ACH Volley claims 20th national league title to extend domestic supremacy

ACH Volley LJUBLJANA secured their 20th Slovenian national league title with a third consecutive victory over Calcit Volley KAMNIK in the final series of the Sportklub Volleyball League. 

The third match of the Sportklub Slovenian Volleyball League finals between ACH Volley and Calcit Volley at Tivoli Hall was filled with drama, and in the end, after five sets of intense battle, ACH Volley celebrated a 3-2 win (30-28, 24-26, 25-20, 22-25, 15-12). The team from Slovenia’s capital city became national champions for the third consecutive time, and they have now won a total of 20 national championship titles. Since the 2004/2005 season, they have been unbeatable except for the 2020/2021 edition when they were surprisingly defeated in the finals by OK Merkur MARIBOR. 

Although Calcit Volley started the season on a high note, triumphing in the 2023/2024 MEVZA League and securing a series of championship wins as well as the Slovenian Cup title, their form began to decline towards the end of the season. On the other hand, ACH Volley, which ended their CEV Champions League Volley 2024 campaign without a win, lost a semifinal match of the Slovenian Cup and experienced many struggles in the Slovenian Championship. They eventually regrouped and succeeded in retaining their title with a ‘shock therapy’ after bringing Matjaž Hafner to their bench.

The final series has surprisingly concluded after three rounds only, and most of the credit for it goes to outstanding performances of the Slovenian national team member Jani Kovačič, along with former national team players Jan Pokeršnik and Alen Šket, who was selected and awarded as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the finals.

The bronze medals ended in the hands of OK i-Vent MARIBOR, which defeated Panvita Pomgrad MURSKA SOBOTA 2-1 in the series where the third place in the final standing was at stake.