Guaguas seal last #CEVCupM quarterfinal spot

On Wednesday night, CDV Guaguas LAS PALMAS secured their spot in the quarterfinals of the men’s CEV Cup after recording a second 3-0 victory in as many matches with Belgium’s Volley Haasrode LEUVEN. Their next opponent will be Italy’s standout Vero Volley MONZA – who did not leave any chance to Turkey’s SK ANKARA.

After a close start, the hosts scored four times in a row to move the score to 10-5. However, the Belgians did not wave the white flag and fought back until they levelled the score to 20-all. The first set was the turning point of the match as the Spaniards struggled in reception, the score went up to 23-all but in the key moments, Yadrian Escobar Silva rose to the occasion to seal a first-set win (27-25) with a powerful spike for the home team.

Volley Haasrode LEUVEN continued to fight early in the second set as well, scoring five unanswered points before the Spanish coach asked for a timeout. His side responded very well, levelling the score at 5-5 before breaking away to lead 11-7. Even a Belgian timeout could not stop the run of the home side, who increased their advantage to 18-10. Volley Haasrode LEUVEN mounted a late comeback (22-19) but eventually the Spaniards stormed to a 25-21 win – which secured their spot in the next round of the competition.

The third set did not have any real meaning, but the hosts set the pace from start to end (9-5, 16-8, 25-20) even though the Belgian team put up a brave fight.

Alejandro Fernandez Rojas, Guaguas libero: “The truth is that we have been serious from the beginning, we knew that they were going to play their best, to take risks with their serve and they were going to shoot hard, but we knew how to respond to that. In addition, the public has been great as always and as we usually say, ‘nobody wins here’. We have to think about the next tie with the very same mentality and approach.”