The new season of the Slovenian Men’s 1. A League has kicked off, with exciting matches taking place over the weekend. Calcit Volley and Pomgrad emerged victorious on Saturday, with Calcit Kamnik defeating Krka Novo Mesto 3-0, and Panvita Pomgrad securing a 3-2 victory over Hiša Na Kolesih Triglav. On Friday, Maribor won 3-2 against Fužinar Sij Metal. The match between ACH Volley and Alpaca Kanal has been rescheduled for October 25.
Despite missing national team players like Nik Mujanović and Uroš Planinšič, who are representing Slovenia in the Olympic Games qualifiers in Tokyo, Kamnik dominated their opponent throughout the match and won 3-0. Cuban player Lazaro Brunet, wearing Calcit’s jersey, contributed 13 points (including 2 aces), while Matic Rojnik scored 10 points for Krka Novo Mesto.
The second match on Saturday provided a dramatic showdown, similar to Friday’s game between Fužinar and Maribor. Hiša Na Kolesih Triglav took a 2-0 lead in sets, but Panvita Pomgrad started to claw back. They won the third and fourth sets with scores of 25-17 and 25-22, respectively, before securing the decisive fifth set 15-10.
Stefan Mirković was the standout performer for Panvita with 20 points, while Žan Bedrač added 14 points, including three aces and four blocks. For the home team, Đorđe Jovović scored 24 points (including 3 aces), Maj Nanut added 17 (including four aces), and Nemanja Peruničić contributed 16 points. Uroš Tučen recording six blocks fot the host.
On Friday, Fužinar Sij Metal Ravne and Merkur Maribor engaged in a thrilling 5-set match. Following an intense contest, the Maribor team clinched victory by prevailing over the home team, Fužinar, with a final score of 2-3 (26-24, 32-30, 21-25, 16-25, 15-17).
The clash between ACH Volley and Alpaca Kanal is scheduled for October 25th, while the current champions will play against Krka in the second round on Wednesday. Other upcoming matches include Alpaca Kanal vs. Merkur Maribor and Calcit Volley vs. Hiša na kolesih Triglav (both on Saturday), as well as Panvita vs. Fužinar (Sunday).
The format of this year’s competition has seen some changes. The initial phase is now a double round-robin format instead of triple. The top six teams will advance to the blue group, while the seventh and eighth teams will form the green group with the top four teams from the 1. B league. The remaining clubs will compete to avoid relegation. There will be no round of 16 matches this year, with the quarterfinals immediately following.
1. A League – Round 1
Fužinar Sij Metal Ravne vs. Merkur Maribor 2-3 (26-24, 32-30, 21-25, 16-25, 15-17)
Hiša Na Kolesih Triglav vs. Panvita Pomgrad 2-3 (28-26, 25-17, 17-25, 22-25, 10-15)
Krka vs. Calcit Volley 0-3 (18-25, 22-25, 14-25)
ACH Volley Ljubljana vs. Alpacem Kanal (postponed for October 25)
