In a match played at the Eurosuole Forum, the Italian giant Cucine Lube Civitanova defeated Serbian Karađorđe Topola 3:1 (25-22, 25-18, 21-25, 25-9) in the second leg of the Challenge Cup round of 16. With this success, Lube advances to the quarterfinals, where they will face Dutch Groningen.
The hosts dominated for most of the match, demonstrating strong serving with14 acesand effective attacking. After winning the first two sets, Lube experienced a drop in performance in the third set, but mobilized for the fourth, where they completely controlled the events on the court.
In the fourth set, CanadianArthur Szwarcwas the main driving force of the team, demonstrating impressive serving skills. He became the top scorer on the court with23 points(64% efficiency), including6 acesand one block. Lagumdzija and Gargiulo added 12 points each.For the guests, Bekrić finished with 16 points and was the top scorer for his team.Alex Nikolov contributed 8 points (1 block).In the quarterfinals, Lube will face Groningen, leaders in the Dutch championship. The first match will be played away on January 15, 2024, and the return leg will be in Italy on January 28, 29, or 30.
The second referee for the match was Bulgarian Chavdar Marev.
Cucine Lube Civitanova - OK Karađorđe Topola 3-1 (25-22, 25-18, 21-25, 25-9)
CIVITANOVA: Chinenyeze did not play, Gargiulo 12, Szwarc 23, Orduna, Bisotto (L), Balaso (L), Boninfante 1, Porya 7, Nikolov 8, Lagumdzija 12, D'Amico did not play, Podraščanin did not play, Botolo did not play, Tenorio 8. Head coach: Medei.
TOPOLA: Radović 3, Tanić (L) did not play, Vejmić 4, Sormaz 1, Pavićević 11, Huzeyrović 1, Dustinac 4, Milović (L), Vujović 7, Maćešić 4, Stanić, Radovanović, Bošnjak 8, Bekrić 16. Head coach: Majstorović
Referees: Savu (Romania) and Marev (Bulgaria)
Съдии: Саву (Румъния) и Марев (България)
Notes: game durations 26', 25', 29', 18'. Total time: 1h 38'. Civitanova: service errors 10, aces 14, blocks 6, attack efficiency 52%, reception 45% (19%). Topola: service errors 11, aces 5, blocks 8, attack efficiency 47%, reception 40% (13%). Spectators: 1,424.
