In the first set, the two sides exchanged the lead on several occasion, even a two or three-point lead of one of the teams was easily reached by the other one. At 23-22 for Lube, Skra clinched two points in a row to earn their first set ball but converted only the third – 27-25.
Lube missed a huge opportunity to tie the match in the second set as they dropped a three-point lead in the finish (20-17). Lube had one more chance at 23-21, but they did not take advantage of it as well. Skra made a 3-0 run and got the first set ball. The hosts needed three more set balls to close the second set – 28-26.
Lube players made up for all the opportunities they missed in the first two sets by running over Skra in the third. It was a complete dominance of the visitors, practically from the start – 25-13.
Lube created a huge gap compared to Skra in the early stages of the fourth set (8-4) which gave them the confidence to keep the pace until the finish (17-10). By winning three straight points at 19-24, Skra scared visiting players but it was too late for a comeback 22-25.
The Italian titleholders took initiative at the very beginning of the tie-break (6-4). When Bartosz Bednorz committed an error on the net at 11-9, it was clear that Lube will make a complete turnaround, which ultimately happened at 14-10 thanks to a kill block from Davide Candellaro – 15-10.
The Bulgarian opposite Tsvetan Sokolov topped Lube with 27 points (3 aces, 2 kill blocks). Mariusz Wlazły scored 19 points for Skra.
To see complete results, stats, and standings, visit our CEV Volleyball Champions League 2017/2018 / Male / Seniors page.
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1 comment
Its funny. Lube played well the 1st two sets but the Pols played above themselves and inspired. Once Lube gained a little separation , reality set in and they controlled the match. Fantastic match from Christenson and Sokolov.