Impeccable Trentino get a Big Win, Asseco Resovia does the same
Trentino Itas delivered yet another victory in the 2024 edition of CEV Champions League Volley | Men. In a Leg 4 match, the Italians outplayed their French rivals of Tours VB at 3-0, and with another 3pts. in their pockets, remain unbeaten on the top of Pool B.
Tours, on the other hand, are third with two victories and two losses, right behind the Polish of Asseco Resovia Rzeszów, who earlier this evening seized an important win against ACH Volley Ljubljana, also have two victories out of four matches, but have one more set won so far. The underdogs of ACH Volley Ljubljana are winless, currently standing on the fourth position.
Given the standings in Pool B, tonight’s win of Trentino means a qualification for the next stage of Europe’s top club competition.
The first set set the tone for an exciting match ahead. The two teams entered the court inilT quotidiano Arena Trento highly motivated, playing a game of nerves. In a close call, the hosts of Trento could emerge victorious, doing better on the blocking (four kill blocks in this part).
The good performance on the block and a stable serving helped Trentino in the second set as well, as they got closer to the eventual victory.
Pushing even more on the serve in the third set (four aces to zero), the Italians could congratulate themselves with the win.
Statistically, Tours VB was the better team on attacking (46 to 38 winning spikes). However, the difference was made by the blocking of the Italians (12 to three) and their power from the serving line (seven to one aces).
MVP of the match, Alessandro Michieletto was above all, with an outstanding 22pts. to his name (six kill blocks, one ace, 58% exc. in attack).
For Tours VB, Aboubacar Drame Neto scored 20pts. (49% exc. in attack).
Alessandro Michieletto“Winning in the first was important, because it was a difficult one. We pushed on the serve, and we are happy that we can keep the first place in our group. Tours are a tough opponent and playing against them, is not easy.”
MVP of the game
Kamil Rychlicki"A very important victory against a tough opponent. It was important to win these 3pts. tonight, "to protect" the first place in the group. It was a tough game. They demonstrated once again that they do an incredible job on defence. Every set was really tied, but with the quality of our serve, we managed to win."
Player of Trentino Itas
Fabio Soli"We may not have delivered our beautiful game tonight, but we still managed to get the result we wanted, and that allows us to move forward in the competition. With serve and block, we solved a match that saw us suffer in attack."
Head coach of Trentino Itas
Zeljko Coric“I think Trento deserved this victory. We had opportunities, especially in the first and second set, but our team made too many mistakes. I hope we play better in the future. Although I am not surprised: we know how good Trentino Volley is.”
Player of Tours VB
Marcelo Fronckowiak“Bravo Trentino. I am not satisfied with our performance tonight, but I’m still happy because we fought tooth and nail. Good match, it’s hard to play against one of the best teams in the world. We need to be proud, because we keep growing. We had a hard time at the beginning of the season, but now we are doing better. Bravo Trentino one more time. For us, tonight was a learning experience.”
Head coach of Tours VB
Asseco Resovia RZESZÓW 3-0 ACH Volley LJUBLJANA
One of Asseco’s main players, Torey Defalco, who suffered an injury, entered the court in front of 1 800 inspired fans. Defalco’s teammates could do the job right, taking the leadership role in the first set, and never looking back.
Overall, the Polish team was the better one on all counts, finishing with 38 winning spikes (to 30), meaning a 62% exc. in attack. With seven kill blocks, Asseco were also the better team on the blocking, while their opponents finished with three points from this element. As many as nine aces helped for the victory of the host team (the Slovenians recorded five). The guests from Ljubljana also suffered from their own mistakes, allowing Asseco to record 20 points.
Yacine Louati was chosen for MVP of the game, finishing with 13pts. (79% exc. in attack, one ace, one kill block). His teammate Stephen Boyer added 10pts. for his team’s success (50% exc. in attack, one ace, one kill block).
For ACH Volley Ljubljana, Jaka Sesek recorded the most - 11pts. (64% exc. in attack, two kill blocks).
Yacine Louati"It was easy, but that's what we had to do. We had to focus on every point we played. Until now, we are having many ups and downs. We have to raise the level. We made some bad steps. Today, it was important to win 3-0. We did feel some pressure, but we can't allow any more mistake if we want to continue ahead. Now, we need to go to Tours and Trento, and try to deliver our best."
MVP of the match