BELGOROD SHOWS NO MERCY IN RUSSIAN CLASH

Indesit European Champions League 2004/05 Playoffs

Luxembourg, February 9, 2005. Following the home victory of French TOURS VB on Tuesday night over Copra Volley PIACENZA from Italy (3:1), the remaining home matches in the first playoff round of the Men’s Indesit European Champions League 2004/05 were concluded today with Lokomotiv BELGOROD (RUS), Noliko MAASEIK (BEL), PARIS Volley (FRA), Sisley TREVISO (ITA), and VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (GER) leaving the court as winners. Italian Sant’Orsola Asystel NOVARA booked a five-set away victory over Hotel Cantur LAS PALMAS (ESP) in the only playoff round of the women’s competition, as the other two matches are taking place on Thursday night. 

The match of the leading two Russian teams caused a huge interest amongst the volleyball fans with the supporters from Lokomotiv BELGOROD arriving in Moscow on several buses. However, in the sold-out arena the home team Dinamo started off better (4-0, 5-3, 8-6, 10-8) before Serguei Baranov (Lokomotiv BELGOROD) brought his team in front with numerous aces (10-13). Sergey Tetyukhin continued the guest team’s streak of aces, widening the gap to 11-18. At the end of the first set BELGOROD managed to retain a five-point advantage (20-25). Leading the set again (8-5, 12-9) Dinamo MOSCOW couldn’t pull away decisively so that Lokomotiv managed to equal the score (13-13, 15-15, 18-18). It was a nervous game with both teams waiting for their opponent’s mistakes. After a time-out on both sides the defending champion won the deciding last points, taking an important 2:0 lead (23-25). During the third set Lokomotiv took control (5-8) with Argentinean internationals Alejandro Raul Spajic and libero Pablo Miguel Meana performing rather well. On the other side French Dominique Daquin didn’t seem to get into the game even though BELGOROD were not too strong on blocking today. Constantly leading by one or two points, the guests finished the third set in their favour (21-25), taking home a straight set victory. Hence, the possibilities for Dinamo for qualifying to the next playoff stage are rather doubtful. After the match the head coach of Lokomotiv, Gennady Shipulin, showed his happiness, stating that in Belgorod his team would show a performance no worse than tonight.

The winner of the Russian clash, who will be decided after the away match in BELGOROD next week, will meet the winner of the Austrian-Italian clash Aon hotVolley VIENNA versus Sisley TREVISO. The Italians, who can boast a total of ten European Cup medals, beat VIENNA at their Austrian home base Budocenter 3:1 with the hosts only managing to keep up during the second set. Lining up one Olympic champion as well as five silver medallists of Athens 2004, TREVISO lost the second set to the challengers from VIENNA (23-25) and trailed behind 9-12, respectively 14-17 in the fourth set. Nevertheless, experience and a strong fighting spirit turned the table in favour of the guest team, managing to catch up to secure a 3:1 victory in the fourth set. “We honestly didn’t play well except for in the second set”, admitted hotVolleys manager and coach Peter Kleinmann, “Showing too much respect the pressure was too high for my team, after all we played against Sisley TREVISO. However, I’m not disappointed as there are numerous other teams who have lost against Sisley by the same score.”

Another straight set away victory followed not long after when Belgian Noliko MAASEIK overthrew host JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel in Katowice, Poland in presence of nearly 7’000 spectators. Leading all the way (12-14, 13-16, 17-19) the Belgian guests booked the first set in just over 20 minutes of play (21-25). Thanks to Brazilian Bruno Augusto Furtado’s strong attacking play at the beginning of the second set as well as subsequent successful blocks, Noliko MAASEIK managed to take a 12-6 lead. Even though the home team pulled themselves together, managing to catch up to a one-point difference, the second set finally went to the guest team (21-25). JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel had to react in the third set in order to stand another chance of winning, but trailing behind 2-5 and 9-16 they had to accept Noliko’s superiority, finally booking a three set defeat. The Poles will have to take revenge in Belgian Bree in order to stand a chance of qualifying to the second playoff round, where the winner will meet either VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (GER) or Panathinaikos ATHENS (GRE).

German VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN managed to beat Panathinaikos ATHENS (GRE) at home 3:1, so that the Greeks still have their chances at home in Athens next week. Although Panathinaikos ATHENS, coached by Panagiotis Lakasas, tried everything possible, the Germans dictated the game from the start of the first set. Thanks to Dawid Murek, who scored three points in a row, ATHENS equalised to 22-22. In turn, the home squad answered with a strong finish and two points by opposite player Jochen Schöps, finally winning the first set 27-25.
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN continued successfully with “Bobby” Jalowietzki finishing the set 25-20. Three aces in a row (8-6 to 11-6) by Joao Jose, captain of the Portuguese national team, were not enough to book the third set, so that the Greeks profited, catching up on sets (2:1).
Pushed by Bogdan Jalowietzki, who came at the end of the third set for Georg Wiebel, the team from FRIEDRICHSHAFEN played powerful, pressuring the Greeks to commit several mistakes. After two hours, the German home squad were happy to have won 3:1 with Jochen Schöps scoring the most points (20 points). Head coach Stelian Moculescu complimented his team: “It was a very strong match, as we had expected. Although some of my players were ill, they played very well.”

