This is Blair Lambert’s VolleyballMag.com weekly men’s professional volleyball report, featuring Americans around the world. Got a note about a player or a comment for Blair? Email him at blairlambert2@gmail.com
In this report, we have the CEV Champions League, CEV Cup, CEV Challenge Cup, and a review of the happenings around the world.
CEV Champions League
It’s halfway through the tournament and Pool B is as tight as possible after each team has played each other once. Micah Ma’a and Halkbank Ankara are in second place but needed five sets to defeat Hebar Pazardzhik. Ma’ set the team to a .427 hitting percentage in addition to scoring on two blocks and a match-high four ace.
The Berlin Recycling Volleys pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament thus far with a 25-21, 20-25, 29-27, 27-25 win over Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie of Poland. Cody Kessel was used as a substitute in each set but the first but did not score a point for Berlin, which was led by Marek Sotola’s 23 points. Uros Kovacevic of Zaweiercie led the match with 26 points.
Ankara and Berlin both have five points after three matches and both have the same record and sets ratio, though Ankara holds a better points ratio by .0077 or three points. Zawiercie sits at the top of the pool with six points and Hebar has earned two points after three losses.
Lube Civitanova needed four sets to defeat Knack Roeselare of Belgium. Aleksandar Nokolove started the first three sets and had 12 kills, hitting .588. Gabi Garcia was used as a serving substitute in the second and third sets, scoring on two aces. Lube sits in first place in Pool C with a 3-0 record and eight points.
ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle, still without Dave Smith, dropped a four-set decision to Trentino in a rematch of the last two Champions League finals. Erik Shoji passed 62 percent positively and 15 percent perfectly. Alessandro Michieletto of Trentino and Łukasz Kaczmarek of ZAKSA both scored 21 points. The victory puts Trentino on top of Pool C with a 3-0 record and nine points. ZAKSA fell to second place in the group with a 2-1 record and six points.
CEV Cup
SVG Lüneburg jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Lycurcus and hung on to win 25-15, 25-16. 18-25, 21-25, 15-12 in a match in which no stats were published.
Dan McDonnell and Arkas Spor ran into a brick wall when they faced Valsa Group Modena last week. McDonnell had three kills, two blocks, and one ace. Earvin N’Gapeth had just six point sand…
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