The volleyball players of Montana recorded their second success in the efbet Super Volley. The team led by Daniel Peev prevailed after a three-hour battle over the hosts from Levski Sofia with 3:2 (20:25, 31:29, 15:25, 27:25, 19:17) in a match of the third round, played in the hall of the same name.
Montanans inflicted the first loss on the “blue” team, which was on a winning streak since the Super Cup tournament.
Levski has 7 points in its asset (2 wins, 1 loss), the Montana team is sixth with 5 points and the same balance.
In the next round, Montana meets Pirin (Razlog) in the “Septemvri” hall, on November 10 (Friday). Levski goes up against Heber (Pazardzhik) in a replay of the Super Cup final.
The guests from Montana were without the diagonal Lyuboslav Simeonov.
For the hosts, Vladislav Ivanov was also not in the game. The libero is already training, but head coach Zhelyazkov does not risk letting him play.
The match offered a contested game, intriguing moments and spectacular performances. Spectators in the stands and in front of the TV screens witnessed an incredible battle, a fight for every ball and every point.
At certain moments, it was difficult to determine which of the two teams was classier. Just like in a real derby, both Levski and Montana demonstrated volleyball arguments, heated situations abounded.
Both teams showed great character, and Samuil Valchinov and Fakhri Septian played a great match for the winners. They were the motor for the team in the tiebreaker, in which the game was of amplitudes, but in the end Montana triumphed.
The two teams started evenly (3:3), after which the visitors took the lead. However, the Blues went on a run and equalized again. The situation remained until 20:20, after which the home team’s blocking and attack were decisive for success.
The two teams started evenly in the second game as well, after which the Montanans gained momentum again. They dominated until 13:10, gradually the capital city caught up. Nikolay Zhelyazkov’s boys took the initiative for a short time (17:15), but the opponent “stuck” to them. The intrigue was full until the very end of the game, the hosts were on their toes. Both the hosts and the visitors had several opportunities to close the half, but it happened at 31:29 for Montana.
The third game started with an advantage for the volleyball players from the North-West (3:1), but they allowed a reversal to happen. Levski’s competitors played with full concentration and were a complete hegemon, dominating until the very end.
In the decisive fourth game, the “blues” pulled away from the beginning (6:3 and 7:4), after which the Montanans ran wild on the block and took matters into their own hands, realizing a series. The guests kept their lead stable, the people of Sofia continued to play hesitantly. In the key moments (17:23), the left-wingers mobilized and melted their passive to just one point (22:23). Young Vladimir Gharkov played an important role in shortening the distance. The home team’s spirit and will to win brought them back into the game, but in the minutes to the end the battle was full. Montanans did not stop and finished what they started – bringing the match into a tiebreak.
There, the “blues” were leading for most of the time, but in the last minutes, the team from the North-West managed to crack them. Although there was a game and a match point (14:13), the capital team allowed the opponent to reverse. However, this did not discourage the leftists, who fought tooth and nail, but the guests showed incredible character and will and won the victory.
The top scorer was Samuil Valchinov with 29 points (1 ace, 3 blocks), who was awarded the MVP of the match. Fahri Septian finished with 17 points (1 block). Bruno Roubo added 13 points (5 blocks). For the opponent, Vladimir Gharkov scored 22 points (3 aces, 1 block), Alejandro Toro scored 19 points (2 aces, 4 blocks). Venislav Antov scored 16 points (3 blocks).
Starting lineups:
Levski: Simeon Nikolov, Alejandro Toro, Venislav Antov, Alexander Kandev, Svetoslav Gotsev, Maikon Moreira, Damian Kolev – libero (Nikolai Stefanov, Stoil Palev, Kostadin Kozelov);
Montana: Bruno Roubo, Fakhri Septian, Samuil Valchinov, Martin Krastev, Kristiyan Valchak, Lyubomir Agontsev, Ivaylo Lalov – libero (Denislav Burdarov, Dimitar Kalchev, Pavel Dushkov, Stefan Uzunov).
