21/01/2016 22:51
ASSE-LENNIK storm to 3-0 win over Swiss Dragons to set sight on Playoff spot
2016 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League - Men
Antwerp, Belgium, January 21, 2016. Belgium’s Volley ASSE-LENNIK are close to joining Poland’s Asseco Resovia RZESZOW in the Playoffs 12 of the 2016 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men after on Thursday night they cruised to a compelling 3-0 win (25-17, 25-22, 25-20) over Switzerland’s champions #Dragons LUGANO in the fifth round of play in Pool G.
The stakes were high in the matchup starring Volley ASSE-LENNIK and #Dragons LUGANO, as the winners of this clash would get closer to qualifying for the Playoffs 12 of this year’s CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League, even more following the withdrawal of Romania’s Tomis CONSTANTA from the competition. ASSE-LENNIK got off to the better start (4-0 and 8-4), and maintained their dominance throughout the opening set (16-8 at the second technical time-out). Andrei Radziuk pulled his team back with a couple of points, but ASSE-LENNIK reached their first set point at 24-17 thanks to Robin Overbeeke. Home side captain Frank Depestele finished the first set off with a brilliant ace (25-17).
In the second set, ASSE-LENNIK managed again to sneak away to an 8-2 lead at the first technical break, but LUGANO struck back to make it 8-7. After a hard second-touch smash by setter Depestele the home side made it clear that they wanted to put the pressure on the Swiss champions again. Robbert Andringa and Overbeeke helped their team take a more comfortable lead again at the second technical break, with the scoreboard showing a 16-11 advantage for ASSE-LENNIK. LUGANO weren’t able to close the gap down, and only managed to pull back to within three points at 19-16. The Swiss brought the suspense back into the game at 22-20, but Seppe Baetens helped his team pull through and led ASSE-LENNIK to a 25-22 victory in the second set.
The tension rose in the third set as Volley ASSE-LENNIK could smell the victory and #Dragons LUGANO knew that they had to grasp their last chance to avoid a heavy loss. This contributed to a good and balanced beginning of the set, with the teams being separated by just one point at the first technical time-out (8-7). After Leo Andric put LUGANO in front at 10-9, ASSE-LENNIK shifted into a higher gear with Andringa and Martijn Colson steering the home side to a 15-10 lead. The five-point gap was again eliminated after Radziuk hit an ace for 18-17, and Marcelo Elgarten stamped a block on Overbeeke for 20-20. Baetens and Depestele made it a two-point lead again at 22-20, before Overbeeke and Andringa finished it off at 25-20, making ASSE-LENNIK the favourite for qualifying for the next round of the Champions League.
In a match where four players of ASSE-LENNIK managed to score more than ten points, Dutch opposite Robin Overbeeke was his team’s top scorer with 16 points. On the other side of the net, Radziuk contributed 12 points, including three aces.
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