26/02/2019 22:00
Kuzbass and TRENTINO close in on #CEVCupM final spots
2019 CEV Volleyball Cup - Men
Luxembourg, February 26, 2019. Russia’s Kuzbass KEMEROVO and Italy’s TRENTINO Itas claimed important victories over Turkey’s Galatasaray ISTANBUL and Greece’s Olympiacos PIRAEUS, respectively, on Tuesday to increase their chances for a spot in #CEVCupM finals. Russian rookies Kuzbass KEMEROVO, who are making their maiden appearance in the European Cups, fought back after a loss in the first set to secure another win in the contest as TRENTINO found their winning way after spending 76 minutes on court.
Kuzbass KEMEROVO (RUS) vs Galatasaray ISTANBUL (TUR) 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-15)
• Russian rookies Kuzbass KEMEROVO took the first step on the way to the #CEVCupM finals by beating Galatasaray in four sets.
• The Russian players managed to come back in style from one set down to secure an important home victory before the second leg of the semi-finals.
• Oliver Venno (Galatasaray) top scored in the match with 26 points followed by Victor Poletaev (Kuzbass) with 20, including four blocks.
Tuomas Sammelvuo, head coach of Kuzbass KEMEROVO: “We were a bit nervous at the start of the match, but then we started to play better. I think it is great that we lost the first set because it did not allow us to relax. Today we used many floating serves and made it harder for the opponent to receive the ball, and we played very well in defence too. A 3-1 win is a great result and I am really happy that we achieved it.”
Dmytro Pashytskyy, blocker of Kuzbass: “Galatasaray showed their volleyball and played at a very high level, and in the first set it was difficult for us to play against them. However, our volleyball was a little stronger and we found the way to show it. The whole game we were in suspense, it was not easy. I think if in the return match in Turkey we show our volleyball, everything will be fine.”
Oliver Venno, opposite of Galatasaray: “It was fun to play against Kuzbass, because in the Turkish league we do not have such strong teams. We started extremely good, but the opponent started to pressure with their serves and we did not manage to receive anymore.”
Umut Cakir, assistant coach of Galatasaray ISTANBUL: “We played very well in the first set, but after that period, the home team served better and that we could not handle. The atmosphere was excellent and the home fans cheered us too after the game. It was really good to play here in Kemerovo.”
Olympiacos PIRAEUS (GRE) vs TRENTINO ITAS (ITA) 0-3 (17-25, 19-25, 24-26)
• TRENTINO Itas made a big step towards reaching the #CEVCupM finals after achieving a momentous away victory over Greece’s Olympiacos PIRAEUS.
• TRENTINO controlled every segment of the game until the end of the third set when the home team played a way better than before. Olympiacos had set ball at 24-23 but the reigning world champions fought back and emerged victorious in straight sets.
• Luca Vettori was the best scorer of the match with 15 points, while Gavin Schmitt (12) was the most prolific player on the Greek side of the net.
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