29/03/2015 01:21
Physical power vs. team spirit – Zenit KAZAN and Asseco Resovia RZESZOW set up exciting final act of this year’s Men’s Champions League
2015 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League - Men
Berlin, Germany, March 28, 2015. The semifinal matches of the 2015 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men are already history. On Saturday 9,300 spectators witnessed an expected 3:1 (26-24, 21-25, 25-22, 25-15) win by Russia’s Zenit KAZAN in the match with hosts BERLIN Recycling Volleys and a thrilling Polish derby where Asseco Resovia RZESZOW needed only three sets (25-23, 25-23, 25-22) to upset their countrymen and arch-rivals of PGE Skra BELCHATOW. The eventual winners of the gold medal match scheduled for Sunday at 3:45pm CET will also get the right to represent Europe at the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship scheduled for October 27-November 1 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
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The Tatars and their superstars, Cuban-born outside spiker Wilfredo Leon (26 points) and opposite Maxim Mikhailov (20 points), however, did not have it that easy at least for the first three sets of their game with the BERLIN Recycling Volleys. The game plan prepared by the red-hot favourites of the competition looked too predictable with Zenit KAZAN making only few points through the middle and little by little the home heroes’ defence found a way to stand the pressure of the Russian attackers. Only in the fourth set the hosts lost focus and power, whilst Leon continued his personal show, especially from the service line, recording six aces in the end. Russian mentor Vladimir Alekno said: “We won, and that’s the only thing that really matters. Everybody expected us to win, that is why BERLIN could play without any pressure and more relaxed than we were.”
In the final they will meet up with Asseco Resovia RZESZOW who already showed their great condition in the last weeks. As many as five gold medallists from last year’s FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship belong to the team, with setter Fabian Drzyzga, middle blocker Piotr Nowakowski and libero Krzysztof Ignaczak who played from the start through the end of the game with PGE Skra BELCHATOW and were well supported by the captain of Germany’s national team, Jochen Schöps, the Bulgarian spiker Nikolay Penchev, as well as by Serbia’s Marko Ivovic and USA’s Russell Holmes. The derby with BELCHATOW seemed to be a tense game right from the start, with the teams accounting in the end for as many as 33 serving errors. Asseco Resovia displayed an excellent team effort (five players recorded seven up to 11 points) and was almost always the side dictating the tempo of the match. Jochen Schöps shared this opinion: “We saved the most important balls in defence, and stayed calm in crucial situations. I’m nevertheless surprised that we won in straight sets.”
The question is now whether the physical advantage of Zenit KAZAN or the team spirit of Asseco Resovia will be the winning factor in the final match scheduled for Sunday at 3:45pm CET. The Russians are vying for their third title in the competition after topping the charts in 2008 and 2012 already whilst RZESZOW have got a chance to lift the trophy right by their first participation in the Final Four tournament. Zenit will once again count on Wilfredo Leon and Maxim Mikhailov, whilst Asseco Resovia will rely on their team spirit and the passionate support of their fans. The red-and-white dressed supporters from southern Poland caused goose bumps among all those in attendance on Saturday night. One can also be curious about whether the fans of PGE Skra will be openly supporting their arch-rivals in the final or not.
These teams are currently trying to complete a terrific hat-trick this season. Apart from the CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League, Zenit KAZAN and Asseco Resovia are also major forces to be reckoned with in their domestic competitions. Zenit already won the Russian Cup in late December and lead the way with two wins to none in their semifinal series of the Russian Superleague with Dinamo MOSCOW. As for RZESZOW, they have already qualified for the Championship Series of the Plusliga and are in the semis of Poland’s national cup.
One thing is for sure: the spectators in the Germany’s ‘Volleyball Temple’ can look forward to an exciting gold medal match but before that the hosts of BERLIN Recycling Volleys will be trying to finish their historic home weekend by winning a medal in the ‘small final’ with PGE Skra BELCHATOW.
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