Jastrzebski leave no chances to Montpellier; Nimir with 28pts. lead Halkbank to a win over BR Volleys
Recap
A busy #CLVolleyW night highlighted the Tuesday on the European Volleyball stage. In Pool A, Jastrzebski Wegiel left no chances to the French rookies of Montpellier HSC VB, and recorded yet another win in this year’s campaign (fourth in as many games).
In Pool B, Halkbank Ankara prevailed over BR Volleys as guests, with Nimir Abdel-Aziz stealing the show with 28 points to his name.
Jastrzebski Wegiel 3-0 Montpellier HSC VB
A very balanced performance by the two teams highlighted the beginning of the match. Both JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel and MONTPELLIER HSC VB were performing well, chasing each other in the score (9-9, 11-11). However, the hosts could seize their chances and started leading at 17-14 to eventually emerge victorious. Rafał Szymura, the receiver from the bench of Jastrzębski Węgiel, appeared on the court only in one action, serving an ace that ended the set.The French attack worked better in this first set (15 to 12 winning spikes) but more error affected the score - nine to three. The Polish, on the other hand, did better on the blocking - three to one. Benjamin Toniutti appeared on the court on a double change, therefore returning to the field after the break he had to take because of an ankle sprain.
The guests from Montpellier HSC VB lost a golden opportunity in the second set to tie the score. Afte a cat-and-mouse game (3-4, 12-12), the players around head coach Olivier Lecat took the leadership at 21-17. However, with good performance on the serve by Jakub Macyra, Jastrzebski were able to turn the tables and prevailed after nail-biting last minutes of the set. Again, the mistakes by the French played a role in the set score - 13 to five by the Poles. They finished with 57 % efficiency in attacking (compared to 39% by the hosts).
The two teams went head-to-head in the third set (3-3, 10-11, 14-14). However, the hosts could find their way to the victory, and with three kill blocks in this set made the difference, claiming the win.
Setter Eemi Tervaportti was chosen for MVP of the game.
The Olympic champions Benjamin Toniutti, Stephen Boyer and Trevor Clevenot also received attention, as journalists from the largest newspaper in this France - L'Équipe, attended Tuesday's match, preparing, among others, materials about the three French players.
Benjamin Toniutti“I am really happy about the win. It was important to win 3 points. Every win is an important step towards the direct qualification. Personally, I am happy to come back. It was a big frustration for me to not being able to being with the team. 3 games in a row because of the injury. I hope to get better day by day and to help the team more in the future. I hope France will beat Morrocco 3-0 at the FIFA World Cup in the semi-final.”
Player of Jastrzebski Wegiel
Nicolas Le Goff“We knew that they are better than us. We played like we have nothing to lose. We didn’t play so bad but at the end of every set, they pushed a little bit more, and for us, it wasn’t enough to win. We tried to play as good as we can, but it didn’t work out this evening. They have the players and the experience to know when to push, they did it great tonight, so congrats to them.”
Player of Montpellier HSC VB
Berlin Recycling Volleys 0-3 Halkbank Ankara
The guests from Türkiye started slightly better in the first set, taking the lead at 10-8. They gradually built up a comfortable point difference (18-12) thanks to good serve by Doğukan Ulu and Yiğit Gülmezoglu. Halkbank dominated on all counts in this set, finishing with 15 winning spikes, four aces and two kill blocks.
The second set turned out to be a real Volleyball spectacle. After a close call in the beginning of the set, BR Volleys, led by Marek Sotola, could take the leadership at 17-14. Nothing was over for Halkbank who stepped up their game,but despite their attempts, it looked like that the hosts would come back in the match at 24-21. The players of head coach Atik Taner then showed resilience, but so did the Berlin players. None of the teams was giving up, and the set ended at 35-33 for Halkbank, who finished with 27 winning spikes in this set (to 17).
The set-win was enough for the Turkish to enter motivated in the third set. Although the hosts tried their best, Nimir Abdel-Aziz was unstoppable, and helped his team to seize the much important win.
Overall, Halkbank performed better in attack - 55 to 38 winning spikes; and from the serving line - nine to seven aces. Both teams delivered nine blocks each.
Nimir, with 28 points became best scorer of the game, and was named MVP.