Spain overcome hosts Greece in opening match of 2012 CEV Champions League – Volleyball news
Men’s national volleyball team of Spain defeated hosts Greece in the opening match of 2012 CEV Champions League on Thursday.
The visiting Spaniards edged out Greek squad in straight sets, 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-19). The New Indoor Hall in Katerini provided the backdrop for the match, while 800 spectators showed up. Spain displayed good action on the net and sent Greece to first
loss in the campaign.
Gustavo Delgado and Iban Perez hugely contributed to Spain’s victory. They did a great job at offence and charted 14 points each. For the home team, Sergio Noda scored nine points.
Spanish team played in front of the strange audience but did not show any sign of intimidation. The Spaniards opened the match with powerful serves and added quick points. With the help of convincing attack attempts, they managed to build 8-4 lead at the
first technical timeout. Greek squad tried to catch up with the visitors but faced utmost resistance. The opening set reached the second technical timeout but difference of points remained unchanged. Spain maintained its lead of four points at the second timeout
(16-12) and eventually closed the frame at 25-21.
Second set started out in the similar fashion. Greece could not come out of the blues and lagged behind. Spain hindered the performance of hosts and controlled the operations of the game. Delgado and Perez of Spain offered strong offence and devastated Greek
defence with flurry of attacks. They developed a great chemistry between them and did not allow the rivals to earn stability in the game. Spain rallied from 8-4 to 16-15 and seemed shaped up to win the second set. Things went according to the plan and Spain
improved to 2-0 by posting 25-20 in second set.
With two sets in hand, Spain was heavy on the scene. Greek players looked visibly disappointed and gave out easy points in the third set. Spain earned early lead and stretched the gap of points. Third set ended with final score of 25-19 and Spain marched
away with victory.
Head Coach of Spain Fernando Munoz Benitez said, “We thank the Greek fans for the great atmosphere they contributed tonight. It was not easy; we caught a good start but we knew that Greece playing at home would have been a tough opponent tonight, even though
their group has undergone quite many changes.”
On the other hand, Greek mentor Alekos Leonis commented, “I am satisfied with the effort of my players. We had only ten days to prepare for the start of this competition and have been going through many problems. Next is Israel, a team which we cannot compare
with Spain.”
Tags: