ACH Volley Ljubljana claimed 3–2 victory over Fenerbahce in the first leg of the CEV Cup quarterfinal at Tivoli Hall in Ljubljana. The Slovenian champions won after a tense five-set battle 25–17, 21–25, 25–16, 23–25, 16–14, gaining a narrow advantage ahead of the return match.
The home side started strongly, controlling the opening set and pulling away late to win 25–17. Fenerbahce responded in the second set, taking advantage of several Ljubljana errors to level the match with a 25–21 win.
ACH Volley regained momentum in the third set, racing to an early 8–1 lead and dominating at the net, particularly through Alen Pajenk, before closing the set comfortably 25–16.
The fourth set was tight throughout, but Fenerbahce held their nerve in the closing points, winning 25–23 to force a deciding fifth set.
The final set delivered high drama. Ljubljana led 11–8, but the Turkish side battled back to tie the score 13–13. After another tie at 14–14, ACH Volley secured the final two points to seal the set 16–14 and take the match.
Tonček Štern led all scorers with 35 points for ACH Volley, while Alen Pajenk added 19. For Fenerbahce, Adis Lagumdzija scored 19 points, with Luka Marttila contributing 14, and Earvin Ngapeth, Halit Kurtulus and Barthelemy Chinenyeze adding 11 each.
ACH Volley coach Igor Kolaković admitted his team had some ups and downs but welcomed the win.
“We had moments of excellent volleyball, especially in the first and third sets, but also some drops in our level. Still, a win is a win,” he said.
The second leg will be played on March 12 in Istanbul, where the winner will secure a place in the CEV Cup semifinals.
