OK Calcit KAMNIK (SLO) have clinched their spot for the MEVZA League Final Four tournament, and they did so after celebrating a comprehensive 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-21) away win at Austria’s heavyweight SK Zadruga AICH/DOB (AUT) on Sunday evening. Alongside Calcit KAMNIK, table leaders OK MERKUR MARIBOR (SLO) and hosts Union Raiffeisen WALDVIERTEL (AUT) are already qualified for this season’s climax, scheduled for February 27 and 28 at the Zwettl sports hall.
Calcit KAMNIK’s Mitja Gasparini topped the scoring charts on 15 points, including four aces, while Konrad Formela registered 11 for the home team. Match stats: attack 40% vs 53%, aces 2 vs 5, winning blocks 7 vs 6, reception 39% vs 47% and opponent errors 21 vs 22.
Calcit KAMNIK moved up to second place in the current standing on 22 points, leapfrogging ACH Volley LJUBLJANA (SLO). The defending champions are just won point away from securing their participation in the grand finale as well. SK Zadruga AICH/DOB, on the other hand, have only a very small chance for reaching the Final Four tournament.
“Congratulations to KAMNIK! They absolutely deserve their victory. We were not able to play as well as we did in the past few weeks, while our opponents delivered a very strong performance today,” AICH/DOB’s sports director Martin Micheu was obviously disappointed.
Mladost ZAGREB edge UVC GRAZ in tie-breaker
On Saturday, Mladost ZAGREB (CRO) needed five sets to overcome bottom of the table UVC Holding GRAZ (AUT) 25:21, 27:29, 25:22, 23:25, 15:7. As a result, the hosts increased their points to five on a 2-5 win-loss record. Although the Croatians still have five matches to contest over the next two weeks, they have no longer a chance to clinch a Final Four tournament spot. Rookies UVC Holding Graz, on the other hand, are still waiting for the first win in their very first MEVZA League campaign.
PHOTO © HAOK Mladost Zagreb
Mladost’s Tomislav Mitrasinovic delivered an impressive performance that saw him finishing on 26 points. His teammate Sandro Dukic kept close with 24. Tiago Pereira and Johannes Kratz split the best scorer’s honours for the away team with 21 points each. Match stats: attack 47% vs 46%, aces 6 vs 6, winning blocks 13 vs 8, reception 48% vs 35% and opponent errors 30 vs 26.
“Congratulations to my players but also to our opponents on playing this thrilling and intense match. It was very tough to secure that win. I hope we will be able to emerge victorious from the three matchups coming next week as well,” Mladost’s head coach Davor Meringer explained.
Already on Tuesday UVC Holding GRAZ will clash with Mladost ZAGREB again. On Wednesday and Thursday, Meringer’s squad will be facing OK Calcit KAMNIK and Union Raiffeisen WALDVIERTEL, respectively.
MEVZA League
06.02.: HAOK Mladost ZAGREB (CRO) vs. UVC Holding GRAZ (AUT) 3-2 (25-21, 27-29, 25-22, 23-25, 15-7)
07.02.: SK Zadruga AICH/DOB (AUT) vs. OK Calcit KAMNIK (SLO) 0-3 (19-25, 21-25, 21-25)
09.02., 18:00: UVC Holding GRAZ (AUT) vs. HAOK Mladost ZAGREB (CRO)
10.02., 20:00: OK Calcit KAMNIK (SLO) vs. HAOK Mladost ZAGREB (CRO)
11.02., 19:00: Union Raiffeisen WALDVIERTEL (AUT) vs. HAOK Mladost ZAGREB (CRO)
14.02., 17:00: ACH Volley LJUBLJANA (SLO) vs. SK Zadruga AICH/DOB (AUT)
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