Volleyball
Zenit SAINT PETERSBURG make #CEVCupM semis for second straight year
Archive
Article Wed, Dec 16 2020
Luxembourg, December 16, 2020. Zenit SAINT PETERSBURG of Russia lived up to their status to claim a spot in the semis of the men’s CEV Volleyball Cup 2021 following a comprehensive 3-0 victory over VK Dukla LIBEREC of the Czech Republic in a quarterfinal match played in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria.
The Czechs, winners in straight sets against Stroitel MINSK the day before, played a very good match too and set the pace for most of the third set but Zenit fought back to seal a 3-0 victory (26-24, 25-14, 25-22) and make it to the semis of the CEV Cup for the second year in a row. Last year, Zenit made it among the top four of the competition as well but the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic resulted in the cancellation of all subsequent European Cups matches. Victor Poletaev and Egor Kliuka, the star players of Zenit, top scored with 15 and 10 points, respectively, as Jan Stokr registered 10 for LIBEREC in their losing effort.
Over to the Russian capital, C.S.M. Arcada GALATI and Amysoft Lycurgus GRONINGEN opened the programme of the ‘bubble’ in Moscow, playing before a limited number of spectators – 500 – due to the restrictions in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The team from Romania claimed a 2-0 lead (25-19, 26-24) but Lycurgus fought their way back to draw level after 25-20 and 25-21 wins in the third and fourth sets, respectively. However, GALATI regrouped in time to secure a 15-10 win in the tiebreak. The opposite hitter of Lycurgus, Jerome Cross, top scored in the match with 31 points, as Dutchman Niels Klapwijk registered 28 for GALATI.
Sergiu Stancu, head coach of C.S.M. Arcada GALATI: “We knew that all games in the European Cups are very difficult. Moreover, we knew that Lycurgus has much international experience. We won two sets, but then the opponent fought back. The most important thing is the final score and our victory. Making it to the quarterfinals is the best result for Arcada in the European Cups and we are very proud of it.”
Arjan Taaij, head coach of Lycurgus: “Of course, we are disappointed with this result, but we should be honest. We did not play for two and a half months. It was the first competitive game for a long time. Slowly but surely, set by set we will be able to show more quality on the court and this match will be a good step forward for the future for our team.”
The next opponent of GALATI in the competition will be hosts Dinamo MOSCOW. The Muscovites beat OK Vojvodina Seme NOVI SAD of Serbia 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 27-25), cancelling a set point for the visitors in the third set. Dinamo’s opposite Tsvetan Sokolov and middle blocker Ilia Vlasov became the top scorers of the game with 15 points apiece. Dinamo’s outside hitters Anton Semyshev and Yaroslav Podlesnykh delivered a very solid performance as well, registering 10 and 9 points, respectively.
Konstantin Brianskii, head coach of Dinamo: “We used one of the main skills of our team – a powerful and consistent service. Moreover, our block was very good as well, especially knowing that the opponent team often attacked high balls. In spite of all this, Vojvodina sometimes caused problems for us, so we should play with more focus and attention.”
Sinisa Gavrancic, head coach of Vojvodina: “Everything was okay and we are satisfied with our performance. The players of Dinamo served very well and this made the difference in this match. We congratulate Dinamo and wish them good luck for the remainder of the CEV Cup.”
Click here for further information.
The Czechs, winners in straight sets against Stroitel MINSK the day before, played a very good match too and set the pace for most of the third set but Zenit fought back to seal a 3-0 victory (26-24, 25-14, 25-22) and make it to the semis of the CEV Cup for the second year in a row. Last year, Zenit made it among the top four of the competition as well but the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic resulted in the cancellation of all subsequent European Cups matches. Victor Poletaev and Egor Kliuka, the star players of Zenit, top scored with 15 and 10 points, respectively, as Jan Stokr registered 10 for LIBEREC in their losing effort.
Over to the Russian capital, C.S.M. Arcada GALATI and Amysoft Lycurgus GRONINGEN opened the programme of the ‘bubble’ in Moscow, playing before a limited number of spectators – 500 – due to the restrictions in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The team from Romania claimed a 2-0 lead (25-19, 26-24) but Lycurgus fought their way back to draw level after 25-20 and 25-21 wins in the third and fourth sets, respectively. However, GALATI regrouped in time to secure a 15-10 win in the tiebreak. The opposite hitter of Lycurgus, Jerome Cross, top scored in the match with 31 points, as Dutchman Niels Klapwijk registered 28 for GALATI.
Sergiu Stancu, head coach of C.S.M. Arcada GALATI: “We knew that all games in the European Cups are very difficult. Moreover, we knew that Lycurgus has much international experience. We won two sets, but then the opponent fought back. The most important thing is the final score and our victory. Making it to the quarterfinals is the best result for Arcada in the European Cups and we are very proud of it.”
Arjan Taaij, head coach of Lycurgus: “Of course, we are disappointed with this result, but we should be honest. We did not play for two and a half months. It was the first competitive game for a long time. Slowly but surely, set by set we will be able to show more quality on the court and this match will be a good step forward for the future for our team.”
The next opponent of GALATI in the competition will be hosts Dinamo MOSCOW. The Muscovites beat OK Vojvodina Seme NOVI SAD of Serbia 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 27-25), cancelling a set point for the visitors in the third set. Dinamo’s opposite Tsvetan Sokolov and middle blocker Ilia Vlasov became the top scorers of the game with 15 points apiece. Dinamo’s outside hitters Anton Semyshev and Yaroslav Podlesnykh delivered a very solid performance as well, registering 10 and 9 points, respectively.
Konstantin Brianskii, head coach of Dinamo: “We used one of the main skills of our team – a powerful and consistent service. Moreover, our block was very good as well, especially knowing that the opponent team often attacked high balls. In spite of all this, Vojvodina sometimes caused problems for us, so we should play with more focus and attention.”
Sinisa Gavrancic, head coach of Vojvodina: “Everything was okay and we are satisfied with our performance. The players of Dinamo served very well and this made the difference in this match. We congratulate Dinamo and wish them good luck for the remainder of the CEV Cup.”
Click here for further information.