19/12/2019 19:00
ALMERIA and KARLOVARSKO among teams qualified to #CEVChallengeCupM 8th Finals
CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup 2020 - Men
Luxembourg, December 19, 2019. Unicaja Costa de ALMERIA and VK ČEZ KARLOVARSKO were among the teams to qualify on Wednesday night for the 8th Finals of the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup 2020 – Men. Unicaja needed two sets only from their rematch with UVC Holding GRAZ and they achieved their goal before securing a 3-2 victory, while the Czechs routed Stroitel MINSK 3-0 in the Belarusian capital.
UVC Holding GRAZ say goodbye to the European Cups for this season but they did so after delivering a strong performance in the re-match with Unicaja Costa de ALMERIA of Spain. The Austrians were able to secure a 25-23 victory in the first set but after a very close fight, ALMERIA responded by taking the subsequent two sets to secure their spot in the next round. However, even at this stage, GRAZ did not relax and with the help of their fans, they surrendered only at the tiebreak. “It was a strong game from my team and we presented ourselves well today. In the end, it was a little something that cost us the game, but it is good to know that we can keep up with such a strong team as ALMERIA,” said Sports Director Frederick Laure.
“We showed our best side today. The Spaniards were physically superior to us but we fought back with our fighting spirit and heart. It is a shame that it did not work out but we can build on this performance,” added UVC Holding GRAZ head coach Robert Koch.
VK ČEZ KARLOVARSKO celebrate their victory in Minsk.
Stroitel MINSK lost 0-3 their re-match with VK ČEZ KARLOVARSKO to end their journey in the 2020 edition of the CEV Challenge Cup. The visitors set the tempo of the match from start to end, putting much pressure with their serve especially on the 18-year-old rising star of Stroitel, Uladzislau Davyskiba. Only the experienced Stroitel captain Siarhei Akulich was able to cope with the powerful and high-speed game of the opponent. When trailing 0-2, Stroitel knew they did not stand any more the chance to progress to the next round. The home side made a way too many mistakes with their serve – six in the first set alone and five apiece in the second and third one, thus giving away many points.
Aliaksandr Sinhayeuski, head coah of Stroitel MINSK: “We did not play our game today, our reception was weak, and in the end we gave the opponent the opportunity to play their game without putting up a fight. Today we had almost no serve - we made too many mistakes, and with each mistake, the team fell apart more and more. It is not acceptable to play against such an experienced team as VK ČEZ KARLOVARSKO in such a way. I think that the only one who managed to show some resistance today was Akulich.”
Jiri Novak, head coach of VK ČEZ KARLOVARSKO: “After winning the first set, we felt even more motivation not to play a Golden Set. We played very well tonight but such a clear result is quite a surprise to me.”
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