Champions League: Berlin down Aluron in Poland, both Turkish representatives win tie-breaks, Lube 3-0, first win for Vojvodina and Karlovarsko

Round 3 of the CEV Champions League Volley 2023 | Men ended today with last 6 games of the week.

In Pool A, Serbia’s Vojvodina NS Seme Novi Sad inflicted third defeat in as many games to French defending champions Montpellier, by beating them 3-1 (19:25, 30:28, 25:17, 25:23). For the winners, on the other hand, this was first seasonal win. Bulgarian Radoslav Parapunov top-scored the winning side with 20 points through 52% in attack, while Serbian Petar Krsmanovic sets up 5 of his team 13 winning blocks.

Berlin Recycling Volleys achieved a surprising away win in Pool B. The two-time defending German champions prevailed over unbeaten Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie 3-1 (25:21, 20:25, 29:27, 27:25). And now, with 5 points, the Bundesliga side kept its chances of reaching the quarter-finals.
In Dąbrowa Górnicza, where the Polish bronze medalists play their home matches in the Champions League, Berlin probably showed their best seasonal performance so far, led by Czech Marek Šotola who ended the game with 23 points and 60% in attack, while Japanese Satoshi Tsuiki made 72% reception (25 digs, 2 errors, 44% excellent), and Anton Brehme 71% attack (10/14).
Serb Uroš Kovačević scored 26 for Aluron, while Miłosz Zniszczoł made 4 blocks. Both teams are 2-1, but Aluron have 6 points and sit to the top despite today’s result.

“I’m overjoyed about how we fought our way to this win here. To win away in Poland against such a top team is incredibly difficult. We came here to win, and we did it despite this atmosphere. We played really well in block, attack and defence – actually in all elements. That’s why I’m very proud of my team today,” said top scorer Marek Šotola.

Cedric Enard, Head coach BR Volleys: “The team couldn’t have given me a better return today. It was a very strong team performance. We received well, our scorers delivered and Hannes Tille had a very good pass distribution. He implemented the match plan great. We benefited a bit from the many mistakes they made on the serve, but we also played with a lot of confidence. With this win, this group is more open than ever, and we have two important home matches in the second round!”

Michał Winiarski, Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie head coach: “It is really difficult to say something because both team were playing really good in attack and in reception. The level was really high. The biggest difference was service. Once again we play in “Centrum” hall, and we do too many mistakes. The service was the key of this game.”

Uroš Kovacevic, Aluron outside hitter: “This was not our best performance for sure. Congrats to team of BERLIN Recycling Volleys, they played a really great match without many mistakes. We also played like 20 games in November so it’s normal that sometimes games can be like – everybody is tired and it’s not like an alibi. It was really about our physics, we couldn’t handle constant pressure from BR Volleys.”

And there’s one more team in Pool B with the same record, Halkbank Ankara. Thanks to Dutchman Nimir Abdel-Aziz, top scorer with 23 points, American Micah Kupono Ma’a (4 aces), and Argentine Bruno Lima (81% attack; 17/21), the Turkish vice-champions rejected the comeback of Bulgaria’s Hebar Pazardzhik, who managed to level at 2-2 in sets following a 0-2 deficit. The game ended in fact at tie break, partially 19:25, 20:25, 25:19, 25:22 and 7:15. Todor Aleksiev scored 18 points on the losing side, while Iliya Petkov served 4 aces.

Cucine Lube Civitanova risked a little bit in Belgium, but maintained the perfect record in Pool C. Practically all rivals, both in Italy or elsewhere, have caused problems for the SuperLega titleholders this season so far, and Knack Roeselare wasn’t an exception. Lube had to cancel the rival’s set balls in the fourth set to avoid going into the tie-break and collected a precious three-point victory to maintain the advantage over France’s Tours VB, the main opponent for direct qualification to the quarter-finals. The game ended in four sets, 1-3 (19:25, 25:21, 23:25, 27:29).
Ivan Zaytsev top-scored for the winners with 21 points, while Frenchman Barthélémy Chinenyeze had 83% attack (10/12). Argentine Pablo Sergio Koukartsev scored 22 points for Roeselare, Estonian Märt Tammearu served 4 aces, while Matthijs Verhanneman had 76% reception (21 digs, 2 errors, 57% excellent).

“We expected a difficult match. We knew that Knack ROESELARE is a team with a lot of experience in the Champions League competition. But our experience brought us this victory. And for me personally, this was a marvellous present for my nineteenth birthday today,” said Aleksandar Nikolov, Outside hitter of Cucine Lube Civitanova

Matthijs Verhanneman, Captain of Knack Roeselare: “My first feeling is that of disappointment because we were so close to a stunt. And the fact they we were not rewarded with a 1-3 defeat. But I think that tomorrow we will realise that, as a team, we made a big step forward this evening.”

