Bulgarians of Hebar Pazardzhik experienced an amazing restart after the first leg of the Preliminary Round encounter of the 2022 CEV Volleyball Champions League qualifier against Spanish of CDV Guaguas Las Palmas.
The champions of Bulgaria defeated the Spanish titleholders by 3-1 (25:20, 25:27, 25:16, 25:18) in the second leg and, given they were swept in the first match on the road, this result led Hebar to the Golden Set, in which they prevailed 15-13 to move to the 2nd Round.
About the match itslef, the hosts were better in all elements, especially in the attack, in which they had close to 70% effectiveness for most of the game. The best scorers among the winners were Canadian Bradley Gunter and Italian Jacopo Massari, who scored 19 points each, and the latter had 73% reception (30 digs, 67 % excellent). Nikolay Kartev also contributed with four blocks.
Montenegro’s Budva Volley won the opening set in Croatia, but they were eliminated from the Champions League by Mladost Zagreb.
The Montenegrin champions triumphed at tie break on their home soil and had 1-0 in sets and 15-11 in the fourth set. However Mladost, led by Serbian Boris Buša, author of 22 points, and Kruno Nikačević (six blocks), managed to save themselves and advance to the 2nd Round of qualifications. Team from Budva, on the other hand, was dissatisfied with referees’ decisions in certain moments of the game, resulting in a red card for its Albanian outside hitter Redi Bakiri.
Rieker UJS Komárno completed the 2nd Round lineup. The Slovakian side beat UVC Holding Graz from Austria on the road in the rematch, won in four sets. Peter Mlynarčík scored 22 points for the winners, including four aces.
2 Round match-up
(first leg 19-21 October, second leg 26-28 October)
• Hebar Pazardzhik (Bul) – Shakhtior Soligorsk (Blr)
• Rieker UJS Komarno (Svk) – Olympiacos Pireo (Gre)
• Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Por) – Ford Levoranta Sastamala (Fin)
• Mladost Zagabria (Cro) – CEZ Karlovarsko (Cze)
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| CEV Champions League Volley 2022 – 1nd Round | 1st leg
| October 5, 2021
• IBB Polonia London – Shakhtior Soligorsk 2-3 (25:17, 15:25, 23:25, 25:20, 13:15)
• CDV Guaguas Las Palmas – Hebar Pazardzhik 3-0 (25:21, 25:22, 25:21)
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| October 6
• OK Mladost Brcko (BiH) – Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) 0-3 (14:25, 11:25, 16:25)
• Budva Volley (MNE) – HAOK Mladost Zagreb (CRO) 3-2 (25:20, 20:25, 25:22, 19:25, 15:10)
• CSM Arcada Galati (ROM) – CEZ Karlovarsko (CZE) 3-2 (25:18, 27:29, 25:22, 19:25, 15:7)
• Bigbank Tartu (EST) – Sport Lisboa e Benfica (POR) 1-3 (24:26, 25:22, 18:25, 16:25)
• Rieker UJS Kmarno (SVK) – UVC Holding Graz 3-0 (25:18, 25:16, 26:24)
• Draisma Dynamo Apeldoorn (NED) – Ford Levoranta Sastamala (FIN) 2-3 (25:16, 21:25, 25:19, 28:30, 19:21)
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| CEV Champions League Volley 2022 – 1nd Round | 2nd leg
| October 7 @ Belchatow
• Shakhtior Soligorsk (Blr) – IBB Polonia London (Gbr) 3-1 (25:16, 25:20, 22:25, 25:23)
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| October 13, 2021
• Olympiacos Piraeus (Gre) – OK Mladost Brcko (Bih) 3-0 (25:16, 25:21, 25:17)
• Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Por) – Bigbank Tartu (Est) 3-1 (25:21, 17:25, 25:21, 25:20)
• Ford Levoranta Sastamala (Fin) – Draisma Dynamo Apeldoorn (Ned) 3-1 (25:20, 25:21, 27:29, 25:23)
• CEZ Karlovarsko (Cze) – CSM Arcada Galati (Rou) 3-2 (25:19, 22:25, 32:30, 22:25, 15:9)
👉🏼 October 14, 2021
• Hebar Pazardzhik (Bul) – CDV Guaguas Las Palmas (Spa) (first leg: 0-3) 3-1 (25:20, 25:27, 25:16, 25:18) – GOLDEN SET 15:13
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• Mladost Zagabria (Cro) – Budva Volley (Mne) (first leg: 2-3) 3-1 (19:25, 25:18, 25:20, 25:22)
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• UVC Holding Graz (Aut) – Rieker UJS Komarno (Svk) (first leg: 0-3) 1-3 (25:17, 23:25, 16:25, 16:25)
| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
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Source: CEV, photos: volleytimes