In the 11th round of the Volleyball Super League, the last in the first part of the league, we are recording the expected results. Leading Mladost beat Rijeka 3-0 (14, 18, 14) in 65 minutes of the game in the first match of the 11th round on Friday.
Young Mladost volleyball player Gabrijel Cvanciger, who entered the second and played the entire third set for a total of 5 points he earned for his team, said after the match:
“This was our third game of the week, and at the end of the half-season, we finished top-ranked and became autumn champions. The match against Rijeka was demanding, we had to take our opponent seriously and start aggressively from the beginning, as we did. After half of the first set, some of us younger players got a chance, and I think we did a good job and deservedly won.”
Second-placed Mursa Osijek celebrated in Sisak, at the opening of the new hall, against the hosts, winning 3-1 (23-25, 27-25, 25-20, 25-16), in an interesting match that lasted 114 minutes, in which the first two sets were particularly uncertain.
Centrometal beat Zadar 3-0 (13, 21, 14), as well as Split’s Kitro Varaždin. Igor Omrčen played for Split, and then the difference in strength between these two clubs changed significantly, in the end, the guests won 21, 17 and 16 points per set.
Marsonia beat Gorica, last ranked place team away with 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-18, 25-23), and in the previously played match of the 11th round, the volleyball players of Ribola Kaštela with 3-0 (22, 15, 17) defeated Rovinj
After the first part of the Super League, the first is Mladost with 33 points and almost 11-0 score, the second is Mursa Osijek with 30 points and almost 10-1 score, and the third is Ribola Kaštela with 25 points and almost 8-3 score.
Next are Split 21 (7-3), Kitro Varaždin 20 (7-4), Centrometal 19 (7-4), Sisak 12 (5-6), Rijeka 14 (4-7), Rovinj 10 (3-8) and Marsonia 7 (2-8), and at the back are Zadar 4 (1-10) and Gorica without points.
In women’s volleyball, Kaštela beat Enna Vukovar 3-1 (25-19, 25-14, 25-27, 25-19) in their hall in 99 minutes of the game, and after the match, coach Zoran Grgantov said-
“We played a good game, great, especially in the first two sets, which were at a high level. We served very well and in that way created big problems for the visiting team. We were calm at the service reception, played well, and everything went smoothly until the end of the third set when we felt a little nervous in the game. However, we showed character because, after the unfortunate loss of the third set, we played our game again and deservedly won.”
Dijana Karatović, who scored 14 points for the winning team, added briefly-
“Work and effort paid off, we won three new points, but the season is not over yet because we still have junior qualifications for the national championship.”
Karlovac beat Dubrovnik 3-0 (20, 20, 23) at home, and Dinamo with the same result beat 3-0 (24, 23, 19) Split away.
Petra Banjavčić, a volleyball player from Karlovac, said after the match-
“I congratulate my teammates on the victory, team Dubrovnik on a good fight, and now we are going on a well-deserved Christmas vacation with three points in our pocket, which we are very much looking forward to.”
Katarina Drobac from the Dubrovnik team said:
“Unfortunately, we did not do well in some segments of the game and the Karlovac team did better and was better. Now there will be a break in the Super League and I hope we will prepare well for the second part, which will be very hard because we have to ensure survival in the league.”
Also, with 3-0 (22, 25, 22) Brda beat Veli Vrh in Pula. Although all three matches look easy to win in sets, the points show that there was a big fight in each set.
Ivona Ćačić, captain of Veli Vrh, said after the match:
“The goal of this game was to take points and win. The end of the half-season brought us the opportunity to confirm our place in the table, but the Brda team showed a better game in this match and deservedly won. “
Valentina Maretić, captain of Brda, added:
“We knew it was going to be a tough game, and we prepared well for it. We needed these points, congratulations to my teammates on a great fight and the Veli Vrh team on a well resistance. I hope this game will be a breeze behind us. for further matches.”
A dramatic match was played in Rijeka in five sets, in which Osijek defeated the host Rijeka CO with 3:2 (15:25, 18:25, 25:20, 25:20, 15:10), in 111 minutes of play, after which the home team led 2-0 in sets.
And finally, the derby round but also the derby of the entire Super League, the clash between Marina Kaštela and Mladost in GD Kaštela, a match that was also counted in the Central European MEVZA league. Mladost team was more successful and won in 105 minutes of the game with 3:1 (25:16, 19:25, 25:18, 25:21).
After the match, the coach of the home team Marina Kaštela Milorad Krunić said very honestly:
“The first three sets looked the same, whoever leads 5: 2 easily maintains that advantage until the end of the set. The third one broke somewhere up to 18 points and only the third one resembled the real derbies between us and Mladost. We were not at our level today at all, in any element, I would even dare to say that we played better in the MEVZA league with them in Zagreb in early October. To say that we were tired seems like an excuse but this is our eighth week of playing Wednesday-Saturday, which makes no sense. I think Mladost had a better approach and solved some important balls online to their own benefit. Congratulations on the victory, Mladost has clearly put itself in the role of the favorite to win the Super League with this game, and it is up to us to show that we do not agree with that, to work better and try to change something in the second part of the championship. “
After the autumn part of the Super League, Marina Kaštela leads with 30 points and a score of 10-1, and Mladost is second with 29 points and a score of 10-0 because they still have to pay the remaining match against third-placed Enna Vukovar with 22 points and a score of 8-2.
Next are Dinamo 20 (7-4), Rijeka CO 19 (7-4), Karlovac 16 (6-5), Kaštela 18 (5-6), Osijek 13 (5-6), Brda 10 (3-8) and Veli Vrh 8 (2-9). At the back is Split with 7 points and a score of 1-10, and the last is Dubrovnik with the same score and 3 points.
The continuation of the Super League in men’s and women’s competitions is on January 22 next year, when the 12th round is scheduled.
