Kifissia, with Svetoslav Stankov, missed the chance to start the Greek championship with a victory, after losing at home to Panionios with 2:3 (23:25, 25:21, 25:21, 18:25, 13:15). The hosts led 2:1 in sets, and in the tie-break they had a 12:11 lead, but conceded defeat after 141 minutes of play in "Zirineio" on October 23.
The Bulgarian setter started as a starter and finished with four points - three blocks and one successful attack from two attempts.
After losing the first set, Kifissia took the initiative and won the next two parts with 25:21 each. Panionios, however, responded with 25:18 in the fourth set and sent the match to a tie-break.
In the decisive set, the hosts maintained a minimal lead from 9:8 to 12:11. A successful attack by Ali Hagparast and a block by Dimitris Linardos against Evgeny Bannov turned the score to 12:13. Vasilis Kostopoulos equalized, but Spiros Barbounis finished the next two difficult attacks and brought victory to the guests.
Aleksandar Atanasijevic was the top scorer for Panionios with 20 points - 19 from attack with 54% success rate and one ace. Iranian international Hagparast added 19 points, including three aces.
Barbounis, who came off the bench, was chosen as MVP. The receiver finished with seven points - five from attack and two blocks, and his decisive interventions at the end tipped the scales in favor of Panionios.

For Kifissia, Evgeny Bannov scored 29 points - 25 from attack with 64% success rate and four aces. Juan Carlos Carabali added 11 points, five of which were from blocks.
After the match, the hosts' coach Nikos Zalmas admitted that his team did not use their advantage: "We did not manage the 2:1 set lead well at all. We started with a wrong serve and finished with a wrong serve."
The match also marked an organizational change - it was the first match of the Greek Men's Volley League held without line judges but with a video check system.