20, 34:32, 25:21)

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