TOURS VB to fight Vero Volley Monza for the #CEVCupM trophy

The team of Tours VB will enter the big fight for the trophy at CEV Volleyball Cup 2022, after beating at 3-1 the Polish PGE Skra BELCHATOW in the second semi-final match between both sides. The Polish had won the home match at 3-2, but this turned out not to be enough to proceed ahead. 

To reach the ultimate goal and bring home the Cup, Tours VB will have to overcome the Italians of Vero Volley Monza. The home match from the final phase between both teams will take place on March 16, while the away one is scheduled for March 23.

However, the road to reaching this phase was not an easy one, as on Wednesday, TOURS VB stamped their ticket to the finals after a hard-fought match against PGE Skra Belchatow, emphasized by the fact that the French Olympic champion Tillie wasn't playing because he was ill.

The fixture lasted more than two hours, as both teams delivered high-class Volleyball, but in the end, the hosts were more precise in the deciding moments. Counting on great motivation and top scorer Geraldo Graciano Da Silva Filho (25pts.), TOURS seized all their important balls.

Overall, the teams delivered a rather equal performance on the different components - Skra were slightly better on attack (54 to 52 winning spikes), but let more own errors (30 to 21) affect the final score. On the blocking, both the hosts and the guests scored seven each, while on the serving line, Tours aced six times (compared to four by Skra).

- Skra started better, taking a 4-1 lead, but the hosts from Tours could quickly get back on track (7-7) thanks to some good work on the serving line (two aces by Tours’ middle blocker Leandro Nascimento Dos Santos). The French could even take a lead at 11-8, but the guests took a time out. It worked for a while as they got closer (11-12), but Tours managed to take control of the action again, and with 13 winning spikes (to 11 by Skra), emerged victorious. The Polish team struggled with their own errors as well, leaving the hosts the opportunity to record more points from this element (nine to six errors).

- It was a close call in the second set as well, as none of the teams were giving their opponents the chance to build a comfortable point-difference. To the delight of the fans in Robert  Grenon sports hall, both Tours VB and PGE Skra BELCHATOW fought for each ball, delivering spectacular rallies. Geraldo Graciano Da Silva Filho together with Leandro shined in the deciding moments, with Leandro recording an ace for the set point.  

- Skra got back on track and brought back the intrigue in the match, after taking the third set. They were able to find their rhythm on attack, and finishing with as many as 15 winning spikes in this part, their hopes for a real comeback were kept alive. However, Tours VB showed great will in the fourth set, and even though they were behind in the score (5-9), they are able to put pressure on the other side of the net (15-16). It resulted in Skra making more errors (five to two), so eventually Tours emerged victorious from the match and booked their ticket to the Final.

- Geraldo Graciano Da Silva Filho topped the charts with 25 points (with 8 points to his name in the first set) and was the MVP of the match; while for the Polish, Dick Kooy was the best, recording 15 points.