Professional Males
December 28, 2023
That is Blair Lambert’s VolleyballMag.com weekly males’s skilled volleyball report, that includes People all over the world. Received a word a few participant or a remark for Blair? Electronic mail him at blairlambert2@gmail.com
Whereas many leagues took a Christmas break, there have been nonetheless quite a lot of matches happening throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. The European cup competitions had a full schedule final week to shut out the yr earlier than resuming the second week of January, and the sector for the Coppa Italia has been finalized.
TJ DeFalco and Max Holt have been from accidents. Dave Smith continues to be sidelined.
Micah Christenson set Zenit-Kazan, which hit .337, to its third consecutive Russian Cup in a 28-26, 30-32, 25-17, 25-20 victory over Dynamo Moscow. Christenson had two blocks and an ace. Belgian exterior hitter Sam Deroo, and Dmitry Volkov each scored 17 for Kazan. Whereas Tsvetan Sokolov put away 17 kills for Moscow, he hit .139.
That is Christenson’s fifth trophy with Zenit Kazan, together with three Russian Cups, a Russian Supercup, and the Russian Tremendous League championship. He additionally received the Italian SuperLega and Coppa Italia with Lube Civitanova in 2017 and the 2018 Italian SuperCoppa with Modena.
CEV Champions League
Matt Anderson led all gamers with 11 kills, three blocks and an ace as Ziraat Bankasi swept ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle. Erik Shoji had 33 % optimistic passes and eight % good. Ziraat clinched a sport within the playoffs and desires a win over both Knack Roeselare or Olympiacos Piraeus in its subsequent two matches to ensure first place in Pool A. These groups have a mixed two wins up to now within the pool.
DeFalco was a serving sub for Asseco Resovia Rzeszów in a sweep of ACH Volley Ljubljana. The win places Resovia again in second place of Pool B with two matches remaining.
In a stunning end result, Berlin Recycling Volleys swept Halkbank Ankara. Cody Kessel was third-set sub. Micah Ma’a had three kills and an ace for Halkbank, which hit. 286. Halkbank dropped into second place of Pool C behind Gasoline Gross sales Piacenza. Berlin is in third place, however with seven factors. Berlin is the most effective third-place group and in place to qualify for the playoffs.
SVG Lüneburg was swept by visiting CV Guagas. Matt Knigge had three kills and an ace and Blake Leeson two kills and two blocks. Gage Worsley handed 50 % of his receptions positively and 21 % have been categorized as good. Lüneburg began the event with two wins and was on prime of Pool D. Its loss to Jastrzębski Węgiel, the highest group in Poland in the intervening time, was anticipated. This loss to the Spanish champions places Lüneburg in third place and it isn’t in place to qualify for the playoffs.
Aleksandar Nikolov hit .000 with three kills and was changed within the second set, however Lube Civitanova made fast work of VK Lvi Praha. Lube has clinched a playoff spot and must win or go 5 units in considered one of its remaining matches to take first in Pool E.
CEV Cup
Chênois Genève was swept by Rio Duero Soria and was eradicated. James Norris led the Swiss membership with 4 blocks to associate with 4 kills and an ace. Dennis Del Valle handed 88 % positively and 29 % good.
Karlovarsko dropped its second match to Arkas Izmir and was knocked out. Tommy Carmody hit .750 whereas getting three kills and a block. Spencer Olivier got here off the bench within the first set and completed with six kills.
CEV Problem Cup
Taylor Averill and Projeckt Warsaw knocked out Saint Nazaire with a four-set win. Averill began the final two units, scoring on two kills and an ace. Jordan Ewert led Saint Nazaire with 18 kills and two aces. Kyle Ensing contributed 13 kills, a block and an ace within the first three units. Quinn Isaacson, who had three kills and a block, additionally performed in simply the primary three units and Saint Nazaire hit .324 throughout his time on the courtroom.
JT Hatch got here off the bench within the first set and completed the match for Helios Grizzlys Giesen, chipping in seven kills. Sadly since Giesen received in 5 units within the first leg towards Steaua Bucharest, it wanted to win within the match or lose in 5 for an opportunity to advance. The 21-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-19 defeat eradicated Giesen from the event.
Poland
Jake Hanes performed the primary two units for Cuprum Lubin in a loss to PSG Stal Nysa and had 9 kills, a block and an ace.
ZAKSA went into the vacation break with a sweep of Ślepsk Malow Suwałki. Shoji handed 36 % positively and 18 % positively. With Aleksandar Sliwka recovering from surgical procedure on a damaged finger, Lukasz Kacaczmarek and Bartosz Bednorz picked up the manufacturing from the pins with 25 and 18 factors, respectively.
Josh Tuaniga was used as a serving substitute for Indykpol AZS Olsztyn in a three-set loss to Trefl Gdańsk.
