Professional Males
December 20, 2023
That is Blair Lambert’s VolleyballMag.com weekly males’s skilled volleyball report, that includes People all over the world. Received a notice a couple of participant or a remark for Blair? E-mail him at blairlambert2@gmail.com
With the vacations simply across the nook, some leagues go on hiatus, however there are some fascinating matches on the docket on this planet {of professional} volleyball.Â
Micah Christenson and Zenit Kazan didn’t play a Russian Tremendous League match this previous week, however play Dynamo Moscow within the Russian Cup closing on Christmas Eve. Christenson is one match away from successful his third consecutive Russian Cup.
The largest match to date within the Turkish Efeler League can also be December 24 between Halkbank Ankara and Fenerbahce. Each are undefeated in league play and CEV competitions.
The Berlin Recycling Volleys will play SVG Lüneburg on December 23 in a match between the German Bundesliga’s high two groups.
There’s a full lineup of Boxing Day matches in Italy, marking the top of the primary half of the season, and can set the seeds for the eight-team Coppa Italia. Gabi Garcia and Pallavolo Padova play Itas Trentino. Padova must win and will need to have Rana Verona lose so as to qualify for the Coppa Italia because the eighth seed. Franceso Sani and Verona play Lube Civitanova in an try to carry onto the final spot within the competitors and preserve Padova out.
Gioelle Prisma Taranto is on the lookout for its finest probability at a win in 2023 when it performs Farmitalia Catania, the last-place crew in Italy. Taranto has gone to 5 units six occasions this season and its six factors places it forward of Catania within the standings, regardless of Catania having one win. There’s a probability that if Jeff Jendryk and Kyle Russell’s Taranto membership loses in 5 units, it can nonetheless be above Catania within the standings regardless of having two-fewer wins.
Final week featured one other spherical of European cup competitions and the conclusion of the Emperor’s Cup in Japan. Accidents to Dave Smith, TJ DeFalco and a few of their teammates tempered what might have been a aggressive week.
Matt Anderson’s Ziraat Bankasi didn’t have a home league match, however he had 16 kills and block in opposition to Olympiakos Piraeus within the Champions League. The four-set victory retains Ziraat Bankasi (3-0) on high of Pool A.
ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle wanted 5 units to get previous Knack Roeselare. Erik Shoji handed 60 p.c positively and 60 p.c good within the win. ZAKSA (2-1) stays in second place in Pool A.
With out DeFalco, Asseco Resovia Rzeszów was swept by Itas Trentino, which dropped Resovia into third place of Pool B.
After a disappointing week on the Membership World Championships, Halkbank Ankara swept Benfica to stay unbeaten and on high of Pool C. Micah Ma’a had two aces, a kill, and a block whereas setting Halkbank to a .318 hitting proportion. Nimir Abdel-Aziz led with 16 factors.
The opposite match in Pool C noticed Gasoline Gross sales Piacenza defeat Berlin Recycling Volleys in 4. Cody Kessel began the final two units for Berlin, ending with eight kills, hitting .500. Berlin fell behind Piacenza and into third place.
SVG Lüneburg stayed in second in Pool D however dropped its first match of the Champions League to Jastrzebski Węgiel, the leaders of the Polish PlusLiga. Matt Knigge scored on seven kills, an ace, and hit .875. Blake Leeson completed with six kills, hitting .333. Gage Worsley handed 42 p.c positively and 17 p.c completely.
Aleksandar Nikolov led Lube Civitanova to a different win to remain on high of Pool E with 18 kills, two blocks, and hit .680 within the sweep of Greenyard Maaseik.
CEV Cup
Chênois Genève wanted 5 units to win at Rio Duero Soria within the first leg. James Norris had 4 kills, three blocks and two aces. Dennis Del Valle handed 62 p.c positively and 35 p.c. Any victory this week within the return leg will see the Swiss membership get via. A loss in 5 will result in a golden set, and it’s out with a loss in three or 4 units.
Karlovarsko wasn’t capable of face up to 21 factors from Gyorgy Grozer and fell to Arkas Izmir in 4 units. Tommy Carmody hit .714 whereas getting 5 kills and three blocks. Spencer Olivier was used in its place within the second set and handed 50 p.c of his receptions completely. Karlovarsko must win in three or 4 units this week to power a golden set so as to advance.
CEV Problem Cup
Taylor Averill had three kills and an ace as Projeckt Warsaw swept Saint Nazaire within the first leg. Kyle Ensing had 9 kills for the French membership within the loss. Jordan Ewert had six kills however solely hit .048. Quinn Isaacson set Saint Nazaire to a .209 hitting proportion. Warsaw simply must win two units within the return leg this week to advance to the quarterfinals.
JT Hatch began the final two units for Helios Grizzlys Giesen, which beat Steaua București in 5. Hatch had seven kills and a block with a .461 assault effectivity for Giesen.
Poland
Averill got here off the bench within the first set and completed the match for Projekt Warsaw, scoring on 5 kills, two blocks, and an ace within the win over ZAKSA. Shoji handed 57 p.c positively and 24 p.c good within the defeat.
Jake Hanes had 22 kills, two blocks and an ace for Cuprum Lubin, which misplaced in 4 to Precise Programs Hemarpol Częstochowa.
Nicolas Szerszen had 4 kills and an ace however hit -.250 in Indykpol AZS Olsztyn’s tiebreak loss to BOGDANKA Luk Lublin. Josh Tuaniga set Olsztyn to a .352 hitting proportion and had two aces, a kill and a block.
