Imperious debut for Ocisa HARO Rioja in #CEVChallengeCupW

Spain’s Ocisa HARO Rioja enjoyed a brilliant start to their journey in the women’s CEV Challenge Cup, claiming a convincing 3-0 victory (25-14, 25-12, 25-12) over Buducnost PODGORICA of Montenegro in front of nearly 700 fans who packed the renovated El Ferial Fronton. The “Blues” showed both power and poise in their much-anticipated return to European competition.

The match began evenly, with HARO determined to set the pace and Buducnost responding well through the attacks of Diana Balai and Dusanka Petrovic. But soon, Mariangel Victoria Vivas stepped up, firing from both the service line and the attack to give her team the first clear lead (8-4). Solid work at the net, led by Natalia Martins, combined with several unforced errors from the Montenegrin side, widened the gap to 10-5. Although Luka Bogojevic’s team tried to react, Fernanda Gritzbach shut them down with a strong block (14-8). Backed by their home crowd, HARO kept their rhythm going thanks to sharp serves from Florencia Giglio and the relentless energy of Vivas (18-11). The Riojan side dominated with outstanding defence and an impenetrable block. A powerful spike from Giglio and a smart tip from Martins, who had just come in for Ainara Burgo, paved the way for the first set win. Another block sealed the deal at 25-14.

The second set was one-sided. Gritzbach took command both in attack and at the net, leaving Buducnost with no answers (9-1). HARO maintained their momentum, with solid defence and precise finishing from Martins helping them extend their advantage (16-6). With the scoreboard reading 20-9, Giglio’s points did the rest. Martins broke through the block for 24-12, and Giglio’s thunderous spike closed the set (25-12).

Buducnost tried to fight back in the third set, jumping ahead (2-5) and forcing home coach Maria Esther López to call a timeout. The adjustment paid off – HARO regained composure, and after an exchange of blows, Vivas struck again to level the score (8-8). From there, the hosts accelerated, pulling away to 11-8 and prompting another Montenegrin timeout. There was no stopping HARO at this stage. Their teamwork in defence and superb blocking left Buducnost unable to close the gap (17-10). In the final stretch, Sara Folgueira’s points brought the victory within reach (23-12), before a Buducnost error and a final spike from Aurora Tur sealed the triumph (25-12) and a perfect 3-0 debut.

A dream night for Ocisa HARO Rioja, who not only began their European journey in style but also thrilled their fans with a flawless performance at El Ferial. This way, the Spaniards will ‘only’ need to take two sets from next week’s re-match in the Montenegrin capital to advance to the 16th Finals.