24/04/2019 17:00
LAUSANNE UC retain Swiss national league crown
News from the clubs
Lausanne, Switzerland, April 24, 2019. LAUSANNE UC triumphed on Tuesday with the Swiss men’s national league title – and they did so after a 3-2 victory over Lindaren Volley AMRISWIL to complete a run of seven straight wins in the playoff stage of the competition. LAUSANNE UC retained the title they won last year after piling up a series of 14 consecutive victories by counting the regular season and the playoffs.
It was nevertheless a tough way to such a golden moment, since LAUSANNE UC had finished third at the end of the regular season and had to endure a setback in the national cup where they lost to Biogas Volley NÄFELS in the quarterfinals. However, after stabilising their play and with an extremely solid and efficient performance in reception as well as in block/defence, LAUSANNE UC rose to the occasion sweeping aside the teams from Näfels, Schönenwerd and Amriswil to sail through the playoffs without suffering any loss.
MVP of the ‘championship match’ Jonas Kvalen, libero Dennis Del Valle, setter Reto Pfund, middle blocker Karim Zerika, outside hitter Adrien Prevel as well as Tim Ineichen, Arthur Sueur, Jonathan Kaeser and Mathias Montavon could celebrate back-to-back titles with the Swiss team as they were part of the roster last year already – as much as their head coach Massimiliano Giaccardi of Italy.
Earlier this season LAUSANNE UC had claimed the Swiss Supercup, and their busy season included participation in the CEV Cup as well where they lost in the 16th Finals to eventual winners TRENTINO Itas of Italy.
“This victory is the result of a collective effort,” Kvalen, who top scored in the regular season with 244 points, said. “We kept pushing each other while practicing, competing hard there as well, which means the whole team contributed a lot towards the result,” he added. “It was a tough way to the top but we fought and worked hard for it. If we look at the stats, you can see that our efficiency was extremely high, we made only few mistakes, conceded few aces or blocks and our good reception was certainly one of our main assets,” concluded the Norwegian player. Kvalen went back from outside hitter to opposite this season to help his team at a time when they were dealing with injuries.
Another fun fact: Sébastien Chevallier, a 2012 Olympian in Beach Volleyball together with Swiss legend Sascha Heyer, won the Swiss national league 10 years after achieving the same feat with LAUSANNE UC as well.
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