26/07/2015 20:46
Six out of six also for Slovenia after tie-break win over Belarus
2015 CEV Volleyball European League - Men
Brest, Belarus, July 26, 2015. On Sunday Slovenia emulated Estonia and the guys around legendary Volleyball player Andrea Giani can also boast a perfect record of six wins in as many matches they have so far contested in the 2015 CEV Volleyball European League – Men following their second away victory over Belarus in Brest. However, the mission was a bit more difficult than on Saturday as this time around Slovenia needed five sets before edging past the hosts (22-25, 25-9, 25-14, 22-25, 15-9).
After losing in three straight sets on Saturday, Belarus made some changes to their line-up and the match turned also into the comeback of their star player Aleh Akhrem who was back in action after a serious injury and a long rehabilitation. This way Belarus started out strong and got the lead in the opening set; Slovenia relied once again on their opposite Mitja Gasparini but this time his serve seemed to be less effective than usual. As Belarus was up 21:19, Gasparini served off the bounds and Belarus got their first set ball at 24:22 on a block by Andrei Radziuk. Klemen Cebulj’s mistake sealed the final 25-22 for the hosts.
The course of the game changed completely in the second and third sets where Slovenia imposed their supremacy and this way the players mentored by Andrea Giani claimed a 2:1 lead in sets following their impressive 25-9 and 25-14 wins.
Belarus played with glowing hearts in the fourth set with Radziuk being their star player and helped also by Viachaslau Charapovich on the way to the 25-22 that stretched the match to the tie-break.
Gasparini set the tone there with four consecutive serves to make it 5:0 for Slovenia and after that it was impossible for Belarus to come back with the visitors celebrating their sixth straight victory in the competition (15-9).
“I want to thank my guys. Compared to the match on Saturday, we made some changes to see how the young players would be able to play at this level. It is important for the young players that they get some experience. On top of this, our real leader Aleh Akhrem is returning from injury, and with his contribution our team will be playing even better in the future,” said home mentor Victor Sidelnikov.
“This is a very important victory for us. I knew we would have had two tough matches here in Brest but was also confident that our guys would be able to deliver. It was a pleasure to play in this sports hall, where the fans supported the home team with so much passion,” said Slovenia’s mentor Andrea Giani.
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