26/01/2016 23:09
Lotos Trefl upset Serbian fans to finish League Round in style
2016 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League - Men
Novi Sad, Serbia, January 26, 2016. Lotos Trefl GDANSK cemented their second place in Pool F of the 2016 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men following their 3-1 win (25-20, 25-21, 19-25, 25-17) in their matchup with Serbia’s Vojvodina NS Seme NOVI SAD. The rookies from Poland have secured their promotion to the Playoffs right by their first appearance in Europe’s elite competition and will now wait for the outcome of the Drawing of Lots on Thursday morning to know the name of their next opponent.
It was a very interesting and high-quality match with a lot of exciting rallies highlighting the opening set. Lotos Trefl GDANSK had a narrow early lead and they had a margin of two points at the first technical time-out (8-6). After a great block by home hero Marko Nikolic equality was restored. However, soon afterwards Milosz Hebda paved the way for a 13-10 lead for GDANSK and even though the hosts played good especially in defence, they made too many mistakes and this way helped the visitors from Poland claim the opening set by 25-20.
After their solid performance in the opening set, Lotos Trefl GDANSK kept the rhythm high also in the second set (14-6) but Vojvodina fought their way back and made it a close affair following a great serving series by Borislav Petrovic. However, the hosts failed right down the final stretch and similarly to what had happened in the previous set, GDANSK had the upper hand again, this time at 25-21.
Lotos Trefl GDANSK wasted an early lead in the third set and NOVI SAD used this opportunity to come back into the match. The players of Vojvodina looked very motivated and started playing with a lot more quality in all aspects of the game. This way they piled up a three-point lead at the second technical time-out and supported by the local fans they eventually brought the set to an end at 25-19 in their favour.
The fourth set didn’t start well at all for the hosts as GDANSK played their best to set the pace of the game at 6-2 and 16-10 and as a result they cruised to a commanding 25-17 win to seal their 3-1 victory in the match.
Damian Schulz top scored in the match for the winning side with 24 points.
“I feel sorry that we didn’t play well enough in the fourth set. We had a chance to stretch this match to a tie-break, but we made several mistakes and this way we ended up losing the match. I am nevertheless very proud of my players, they really gave their best,” said the head coach of Vojvodina NS Seme, Strahinja Kozic.
“We kept on fighting and for sure we are very satisfied with this victory. This is our first time in the Champions League and of course we are happy with our qualification for the next round,” said the Italian-born head coach of Lotos Trefl GDANSK, Andrea Anastasi.
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