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OK BUDVA seal fifth straight Montenegrin national league title

by Press 19/04/2023

written by Press

OK BUDVA defeated Budućnost Volley in Podgorica 3-2 and after four matches contested for the final series, the team from the seaside town could celebrate yet another title – the fifth in a row – in the highest division of the Montenegrin national league.

OK BUDVA have further extended their winning streak in domestic competitions. With their second victory in Podgorica, and their third in a row in the finals against Budućnost Volley, they won the EPCG Super League playoffs and once again secured the double domestic crown. The new-old Montenegrin champions played phenomenally in the tiebreak of the fourth match, winning it 15-8 to celebrate at the end of the game contested at the Morača sports centre.

“It certainly means a lot to us. It is a nice feeling to achieve such a result and defend the title for the fourth time in a row. It was very interesting this season. Budućnost’s team was put together quite well this year. My colleague Bošković did a great job leading the team, and we could see a lot of good work, and it has certainly contributed to making this series even more interesting, which undoubtedly gives our title even greater appeal”, said Miloš Marković head coach of OK BUDVA.

The match started well for the team from Podgorica, and after a seesaw battle in the first set, they managed to make several series of two or three consecutive points and pulled ahead to 14-12. The versatile play brought Miljan Bošković’s team to a four-point advantage for the first time at a score of 17-13. After Strugar’s ace serve, Čirić’s attack finished out of bounds from Budva’s block, ending the first set 25-20 in favour of Budućnost.

The reigning champions started the second set with a 3-0 lead, which the hosts matched. Budućnost even turned the tables, leading 9-6, but BUDVA equalised with three consecutive points and took the lead, which the blue-and-white team constantly chased. At the end, Jelić scored for 25-23 and 1-1 in sets.

Arman Čirić broke the tied third set with two consecutive points. Budućnost had a lead of no more than two points and in the middle of the set, at the score of 12-12, they lost Stefan Radević, who got injured. Still, Nikola Radović did a good job, and the middle blocker Silajdžić played a great role, winning several crucial points in key moments. In the end, the second player from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the ranks of Budućnost, Čirić, made the difference in favour of the Podgorica team, 25-22.

The players of Budućnost receiving the silver medals

OK BUDVA players showed their experience in the fourth set and managed to equalize to 2-2 despite the mounting pressure. The guests controlled the fourth part of the game, although Budućnost managed to take the lead at 10-9. However, several mistakes and an excellent Aleksandar Gmitrović forced Miljan Bošković to call a timeout, which did not benefit the blue team. The advantage varied between three and one point in favour of OK BUDVA, and at the end of the set, the concentration of the Podgorica team faltered. Gmitrović made the difference with an excellent serve, and BUDVA secured a tie-break with a score of 25-20.

In the tiebreak, Miloš Marković’s team won the first six points. Nikola Radović ended his team’s negative streak, but they only managed to mitigate the defeat until the end. OK BUDVA won the match with a final score of 3-2 and thus secured their fifth consecutive title in the national league.

“As I said at the beginning of the playoffs, the Budva team was preparing for the European Cups. We are an extremely young team, but we have shown that we are worth it, and I hope that Budućnost will become even more competitive next year. We have shown that Montenegrin men’s Volleyball deserves much more attention”, said Miljan Bošković Head coach of Budućnost Volley.

Aleksandar Gmitrović was again the most effective player of the fourth match in the series, leading OK BUDVA with 28 points. Middle blocker Matija Ćinćur scored 11 times. In the Buducnost Volley team, the most prominent player was opposite Bojan Strugar, who scored 23 points, followed by Arman Čirić with 18 and Adnan Silajdžić with 10 points.

OSCG President Cvetko Pajkovic presenting the trophy to the libero of OK BUDVA, Urban Toman

19/04/2023 0 comments

VakifBank with a great comeback to join Eczacibasi in the #SuperFinalsTurin

by Press 13/04/2023

written by Press

The reigning #CLVolleyW champions of VakifBank Istanbul delivered a great comeback in the away match of their semi-finals against their city rivals of Fenerbahce Opet, claiming a 3-0 win and emerging victorious in the Golden Set at 15-12. The players of head coach Giovanni Guidetti had lost the first semi-final at 0-3, but managed to demonstrate a great spirit and mental strength in the deciding match, securing their spot at the #SuperFinalsTurin.

VakifBank, who last year claimed the trophy after 3-1 against A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano, will have the chance to defend their title on May 20, when they will meet another Turkish giant – Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul, who only a day earlier defeated Igor Gorgonzola Novara on their way to the Super Final.

This way, the two best teams of this year’s edition of the competition, will lock horns next month in Turin in what promises to be a special all-Turkish battle for the Gold.

Fenerbahce Opet Istanbul 0-3 VakifBank Istanbul (22-25, 14-25, 22-25; 12-15 in the Golden Set)

The defending champions needed a clear 3–0 or 3-1 win to bring the match into a Golden Set as they suffered a tough loss in the first semi-final (0-3). To the delight of their fans, the did their job right and did not disappoint.

Both teams entered concentrated in the game, playing “a cat-and-mouse” game since the very beginning of the first set. However, after 19-19, VakifBank showed their power and opened at 25-23 with Gabi contributing in this part of the match with seven points. As many as seven kill blocks by VakifBank made the difference in this set, as Fenerbahce did not record a single point from this element.