Gian Lorenzo Blengini, Headcoach of Cucine Lube Civitanova: “We are very happy for this win, a very important result for the final stands in the Pool, even more so after the victory achieved yesterday by Tours in Portugal. Roeselare always plays with great intensity in their home matches, avoiding any kind of mistake. It was like this tonight too, but once again we managed to win by changing the face of the team during the game progress, thanks to the contribution of the entire roster.”

Steven Vanmedegael, Head coach Knack Roeselare: “I am really proud of my team. Our level of performance was much better than in our first home match against Tours VB. The gap between my team and this European top team was three sets very small but of course, they have more experience in such situations at the end of the set than my team does.”

In Pool D, ČEZ Karlovarsko from Czech Republic celebrated first win in the competition and they did it after a beautiful straight sets win over Belgium’s Decospan VT Menen, partially it was 28:26, 26:24 and 25:17.

Led by Dutchman Wouter ter Maat, who ended the game with an impressive amount of 30 points though 58% in attack and Faik Samet Güneş (4 blocks), the Turkish titleholders Ziraat Bank Ankara downed Slovenia’s ACH Volley Ljubljana on the road to earn their first win in Pool E and keep their chances of advancing to the playoffs.
North Macedonian Nikola Gjorgiev scored 31 points for ACH Volley in a thrilling match ended at tie break, 2-3 (17:25, 25:20, 25:23, 23:25, 12:15).

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🏐| 2022/23 CEV Champions League | Pool Stage | Matches of the week

November 29, 2022
POOL A | 18.00 (Local Time) | VfB Friedrichshafen (GER) – Jastrzebski Węgiel (POL) 1-3 (25:18, 31:33, 14:25, 22:25)

👉🏼 November 30, 2022
POOL A | 18.00 (Local Time) | Vojvodina NS Seme Novi Sad (SRB) – Montpellier MHSC VB (FRA) 3-1 (19:25, 30:28, 25:17, 25:23)

🏐| Standings of Pool A (updated on this day)
1. Jastrzebski Węgiel (POL) 9
2. VfB Friedrichshafen (GER) 5
3. Vojvodina NS Seme Novi Sad (SRB) 3
4. Montpellier MHSC VB (FRA) 1

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👉🏼 November 30, 2022
POOL B | 18.00 (Local Time) | Hebar Pazardzhik (BUL) – Halkbank Ankara (TUR) 2-3 (19:25, 20:25, 25:19, 25:22, 7:15)

👉🏼 November 30, 2022
POOL B | 18.00 (Local Time) | Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie (POL) – Berlin Recycling Volleys (GER) 1-3 (21:25, 25:20, 27:29, 25:27)

🏐| Standings of Pool B (updated on this day)
1. Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie (POL) 6
2. Halkbank Ankara (TUR) 5
3. Berlin Recycling Volleys (GER) 5
4. Hebar Pazardzhik (BUL) 2

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November 29, 2022
POOL C | 21.00 (Local Time) | Sport Lisboa e Benfica (POR) – Tours VB (FRA) 1-3 (30:28, 21:25, 19:25, 21:25)

👉🏼 November 30, 2022
• POOL C | 20.30 (Local Time) | Knack Roeselare (BEL) – Cucine Lube Civitanova (ITA) 1-3 (19:25, 25:21, 23:25, 27:29)

🏐| Standings of Pool C (updated on this day)
1. Cucine Lube Civitanova (ITA) 8
2. Tours VB (FRA) 6
3. Knack Roeselare (BEL) 2
4. Sport Lisboa e Benfica (POR) 2

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November 29, 2022
POOL D | 20.30 (Local Time) | Trentino Itas (ITA) – Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn-Kozle (POL) 3-1 (25:20, 17:25, 26:24, 25:23)
| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH

👉🏼 November 30, 2022
POOL D | 18.00 (Local Time) | ČEZ Karlovarsko (CZE) – Decospan VT Menen (BEL) 3-0 (28:26, 26:24, 25:17)

🏐| Standings of Pool D (updated on this day)
1. Trentino Itas (ITA) 9
2. Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn-Kozle (POL) 6
3. ČEZ Karlovarsko (CZE) 3
4. Decospan VT Menen (BEL) 0

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November 29, 2022
POOL E | 19.00 (Local Time) | SWS Powervolleys Düren (GER) – Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia (ITA) 0-3 (17:25, 23:25, 21:25)

👉🏼 November 30, 2022
• POOL E | 18.00 (Local Time) | ACH Volley Ljubljana (SLO) – Ziraat Bank Ankara (TUR) 2-3 (17:25, 25:20, 25:23, 23:25, 12:15)

🏐| Standings of Pool E (updated on this day)
1. Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia (ITA) 9
2. ACH Volley Ljubljana (SLO) 4
3. SWS Powervolleys Düren (GER) 3
4. Ziraat Bank Ankara (TUR) 2

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