Italy
Francesco Sani and Rana Verona accomplished the reverse sweep on Lube Civitanova and solidified its place within the Coppa Italia. Sani didn’t begin however changed Rok Mozic to begin the third set and had 10 kills, a block and an ace whereas hitting .571. Nikolov led Lube with 17 kills, two blocks, and one ace.
Gabi Garcia hit -.050 with 4 kills as Pallavolo Padova was swept by league-leading Itas Trentino. Davide Gardini had seven kills and two blocks.
Nikolov had 14 kills, hit .333, and had three aces for Lube Civitanova in a five-set win over Piacenza.
Gioella Prisma Taranto picked up its first win of the season towards last-place Farmitalia Catania. Jeff Jendryk led with 5 blocks to associate with three kills. Kyle Russell had 12 kills, two aces and a block.
The matches on Boxing Day signified the midway level of the season within the Italian SuperLega. Sani’s Verona squad shall be enjoying top-seeded Trentino within the quarterfinals on March 3. Nikolov and Lube Civitanova had an opportunity to assert the fourth seed, however the loss towards Verona stored the membership in fifth. Lube will play Vero Volley Monza. Padova and Tartanto didn’t qualify.
Japan
The V League was again in motion after a two-week break for the Emperor’s Cup. Aaron Russell earned 13 kills and three blocks for JT Thunders Hiroshima, which was swept by Nippon Metal Sakai Blazers. Cole Hogland Wantanabe had 5 kills, two blocks and an ace for Sakai.
Hiroshima returned the favor with a four-set win on Christmas Eve as Russell had 19 kills, 4 blocks and an ace. Hogland Wantanabe had six kills.
The Panasonic Panthers swept Voreas Hokkaido twice. Jaeschke had 13 kills, two blocks and an ace and the subsequent day had 12 kills, three blocks and three aces.
Türkiye
In what was anticipated to be a aggressive match between the highest two groups in Turkey, Halkbank swept Fenerbahce on Christmas Eve. Ma’a set Halkbank to a .380 assault effectivity behind 11 kills from Nimir Abdel Aziz, 9 from Earvin N’Gapeth, and 9 from Mirza Lagumdzija.
Ziraat pulled out a 25-21, 25-27, 25-17, 26-28, 15-9 win over fourth-place Galatasaray as Anderson had 18 kills, two aces, and a block whereas hitting .395.
Halkbank then rested its starters and wanted 5 units to beat Hatay BSB. Ma’a was used as a serving sub after which set the tiebreak to safe the win and had two kills and an ace.
Germany
Berlin outlasted Lüneburg 17-15 within the fifth to win the match between the highest two groups in Germany. Kessel was a sub within the second and fifth units, contributing one kill. Lüneburg’s Knigge had eight kills and two blocks. Worsley handed 33 % positively and 13 % good.
Ian Parish hit .714 as FT 1844 Freiburg beat Netzhoppers Okay.W. Bestensee and had 10 kills, three blocks and an ace.
Joel Shneidmiller led WWK Vollerys Herrsching with 11 kills in a win over ASV Dachau. He hit .318 and had a block and an ace. Simon Gallas had 21 factors for Dachau.
Austin Matautia hit -.037 on his strategy to 5 kills and an ace for TSV Haching Munich in a defeat to VfB Friedrichshafen.
JT Hatch got here off the bench and put away three kills on 5 swings for Helios Grizzlys Giesen in a four-set victory over Baden Volleys SSC Karlsruhe.
Brazil
Austin Wilmot of Itambe Minas didn’t play in a loss to Sada Cruzeiro final week and was a sub in a loss to Vedacit Volei Guarulhos. He had two blocks and a kill.
Austria
Hypo Tirol Volley suffered its first home lack of the season when it fell in 4 units to TSV Raiffeisen within the semifinals of the Austrian Cup. Tim McIntosh handed 50 % positively and 44 % good.
Finland
Michael Michelau had 26 kills, hitting .500, two blocks and an ace in the one Finnish match final week however Savo Volley fell to Kokkolan Tiikerit in 5 units.
Greece
A.O. Kalamata ‘80 was swept by Pigasos Polichnis with Ryan Coenen placing away 9 kills and a block. Matt West set Kalamata to a .233 hitting proportion and had a kill.
Serbia
Jaylen Jasper had 28 kills, hit .392, and had two aces however his Spartak Subotica group misplaced to Crvena Zvezda in 5.
Switzerland
After dropping its first match of the season to get knocked out of the CEV Cup earlier within the week, Chênois Genève misplaced its first home match in 4 to Volley Schönenwerd. Norris hit .818 and completed with 9 kills, two aces and a block. Dennis Del Valle turned in a 62 and 33 % passing efficiency.
Russia
Earlier than claiming the Russian Cup, Christenson set Kazan to a .250 assault effectivity and contributed two blocks in a sweep of Gazprom-Ugra Surgut.
China
Max Holt was again within the lineup for Beijing after an ankle harm and made a huge effect in its win over Shandong with eight kills on 9 errorless makes an attempt and had a block and an ace.