ACH Volley Ljubljana survive five-set battle to advance in Champions League qualifiers
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ACH Volley Ljubljana secured their place in the next round of the CEV Champions League qualifiers after edging Orion Stars Doetinchem 3-2 in a hard-fought second-leg encounter at Hala Tivoli. The Slovenian champions prevailed 25:21, 22:25, 25:20, 21:25 and 19:17, with the decisive set extending into a tense battle that required two points of difference to settle.
Having already claimed a 3-0 victory in the first leg in the Netherlands, ACH Volley entered the return match with a strong advantage. However, Orion Stars, determined to keep their European hopes alive, pushed the Ljubljana side to the limit and demonstrated why the tie was far from a formality.
ACH Volley took the opening set 25-21, but the Dutch visitors responded in the second, levelling the match with a 25-22 win. The hosts regained the lead after taking the third set 25-20, only for Orion to force a decider by winning the fourth 25-21.
The fifth set delivered the most dramatic moments of the evening. Neither side was able to establish a decisive gap, and the contest remained finely balanced deep into the tie-break. ACH Volley eventually found the crucial points to close it out 19-17, securing the match and confirming their progression.
The result completed a two-match sweep for the Slovenian champions, who had opened the tie with a 3-0 win in Doetinchem on November 4.
In that first encounter, Rok Bračko led ACH Volley with 15 points, while Tonček Štern added 13 and Marko Ivović contributed 12. Youri Ebbelaar was Orion’s leading scorer with 14 points.
The qualification format made a second victory particularly important. Under the current rules, the number of match wins determines progression; had Orion won the return leg, even by a 3-2 score, a Golden Set would have been required to decide the tie. ACH Volley avoided that scenario by holding their nerve in the fifth set.
For Igor Kolaković’s team, the victory represents another step towards the Champions League group stage. Orion Stars, meanwhile, bow out after a spirited performance that made the Slovenian favourites work considerably harder than the first-leg scoreline might have suggested.
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🏆| 2026/27 CEV Champions League | Second Round
FIRST LEG
Tuesday November 3, 2026
📍Ministry of Emergency Situations Gym Baku
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Khilasedichi Baku (AZE) – Sporting CP Lisboa (POR) 2-3 (23:25, 25:19, 25:23, 23:25, 10:15)
Wednesday November 4, 2026
📍Dom Odbojke Bojan Stranic Zagreb
• 19.00 (Local Time) | Mladost Zagreb (CRO) – Levski Sofia (BUL) 3-1 (25:15, 25:19, 17:25, 25:23)
📍SaZa Topsporthal Doetinchem
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Orion Stars Doetinchem (NED) – ACH Volley Ljubljana (SLO) 0-3 (23:25, 26:28, 14:25)
Thursday November 5, 2026
📍Kaposvár Arena
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Fino Kaposvár (HUN) – TSV Raiffeisen Hartberg (AUT) 3-0 (25:22, 25:18, 25:19)
SECOND LEG
Tuesday November 10, 2026
📍Stadtwerke Halle Hartberg
• 18.00 (Local Time) | TSV Raiffeisen Hartberg (AUT) – Fino Kaposvár (HUN) 0-3 (17:25, 26:28, 18:25)
Wednesday November 11, 2026
📍Pavilhão João Rocha SCP Lisboa
• 19.30 (Local Time) | Sporting CP Lisboa (POR) – Khilasedichi Baku (AZE) 2-3 (25:21, 18:25, 25:22, 21:25, 13:15) GOLDEN SET: 13-15
📍Levski Sofia Sport Hall
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Levski Sofia (BUL) – Mladost Zagreb (CRO) 0-3 (20:25, 25:27, 21:25)
👉🏼Thursday November 12, 2026
📍Sportna Dvorana Tivoli Ljubljana
• 20.00 (Local Time) | ACH Volley Ljubljana (SLO) – Orion Stars Doetinchem (NED) 3-2 (25:21, 22:25, 25:20, 21:25, 19:17)
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