04/05/2016 12:29
PAOK retain Hellenic national league crown to delight 8,000 home fans
News from the National Federations
Athens, Greece, May 4, 2016. PAOK THESSALONIKI recently claimed their second straight title in the Hellenic men’s Volleyball national league and did so by delighting a huge crowd of 8,000 fans in attendance at PAOK Sports Arena in Greece’s second largest city. PAOK cruised to a tie-break win over Foinikas SYROS after coming back from two sets down (21-25, 21-25, 25-16, 25-14, 15-10) to finish the championship series by three wins to one.
PAOK were paced by their Cuban-born stars Rolando Cepeda and Javier Jimenez with 28 and 17 points, respectively, as they retained the crown they had historically claimed for the first time in 2015. PAOK had opened the championship series with a 3-0 win (25-22, 25-23, 25-14) at Syros before claiming also the re-match at home by 3-1 (25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 25-18). Foinikas SYROS bounced back by recording a 3-1 home win (35-33, 20-25, 26-24, 25-20), but PAOK had the upper hand at home to seal the deal after four rounds.
Earlier this season PAOK THESSALONIKI had made their debut in the CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League but failed to progress to the Playoffs after suffering setbacks in their matches with Italy’s TRENTINO Diatec and France’s TOURS VB.
The final standing of the 2015-2016 Hellenic men’s Volleyball national league reads as follows:
1. PAOK THESSALONIKI
2. Foinikas SYROS
3. Olympiacos PIRAEUS
4. A.O. KIFISIA 2015
5. Panathinaikos ATHENS
6. Gas Pamvohaikos VRAHATI
7. Ethnikos ALEXANDROUPOLIS
8. Panachaiki PATRAS Volley 2013
9. A.O. ORESTIADA
10. Heracles Volley 2015
11. Aris THESSALONIKI (relegated to A2)
12. G.S. LAMIA (relegated to A2)
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