Developres Rzeszów too Strong for Mladost in Round 2 of CEV Champions League Group A

After 18 years, a CEV Champions League match was once again played at the Dom odbojke Bojan Stranić Hall. A spectacle, albeit one devoid of any real suspense regarding the outcome—but a spectacle nonetheless! That’s something the Mladost players can proudly claim, having earned their place among Europe’s top clubs through the qualifiers.

The match concluded as expected, with a victory for the favored Polish international team, Developres Rzeszów, who won 3-0 (15, 18, 23) in 77 minutes during the second round of Group A in the CEV Champions League. For the home team, the result was always a secondary concern.

After the first few points in the opening set, when the home team managed to keep the score close, the Poles pulled ahead 6-4, and from that point on, the game started slipping away. Developres played too fast for Mladost’s level of play, and Mladost was unable to counter with strong, aggressive serves—the only real weapon against such top-tier teams.

 Once they received the ball well, the Poles quickly converted points in attack and demonstrated excellent defensive skills. Mladost coach Darko Nojić substituted setter Vrban with Prkačin and brought in Ištuk for Petranović, but these changes had little effect. The first set ended 25-15 in 23 minutes. The home team had no blocks, just one ace serve, 36% serve reception, 9 attack points, and 8 errors—not exactly a formula for better results.

It was clear that the home team was a bit overwhelmed by the occasion, playing a Champions League match in front of a large crowd that passionately cheered them on but also added pressure. However, the Zagreb players gradually overcame their initial nerves, and the second set was much improved.

They played more bravely, matching their performance in the first set of the match against Conegliano, which kept the set balanced until 12-12. But at 12-15, Nojić called a timeout to halt the visitors' momentum, and another at 14-18. He made more changes, bringing in Ištuk for Grabić and Drobac for Freund, but the experienced Polish team stayed firm. The set ended 25-18 after another 23 minutes.

Each set improved, and that’s the goal for Mladost in this Champions League season: to learn, gain experience, and improve with every match and set. The third set was particularly notable as Mladost took a 9-7 lead thanks to an ace from Prkačin and a spike from Koraca, prompting the first timeout from the visiting coach. However, the Poles quickly regained control, leading 14-11. 

Mladost fought back to lead 20-18, forcing a second, slightly panicked timeout from the visiting coach. Nojić called a timeout at 20-20, hoping to secure his team’s first set win. Yet that elusive set win would have to wait, possibly for the home game against Bulgaria’s Maritza Plovdiv. Developres ultimately closed the third set narrowly, 25-23, after 31 minutes of intense play.

The MVP of the match was Brazilian Sabrina De Jesus Machado, representing the Polish side.