Italy
Francesco Sani led Rana Verona with 16 kills and two blocks as his crew swept Cisterna Volley.
Gabi Garcia led Pallavolo Padova with with 12 kills and three aces in a a straight-sets defeat to Vero Volley Monza. Davide Gardini added 12 kills and a block whereas additionally hitting .391.
Nikolov had 14 kills and three aces for Lube Civitanova in a five-set win over Piacenza.
Gioella Prisma Taranto took yet one more match to a fifth set however fell 15-3 to Allianz Milano. Jeff Jendryk had eight kills with no errors and hit .615, three blocks and an ace. Kyle Russell had a kill.
Japan
Thomas Jaeschke and the Panasonic Panthers gained the Emperor’s Cup by sweeping Aaron Rusell’s JT Thunders Hiroshima after which beating Nagoya within the closing the subsequent day.
Türkiye
Halkbank defeated Galatasaray in 4 units as Ma’a set the crew to a .414 assault effectivity and had two blocks, two aces and a kill.
France
Daniel Wetter had 9 kills, hit .533, and had a block for Paris in a five-set victory over Montpellier.
Saint Nazaire misplaced in 5 to Tourcoing regardless of 20 kills and two aces from Ensing and 15 kills and three ace from Ewert. Isaacson set Saint Nazaire to a .305 hitting proportion.
Chaumont moved 5 factors forward on the high of the standings after sweeping Arago de Sete. Joe Worsley set Chaumont to a .398 assault effectivity whereas choosing up two blocks and a kill. Dan McDonnell had six kills, three blocks and an ace. Mike Marshman added six kills, hitting .750, and had two blocks.
Narbonne notched its second consecutive win in opposition to second-place Nantes Reze after beginning the season 0-10. Kyle Dagostino handed 50 p.c positively and 36 p.c completely.
Germany
WWK Volleys Herrsching swept Haching Munich with Joel Schneidmiller ending with 11 kills, hitting .500, and a block. Austin Matautia led Munich with 11 kills, a block and an ace.
Lüneburg wanted 5 units to get by SWD powervolleys Düren and stay in second place. Knigge had seven kills, three blocks and an ace whereas hitting .600. His efficiency earned him a spot on Germany’s Group of the Week for the fifth time this season. Leeson completed with three kills and a block. Worsley handed 44 p.c positively and 17 p.c good.
Kessel began at exterior hitter and led Berlin with six kills and 4 blocks in a sweep of Baden Volleys SSC Karlsruhe. Berlin is unbeaten in all German competitions.
JT Hatch got here off the bench and performed half of the match for Helios Grizzlys Giesen in a three-set win over FT 1844 Freiburg and had a kill, a block and an ace. Ian Parish had three kills and a block for Freiburg.
Brazil
Austin Wilmot was used as a serving substitute within the third set for Itambe Minas in its first match after the FIVB Membership World Championships. He had three serves in a sweep of Monte Claro America Volei.
Argentina
Brandon Rattray led UPCN with 14 kills, two aces and two blocks in a four-set defeat to Membership Ciudad Buenos Aires. He bounced again with 19 kills in three units and hit .654 in a sweep of Membership Atletico Boca Juniors. He completed the weekend with 19 kills, two blocks and two aces when UPCN beat Membership Tucuman de Gimnasia in 4. Rattray is the main scorer in Argentina at 5.57 factors per set.
Austria
Hypo Tirol Volley continued its home unbeaten streak with two sweeps. Tim McIntosh handed 75 p.c positively and 50 p.c good in opposition to UVCR. He turned in a 53 and 26 p.c passing efficiency in opposition to UVC Holding Graz within the final league match of 2023.
Finland
Colin Lovejoy performed the entire match for Kyky-Betset and had two kills on 4 swings in a sweep of the Vantaa Geese.
Raison Loimu pulled off an upset over Hurrikaani-Loimaa in 5 units. Felix Egharevba was used in its place within the fourth set however didn’t rating. Greg Petty led with 19 kills and two aces for Hurrikaani-Loimaa. Troy Gooch handed 37 p.c positively and three p.c completely.
Michael Michelau began the second set and completed the match with 5 kills and a block for Savo Volley, swept by Akaa-Volley.
Savo beat VaLePa as Michelau led with 4 blocks, 9 kills and an ace. Chase Direito had 9 kills, an ace and hit .438 for VaLePa.
Greece
A.O. Kalamata ‘80 fell to third-place PAOK Thessaloniki as Matt West set the crew to a .176 assault effectivity to go together with 4 kills and a block. Ryan Coenen had 10 kills, two aces and a block.
Czech Republic
Olivier began for Karlovarsko and hit .625 in a five-kill, two-ace, one-block efficiency as his membership picked up the sweep of Ústà n. Lab. Carmody performed within the first set, producing a kill and a block.
Jordan Kerkvliet hit .833 with 5 kills and two blocks for Odolena Voda in a sweep of Benátky n. J.
Serbia
Jaylen Jasper led all gamers with six blocks for Spartak Subotica in victory over Takovo and had 12 kills and an ace.
Switzerland
Chênois Genève remained unbeaten within the league with an emphatic 25-21, 25-19, 25-17 sweep of TSV Jona Volleyball. Del Valle handed 100% positively. Norris two kills in two assaults and a block.