Inspired by their good performance, the players of Guidetti kept on controlling the game in the next set as well. Excelling on the different Volleyball components (10 to six winning spikes, three to zero kill blocks, four to one aces), they emerged victorious.

The domination on attack was the key factor for VakifBank in the third set, as they finished with 18 to 11 winning spikes. They performed slightly better on the block as well (three to zero), while Fenerbahce could record one more direct point from the serving line.

The Golden Set turned out to be a real nail-biter. None of the teams was giving up, but successful actions on the block after the 12th point helped VakifBank to clinch the victory.

VakifBank’s Kara Bajema was named MVP of the game (13 points, 56% exc.), while Paola Egonu became the top scorer with 21 points (57% exc.). For Fenerbahce, Melissa Vargas scored the most (18 pts, 47% exc.)

“I feel incredible, nobody believed in us, but we did it! We showed that as long as you believe in yourself, you can accomplish everything”, said Gabriela Guimaraes, xaptain of VakifBank Istanbul

“We played against a great team that did not lose a set for the last two months, but we were very well-prepared. Special thanks to my players. I have a team that knows very well how to play such matches. My players were very motivated, organised and passionate. Today, we had a mountain in front of us to climb, but step by step, we climbed that mountain and reached the top of it”, said Giovanni Guidetti head coach of VakifBank Istanbul.

“I am proud of all my teammates. We worked hard and it paid off. I’m so excited for the Big Finale. It will be a very difficult match, but we believe we can win”, said Kara Bajema, MVP of the game and player of VakifBank Istanbul

13/04/2023 0 comments

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Maritza breaks national record with ninth consecutive title in Bulgaria

by Press 12/04/2023

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Maritza PLOVDIV, Bulgaria’s regular participant in the women’s CEV Champions League Volley, broke the all-time record for consecutive championship titles in the southern European country as it claimed its ninth crown in a row on Sunday.

Last year the Yellow-and-Blues from Europe’s oldest living city tied previous record holder Levski-Spartak SOFIA, who earned eight titles in a row in the 1970s, but now they added another one to top it off.

In the best-of-three championship series of the national volleyball league Demax+, Maritza was up against CSKA SOFIA, the team that put a stop to its dream run of 145 league victories in a row, which started in November 2015 and ended in January 2023.

This time, Maritza left no room for any surprises and got back at the Reds from the capital with two emphatic shutouts, 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-15) on Thursday in Plovdiv and 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-13) on Sunday in Sofia. Bulgaria’s rising star, 17-year-old opposite Iva Dudova, was the best scorer of both matches with 14 and 18 points, respectively.

Captain and libero Ivelina Monova celebrates with her teammates (photo: Kostadin Andonov, startphoto.bg)

After the final, the team’s captain and libero, 37-year-old former Bulgarian international Ivelina Monova announced the end of her career as an athlete:

“The emotion was incredible, just like with every trophy! We played well together as a team and the results show it. It was my last match. It is difficult to say goodbye to something that is part of your life and of your heart. Maritza is like family, like home to me and I will stay with the club in a different function. A big ‘thank you’ to everyone in the club and ‘well-done’ to my young teammates, for whom the best is still to come.”

“This title was sweeter than last year’s because we were with a much younger squad,” said 28-year-old head coach Borislav Krachanov, who has been at the helm of Maritza since 2021. “The difficulties we went through gave us more strength to reach the title. All the opponents were giving their best against us, and it helped us grow. We showed that this title was well deserved.”

The bronze medals went to KAZANLAK Volley.

12/04/2023 0 comments

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CEV President hosts signing ceremony of organising agreement ahead of #EuroVolleyU17W in Hungary and Serbia

by Press 12/04/2023

written by Press

The office of the CEV President in Belgrade hosted on Thursday a ceremonial signing ceremony of the agreement overseeing the co-organisation of this year’s #EuroVolleyU17W involving the European Volleyball Confederation on one side and the National Federations of Hungary and Serbia, on the other. The agreement was signed by the CEV President Aleksandar Boričić, who is also an Honorary President of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia, and the Presidents of the National Federations of Hungary and Serbia, Dr Ferenc Kersch and Mr Đula Mešter.

Attending this ceremony were also the Member of the Hungarian Federation Board of Administration, Mr Ádám Baran, the Secretary General of the Hungarian Federation, Mr Zsolt Ludvig, and the Secretary General of the Serbian Federation, Mr Ivan Knežević.

The fourth edition of the CEV U17 Volleyball European Championship Women will be played in Békéscsaba and Vrnjačka Banja from 11 to 23 July, with the semi-finals and medal matches due to take place in Vrnjačka Banja on July 22-23. For the first time, the event will feature as many as 16 participating teams.

In the conversation with the representatives of the two Federations, the CEV President emphasised that such age-group events are of utmost importance to grow the future stars and next generations of Volleyball enthusiasts and fans through the promotion of this sport to the younger generations and in new territories, thus enabling youngsters to live and grow with the game.

The Presidents of the two Federations portrayed their current fruitful cooperation that has been raised to a new level after a previously signed cooperation agreement.

12/04/2023 0 comments