29/10/2019 19:00
Four teams set to fight for two remaining spots in #CLVolleyW group stage
CEV Champions League Volley 2020
Luxembourg, October 29, 2019. After the DOL held last week in Sofia (click here for further details), the fight for the two remaining spots in the group stage of the CEV Champions League Volley 2020 resumes with Khimik YUZHNY enjoying home-court advantage after securing a dramatic 3-2 away victory last week at VK UP OLOMOUC. Vasas Óbuda BUDAPEST are only two sets away from securing their place in the 4th Round but will have to work hard to achieve this feat when visiting Partizani TIRANA of Albania later this week in a match featuring two #CLVolleyW rookies. Live streaming of all matches is available on the CEV’s very own OTT platform EuroVolleyTV.
Click here for a comprehensive TV schedule.
Khimik YUZHNY (UKR) vs. VK UP OLOMOUC (CZE)
• In the first match last week, Khimik came back after trailing 1-2 and claimed a dramatic tiebreak win (15-13) with an ace of 18-year-old Anastasiia Maievska.
• The outside hitter of Khimik, Yuliya Boyko is the best scorer in the CEV Champions League Volley this far with a tally of 65 points from three matches.
• Khimik would make history by becoming the first Ukrainian team to contest the pool stage of the CEV Champions League since the establishment of this competition. Iskra LUGANSK played the group stage of the former Champions Cup in the 1997/1998 season, finishing fourth in Pool A.
• After the away game in Olomouc, Khimik focussed solely on the re-match at home while VK UP OLOMOUC secured a 3-1 victory over Kralovo Pole BRNO on Saturday in the Czech national league.
Daria Stepanovska, captain of Khimik YUZHNY: “We so badly want to make it to the group stage of the CEV Champions League Volley 2020. The Czech team is a good opponent but we will try our best and achieve another victory.”
Yevgen Nikolayev, head coach of Khimik YUZHNY: “The victory in Olomouc was only the first step towards reaching the group stage of the competition. We showed a good performance and reached a good result but the main battle will take place in Yuzhny with a big crowd of our fans in attendance.”
Petr Zapletal, head coach of VK UP OLOMOUC: “The match in Olomouc was a good one for us and we can be happy with the performance we delivered – apart from the serve. The return match will be extremely difficult, the opponent is of exceptional quality, but we will not give up and we will fight until the end.”
Gabriela Orvosova, player of VK UP OLOMOUC: “We want to move forward in this competition. If we win the duel with the Ukrainian champions, we would make it to the group stage of the prime competition in Europe for the first time in 23 years. People in Olomouc would come to see good Volleyball and the best teams of Europe.”
Partizani TIRANA (ALB) vs. Vasas Óbuda BUDAPEST (HUN)
• Partizani is the first Albanian team to play in the Champions League. In the first round, the Partizani team defeated the Bosnians of ZOK Bimal-Jedinstvo BRČKO in both matches (3-1 at home and 3-2 away).
• The team has called on fans to turn out in large numbers to support them in their effort to secure a historic qualification for the pool stage of Europe’s elite competition.
• Romana Hudecova (pictured below) and Yeliz Basa are the two best Partizani players in this tournament so far, and among the top three scorers in the competition after three matches.
• The Hungarian team of Vasas Óbuda previously eliminated Montenegro’s Luka BAR, winning both matches with the same score (3-0).
• Vasas Óbuda BUDAPEST have not lost any sets in the three matches played so far in the Champions League, winning all of their games in straight sets.
Nejat Sancak, head coach of Partizani TIRANA: “This time we play at home and hope for a positive result even though our rival is strong and experienced in the international arena. We know it will not be easy after losing the first leg in Hungary, but I have confidence in my team and players. I will be able to count on the players who missed the first game in Budapest and with the help of the fans I am confident that we can cause a surprise again.”
Jakub Gluszak, head coach of Vasas Óbuda BUDAPEST: “We are one step away from qualifying for the group stage of the CEV Champions League, but we still have a challenge to go through. We won the first match and this result should encourage and motivate us in this second match as well. It will not be easy, but I think we can do it. We expect a strong challenge, but I think we can repeat the same positive performance of the first game.”
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