SVG celebrate clear #CEVCupM victory against POITIERS
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That was an exclamation mark: just four days after their DVV Cup triumph against VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, SVG LÜNEBURG was once again fully focused on success. The LüneHünen won the first leg of the CEV Cup quarter-final against Alterna SPVB POITIERS 3-1 (25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 25-14), thereby providing another highlight on the European stage.
The runners-up from the last edition of the Bundesliga had their French counterparts almost completely under control in front of 2,676 spectators at the LKH Arena. “An absolutely energetic performance against a good, strong opponent,” said SVG head coach Stefan Hübner after 111 minutes of play. At the start of the match, there was a minute’s silence observed to pay tribute to former CEV President Aleksandar Boričić who had passed away earlier on Wednesday in Belgrade.
SVG puts pressure on early
Hübner’s team got off to a good start (4-1, 6-4). The visitors increased the pressure and closed the gap (8-7, 11-10, 14-13), but the LüneHünen repeatedly found the right means to prevent an equaliser – such as diagonal attacker Axel Enlund, who was in top form, scoring his fifth point at 15-13 and finishing the set with a strong 73% attack rate (eight out of 11). More highlights followed: Daniel Gruvaeus thrilled the fans with a powerful attack against a triple block (16-14), Jackson Howe slammed the ball down from a great height (17-14) and added an ace shortly afterwards. The home side built up a five-point lead. But the clear advantage (24-20) shrank in crunch time – after an attack by former LüneHüne player Pearson Eshenko, POITIERS was back in the game (24-23). However, Gruvaeus converted the fourth set point with an attack.
In the second set, a block by SVG setter Santeri Välimaa (3-1) had the fans on their feet early on, but the match turned into an intense battle. At 6-7, POITIERS took its first lead of the match, but it was short-lived. Shortly afterwards, Howe finished with force again after a really good pass (13-10). A lost challenge led to an emotional discussion between guest coach Daniel Lewis and the referees. SVG remained unimpressed, even when they lost their lead (18-18, 21-21). In an exciting phase for both teams, the LüneHünen showed more consistency: a strong serve from substitute Axel Larsen, followed by a hammer block from Howe (23-21), paved the way. Kevin Kobrine hit the net in front of Enlund – 25-22, which meant a second set win for the home team.
The intensity of the game continued into the third set. In a close exchange, both teams battled it out towards crunch time (4-4, 15-15, 17-17). Then the SVG came under pressure, with Dusan Nikolic’s ace having an effect (17-19). Eshenko, who was in good form, extended the lead, while SVG only managed to interrupt the visitors’ seven-point run by winning one point. It was only a service error by substitute Christopher Byam that gave the visitors a decisive lead, and Ethan Champlin's attack into the net (22-25) sealed the set for POITIERS.
LüneHünen dominate the fourth set
SVG got off to a strong start in the fourth set. “It was somewhat reminiscent of the fifth set in Mannheim,” said Stefan Hübner, drawing a parallel with the cup final. SVG put in a strong performance in all areas. Strong attacks, an ace from Gruvaeus and almost casual attacks from Champlin gave them a seven-point lead (12-5), as did a challenge win. The fans were already back in a celebratory mood – and rightly so, as they continued to see strong scenes such as the double block by Välimaa and Young (13-6). The lead continued to grow (17-8) – to Peter Schilling’s ‘Major Tom’, the fans now felt that they and their team were truly floating weightlessly in the volleyball spaceship. Visiting coach Lewis tried his luck with challenges, but although he used up his quota during the game, he received no positive feedback from challenge referee Lemonia Moula. SVG pushed ahead determinedly: Champlin scored with a powerful block-out (21-11), Välimaa contributed an attack point, and Enlund further extended his strong quota – 24-13. A service error by Simon Gill (25-14) finally allowed the fans to cheer and celebrate a well-deserved SVG victory.
Axel Enlund was named MVP. The Swede was also the top scorer with 22 points, achieving a strong success rate with 20 points from 35 attacks (57%). Gruvaeus (52%) and Howe (50%) also achieved impressive rates with double-digit scores. The visitors’ top scorer was Thomas Pujol (20), who repeatedly challenged the home side’s defence with powerful attacks.
Axel Enlund“We had a lot of confidence from the cup final. We wanted to maintain that and play with confidence. POITIERS had a tough time today, we played well. We hope we can keep this momentum going and take it into the playoffs. We are happy. We want to continue our European journey, we have to prove that in every game – and we did that today.”
MVP and player of SVG
Stefan Hübner“After the highlight of the weekend, we did not know ourselves before the game in the dressing room how it would feel and where we stood, but we accepted that feeling and made it clear that it was a good opportunity to get into an interesting starting position. That worked out brilliantly.”
Head coach of SVG
Pearson Eshenko, player of Alterna SPVB POITIERS and former LüneHüne: “We definitely did not play our best game, which is frustrating. But we take our hats off to SVG, who were much smarter than us in tight situations. It was just hard to stop them, whether they were ‘in system’ or not. Now we are licking our wounds and we know it is not over yet. We will come back stronger next week. But I really enjoyed playing in this hall again. I truly believe it is the best hall for Volleyball in Europe! It was great to see the fans’ beaming faces. It was not the result I wanted – but it was still great to be back here! Next week will surely be similar, but then in our favour.”