Luxembourg, February 14, 2018. Bunge RAVENNA claimed a 3-1 victory vs. Sport LISBOA e Benfica in their home match of the quarterfinals of #CEVChallengeCupM. After having lost the first set, the host team got back in the game and eventually won the match. Meanwhile, Olympiacos PIRAEUS took the win in the matchup vs. PAR-KY MENEN and got one step closer to qualifying for the semifinals of the competition - as did also Maliye Piyango SK ANKARA and Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT.

Bunge RAVENNA (ITA) vs. Sport LISBOA e Benfica (POR) 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-20)

•    After three years, RAVENNA played Benfica again, this time in the quarterfinals of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Men. In 2015, in the semi-final, the Portuguese team won both matches and made it the final that they later lost to the Serbs of Vojvodina NS Seme NOVI SAD.
•    Sport LISBOA e Benfica won the first set thanks to Hugo Gaspar who made the last two points. Their Trinidadian player Marc-Anthony Honoré shined with four points out of four spikes.
•    The Austrian opposite hitter Paul Buchegger got close to perfection in the second set by scoring seven points (86% success rate), dragging this way his team to winning the set. Also a very good job was made by middle blocker Enrico Diamantini, who successfully finished four attacks out of five attempts.
•    The four blocks of RAVENNA were the key to win a very balanced third set. Again Marc-Anthony Honore was the leader in the Portuguese team, while Buchegger got a little lower. Yet, his seven points were important for a positive ending of this part of the match.
•     The great play on block today made the difference between the two teams and was key to the victory for the home side. The Italians made 11 blocks, while Benfica’s players recorded only four. Enrico Diamantini tallied up five blocks alone and got the title of MVP together with setter Santiago Orduna, who scored four points. Paul Buchegger, having scored 20 points,  was named Top Scorer of the Match.

Fabio Soli, coach of Bunge RAVENNA: “We knew that the match was going to be a hard one, but we forgot that at the beginning and started very slowly. We weren’t concentrated enough. When you play against a team such as Benfica, it gets then harder to recover and focus on the match. Luckily for us, we managed to stay focused during the second set. We started playing with a very good rhythm and we noticed that our opponents aren’t used to it. We have now a good chance to progress to the semis, at least getting to the Golden Set, but we know that in Lisbon we will have a very tough match.”

José Antonio Pereira Jardim, coach of Sport LISBOA e Benfica: “We came to Ravenna with the idea of winning, of course, because I think that the level of these two teams is almost equal. Our opponent started slowly, but the power of their service got higher and higher with the match unfolding and this made the difference. RAVENNA is a tough opponent to play, but I think that everything is still open. I expect my team to play better in the second leg in Lisbon and to try everything possible to progress to the next round.

PAR-KY MENEN (BEL) vs. Olympiacos PIRAEUS (GRE) 1-3 (17-25, 25-16, 22-25, 21-25)

•    Even on Valentine’s Day PAR-KY MENEN managed to sell out the tickets for their home match. From the beginning there was a great atmosphere in the sports hall CC de Steiger Vauban MENEN – thanks to the excited home crowd and around 50 Greek supporters; all those attending the game enjoyed an amazing Volleyball show.
•      PIRAEUS took the first set without major problems.
•     PAR-KY MENEN showed good play in block during the second set. The home team managed to win this part of the match, making the score 1-1. The strong serving by setter Xavier Folguera was the key for making the result equal.
•    In the next two sets, both teams showed fighting spirit and great rallies. Neither  PAR-KY MENEN, nor Olympiacos PIRAEUS were ready to give up, but eventually the Greek were stronger, taking a well-deserved 3-1 away win.
•    Julien Winkelmuller (PAR-KY MENEN) topped the charts with 21 points. Mikko Oivanen was the best scorer for PIRAEUS with 17 points.
•    The away match is scheduled for March, 1 in Greece.

Jelle Sinnesael, captain of PAR-KY MENEN: “We knew PIRAEUS would be hard to beat, but the difference between both teams was not so big. The third and the fourth sets were quite close and the difference was in the details. I am convinced that nothing is finished yet. We can play without pressure in Greece. Nobody is unbeatable. Our European adventure has been amazing so far and we still have hope.”

Maliye Piyango SK ANKARA (TUR) vs. MONTANA Volley (BUL) 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-22)

Maliye Piyango SK ANKARA got one step closer to qualifying for the next round of the competition, after a fast win 3-0 vs. MONTANA Volley. The spectators in attendance at Baskent Volleyball Hall enjoyed some good Volleyball rallies in the three sets. Although both teams showed an almost equal level of play, eventually the hosts claimed the victory. The guests seemed to be close to completing a comeback in the third set, but the Turkish team didn't let anyone spoil their home party.

Oliver Venno from Maliye Piyango SK ANKARA was the best scorer of the match with 21 points (nine of which break points). For MONTANA Volley Zlatko Kiosev was best with 10 points.