Luxembourg, September 24, 2020. Three of the six Pools of the Champions League Volley Men 1st Round decided their winners today, after an interesting couple of days that saw several matches suspended and teams having to forfeit their fixtures due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

More important, Europe's premiere club volleyball competition is back and fans worldwide have been able to tune in to CEV's EuroVolley.TV where all matches have been and will continue to be streamed live.

With very strong teams entering the competition from the early stages this season, expectations of seeing great performances and nail-biting last minutes of matches have been met which can only increase excitement for the remaining matches of the 1st Round and beyond.

Pool A

• After a convincing win in the their first encounter and an agreement of having the return match played the following day in the same venue, Fino Kaposvar VC displayed another solid performance against Erzeni Shijakut to secure their spot in the 2nd Round.
• Kristóf Horvath, Fino KAPOSVAR VC's number 12 was named MVP of the match.

Pool B

• The decisive match between Galati and Sastamala proved to be the most balanced encounter so far, with the five setter lasting 127 minutes. The tiebreak was especially filled with drama, with the Finns wasting as many as three match balls before they eventually lost 18-20 to the home side representing Romania.
• C.S.M. Arcada Galati's Dutch opposite, Niels Klapwijk was the match's top scorer with 25 points with Vasile Talpa providing massive defensive support with his eight winning blocks.
• Romans Sauss was Ford Levoranta Sastamala's main threat, managing an impressive tally of 24 points.

Pool C

• 15-year-old libero Maksymilian Granieczny from the Academy of Jastrzębski Węgiel got his chance to show his skills, being one of the youngest debutants in Champions League history.
• Rafał Szymura was the player who shone the brightest on the court, scoring 11 points in attack, two aces and one block, and 62% positive reception, thus being awarded MVP.
• After being awarded MVP of the first match, Mohamed Al Hachdadi sealed the game with 17 points anda 58% success rate in attack.
• Jeroen Rauwerdink with his 12 points was the best scorer for Draisma Dynamo Apeldoorn.
  
  “It was good day for us. We controlled the game from start to end and we were able to show some quality on the court, not just from the guys that played on Tuesday. It shows that we have depth in all positions,” said Luke Reynolds, head coach of Jastrzębski Węgiel.
  
  “This match was a clear lesson on how to serve and also to attack. The difference was in the great pressure that the home team put with their service game. We lost the match and we learned a lot. I am always happy to be in Poland. This is my third time to play matches here. I lost three times, but this can happen. I really like the atmosphere during the matches in Poland, the organisation here is perfect and the home team is very strong. I wish them good luck for the remainder of their Champions League campaign,” said Redbad Strikwerda, head coach of Draisma Dynamo Apeldoorn.

Quick Links:

Podcast

YouTube

EuroVolley.TV

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter