10/05/2016 09:20
Third national league title for Calcit LJUBLJANA
News from the National Federations
Ljubljana, Slovenia, May 9, 2016. On Monday night Calcit LJUBLJANA clinched their third and second consecutive Slovenian national league title after beating Nova KBM Branik MARIBOR in the fifth and final match of the championship series. The 2016 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League rookies surprised their rivals cruising to a compelling 3-0 victory (25-22, 25-18, 25-22) in the deciding match played in front of more than 1,500 spectators at Tivoli Hall in Slovenia’s capital.
The players from Ljubljana claimed a 3-2 home victory in the first match, followed by a 0-3 loss in Maribor and a 3-1 home triumph. The Slovenian Volleyball fans expected another close race in the fourth match, but Nova KBM Branik extended the series to a fifth round after an unexpectedly easy win by 3-0.
“There was a lack of self-confidence in our team after the second defeat in Maribor, which came in the fourth match of the championship series. But today we played as a team and we showed our character from the beginning to the end of the match. I think that’s what brought us this big win and the national league crown. We proved once more that we are currently the best team in Slovenia,” Elena Kučej, a former player of Nova KBM Branik now wearing the shirt of Calcit LJUBLJANA said after the medal ceremony.
The national league title is the second trophy of the season for Calcit LJUBLJANA after winning the MEVZA Cup by beating Nova KBM Branik in the finals, but the team from Maribor was the one that took the Slovenian national cup earlier this season.
Calcit LJUBLJANA mentor Gašper Ribič praised his players for their mental toughness in this important match: “There are ups and downs in final matches, but today we were capable of surmounting all of the obstacles and finished the match as the eventual winners. Winning the first set was extremely important for my team and we managed to carry that good feeling into the second set and played really well. Although we already had everything in our hands in the third set, Nova KBM Branik fought back really hard and fortunately we had enough mental stability today to strike back once more.”
The bronze medal series was extended to the maximum number of three matches. The winner of the duel between GEN-I Volley NOVA GORICA and UOK Vital LJUBLJANA will be known on Wednesday.
|