19/11/2014 19:54
Studenti fail to make next round in spite of help by two-time Olympian Donald Suxho
2015 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Men
Tirana, Albania, November 19, 2014. Albania’s only representative in this year’s European Cups, Studenti TIRANA, could not fulfil their dream of making the 16th final of the 2015 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup – Men. After losing in straight sets their away match to Hungary’s Fino KAPOSVAR SE, on Tuesday night Albania’s champions had to admit a second defeat, this time at Asllan Rusi sports hall, in four sets (1:3; 22-25, 25-23, 17-25, 9-25). Studenti tried to cause a sensation before the home audience in Albania’s capital but eventually failed to complete what would have been a terrific comeback.
Studenti performed their best in the first and second sets of that match, and with a little more luck they could have gone up by two sets to none. However, the experience of their opponents made the difference in some crucial moments and in the end TIRANA had to admit defeat, thereby being eliminated from the competition.
Two-time Olympian Donald Suxho, who was born in Albania and moved to the USA in his late teens, provided an extra boost of quality and experience to Studenti but even his class combined with the support of the audience were not enough to win the match with KAPOSVAR. In the end the fans in Tirana had to admit that the team from Hungary deserved their qualification to the next round and were nevertheless happy to closely watch a world-class player like Suxho who has decided to come back home after 20 years to help with the development of Volleyball in his native country.
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