PARIS Volley from France won their away match which was held in Berlin, Germany 3:1. Even though SCC BERLIN took the first set 25-22 and was leading 17-12 in the second, the French reacted successfully, catching up to 18-18 to finally win the second set 25-21. After a 16-16 draw, the French guests finished the third set 25-22 to their advantage, taking a 2:1 lead. The Berliners fought back, taking an important 17-12 lead, however, in repetition of the second set the Germans allowed the Parisians equalise (18-18) and finally snatch the set (22-25). Following PARIS’ home match next Wednesday, the final winner of this encounter will be meeting either French TOURS VB or Copra Volley PIACENZA (ITA) in the next playoff round of six teams.

On Tuesday, TOURS VB from France beat Italian Copra Volley PIACENZA 3:1 at home. Losing the first set 21-25, French TOURS VB took hold of the next two sets with the same score (25-21, 25-21) before a tight fourth set brought the final decision (25-22).

In the only women’s playoff match tonight, Italian favourite Sant’Orsola Asystel NOVARA struggled through five sets to finally reap victory over Spanish Hotel Cantur LAS PALMAS who finished third in their precedent League Round pool. Therefore, everything remains open when the two teams meet again next week in order to decide the opponent of RC CANNES (FRA)/Azerrail BAKU (AZE) who will be playing their first match this Thursday night.

The away matches of the men’s first playoff round as well as for the women’s playoff round are scheduled for Tuesday, 15th and Wednesday, 16th February 2005.

 

Men’s Indesit European Champions League 2004/05, First Playoff Round, Home matches
Tuesday, 8th February 2005

 

TOURS VB (FRA) - Copra Volley PIACENZA (ITA)

3:1

21-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-22

98 mins

 
Wednesday, 9th February 2005

JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel (POL) - Noliko MAASEIK (BEL)	0:3	21-25, 21-25, 19-25	76 mins
SCC BERLIN (GER) - PARIS Volley (FRA)	1:3	25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 22-25	98 mins
Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS) - Lokomotiv BELGOROD (RUS)	0:3	20-25, 23-25, 21-25	73 mins
VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (GER) - Panathinaikos ATHENS (GRE)	3:1	27-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-20	115 mins
Aon hotVolleys VIENNA (AUT) - Sisley TREVISO (ITA)	1:3	16-25, 25-23, 17-25, 20-25	88 mins

Women’s Indesit European Champions League 2004/05, Playoff Round, Home matches
Wednesday, 9th February 2005

Hotel Cantur LAS PALMAS (ESP) - Sant’Orsola Asystel NOVARA (ITA)

2:3

10-25, 27-25, 22-25, 25-23, 12-15

91 mins

Thursday, 10th February 2005 (local time)

20.30	Foppapedretti BERGAMO (ITA) - Besiktas ISTANBUL (TUR)
20.30	RC CANNES (FRA) - Azerrail BAKU (FRA)

More on the web at www.cev.lu

Enjoy & Be There:

15-17 February 2005: Indesit European Champions League, Playoffs Women & Men, Away matches.
01-03 March 2005: Indesit European Champions League, Playoffs Men, Home matches.
05-06 March 2005: CEV Cup, Final Four Men, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
05-06 March 2005: CEV Cup, Final Four Women, Perugia, Italy.
08-10 March 2005: Indesit European Champions League, Playoffs Men, Home matches.
11-12 March 2005: Austrian Airlines Top Teams Cup, Final Four Men, Piraeus, Greece.
12-13 March 2005: Top Teams Cup, Final Four Women.
19-20 March 2005: Indesit European Champions League, Final Four Women, Tenerife, Spain.
26-27 March 2005: Indesit European Champions League, Final Four Men, Thessaloniki, Greece.
29 March-03 April 2005: Youth European Championships 2005, Boys Final Round, Riga, Latvia.
29 March-03 April 2005: Youth European Championships 2005, Girls Final Round, Tallinn, Estonia. 

23-24 July 2005: European League, Final Four, Kazan, Russia.
26-31 July 2005: FIVB Grand Prix Qualification, Baku, Azerbaijan.
02-11 September 2005: Men’s Senior European Championships 2005, Rome, Italy and Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro.
6-25 September 2005: Women’s Senior European Championships 2005, Zagreb, Croatia.