Challenge Cup: Cannes secure 8th final spot after a thrilling five sets battle in Nantes!
3 min read
Also Cannes secured a spot in 8th finals in the CEV Challenge Cup, by beating Nantes in the French derby, which assigned the ticket with a single match, played this evening in Nantes.
In short, after an exaggeratedly balanced first set, with the balances broken only at the end with two aces by Italian outside-hitter Fedrizzi, the hosts won 25:20, but the reaction from Cannes arrived, as expected, already in the following set: the guests immediately took the lead by two points, and then tried to stretch towards the end of the set, until 18:22, thanks to a winning block by Koncilja, who also scored the ace that delivered the set point for Cannes, 18:24. The Australian opposite Williams closes the set. The third set is one-way, with BartoÅ” putting down, from the second line, the ball of 16:9, and also that of 18:11. Despite some desperate attempts to reopen the set, nothing to do for Cannes which, with an error from the service line by Aciobanitei, gives it to rivals with a final result of 25:20.
The fourth set begins with one mistake after another both from the service line and in attack, with Cannes taking a small break at 9:12 with an out attack by Nantes’ middle-blocker Henry. On the other side Averill also attacks out, and with a winning block and an ace by BartoÅ”, Nantes takes the lead 14:13. With an ace by Williams, Cannes fly on 16:18 and forces Nantes to ask for a time out. With two out attacks by Aciobanitei and Williams respectively, the hosts equalize the score again 21:21 and then stretch to 23:21. Cannes doesn’t want to lose, but Ruiz puts down the 25:24 ball and, on the other side of the net, Klyamar draws the score again 25:25. It continues point-to-point until 28:28, when Averill blocks Fedrizzi and gives the first set ball in Cannes. With the hosts attacking out, qualification is postponed to the tie break. In the decisive fifth set, Williams leads Cannes on 4:7, an advantage that the guests somehow manage to maintain until the end of the match. However, a disputed point brings Nantes to a dangerous 13:14, but Williams closes, 13:15. Australian opposite was eventually Cannes’ most prolific player with 24 points, while the same role Michalovic made 25 on the other side.
š| CEV Challenge Cup | 1/16 finals |
š| October 10
ā¢ UVC Weberzeile Ried – Marek Union Ivkoni Dupnitsa 0-3 (21:25, 16:25, 16:25)
š| November 2
ā¢ Gio Strumica – Omonia Nicosia 0-3 (20:25, 19:25, 18:25)
š| November 3
ā¢ Sporting Club de Portugal – Helios Grizzlys Giesen 3-0 (25:20, 25:22, 25:23)
Top Scorers: not avaible
ā¢ AS Cannes – Nantes (canceled for COVID)
ā¢ in Kamnik: OK Vardar Skopje – Calcit Volley Kamnik (canceled because the Slovenian federation suspended all competitions for two weeks)
ā¢ Second Leg | Omonia Nicosia – Gio Strumica (canceled)
š| November 4
ā¢ Halkbank Ankara – Hapoel Kfar Saba 3-1 (28:26, 25:19, 19:25, 25:17)
ā¢ VC Barkom-Kazhany Lviv – Dinamo Bucuresti 2-3 (25:22, 25:19, 21:25, 22:25, 9:15)
ā¢ Lindaren Luzern – Union Raiffeisen Waldviertel 0-3 (18:25, 21:25, 19:25) (single match)
ā¢ 2nd leg: Calcit Volley Kamnik – OK Vardar Skopje (canceled because the Slovenian federation suspended all competitions for two weeks)
š| November 5
ā¢ RTU-R Jurmala – VK Lvi Praha (postponed? Praha quarantined…)
š| November 6
ā¢ 2nd Leg | In Ankara: Hapoel Kfar Saba – Halkbank Ankara 0-3 (29:27, 25:23, 26:24)
ā¢ 2nd Leg | In Jurmala: VK Lvi Praga – RTU-R Jurmala (postponed? Praha quarantined…)
š| November 10
ā¢ Second Leg | Helios Grizzlys Giesen ā Sporting Lisboa 3-2 (25:22, 21:25, 22:25, 25:18, 15:12)
ā¢ Second Leg | Union Raiffeisen Waldviertel – Lindaren Luzern (canceled)
š| November 11
ā¢ Second Leg | Nantes – AS Cannes 2-3 (25:20, 18:25, 25:20, 28:30, 13:15)
Top Scorers: scoresheet above š
ā¢ Second Leg | Dinamo Bucarest – VC Barkom-Kazhany Lviv (canceled)
ā¢ Ziraat Bankasi Ankara – A.J.F.Bastardo 3-1 (25:23, 23:25, 25:18, 25:21)
š| November 13
ā¢ in Ankara: Fonte Bastardo Azzorre – Ziraat Bankasi SK Ankara 3-2 (25:23, 21:25, 27:25, 22:25, 15:9)
ā¢ VRCK Kazincbarcika (forfait) – Benfica
Benfica to 1/8 finals
ā¢ Sollentuna – TIF Viking Bergen (forfait)
Sollentuna to 1/8 finals
ā¢ SK Jekabpils Lusi (forfait) – Allianz Powervolley Milano
Allianz Powervolley Milano to 1/8 finals
ā¢ Epicentr-Podolyany Horodok – OK Partizan Beograd (forfait)
Epicentr-Podolyany Horodok to 1/8 finals
ā¢ Saaremaa – Lausanne (forfait)
Saaremaa to 1/8 finals
ā¢ Parnu VK – Tiikerit Kokkola (forfait)
Parnu to 1/8 finals
