Pegasus (Polihni) volleyball team achieved an important 3:1 (20:25, 25:17, 25:15, 26:24) victory against A.O.P. Kifisia, despite trailing 0:1 in sets. This success is crucial for Pegasus in their quest to avoid the playouts.Bulgarian opposite Boyan Yordanov was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the match, marking an impressive return to the Greek league.
The match was a kind of "Bulgarian" derby, as Boyan Yordanov and Tomislav Rusev play for Pegasus, while Georgi Petrov competes for Kifisia.
An unpleasant moment for Pegasus was the injury to middle blocker Tasos Gatsis, who suffered a sprain and left the court with the score at 18:19 in the first set. After his departure, Kifisia managed a 5:0 run thanks to Okosanovic's serve and won the first set 25:20.
Despite the shock of the injury, the hosts rallied in the second set. The strong performance of substitute Kesesidis, as well as effective serving and blocking, helped the team equalize, winning the set 25:17.
The third set was dominated by Pegasus, who took a 10:4 lead early on and did not allow their opponent to get close, closing the set with a convincing 25:15.
The fourth set offered dramatic twists. Kifisia led 21:17, but a 5:0 run on Mayer's serve reversed the score in favor of Pegasus. Ultimately, after a hard-fought game, Boyan Yordanov and company closed the set 26:24 and won the match 3:1.
With this victory, Pegasus added valuable three points to their tally, while Kifisia remained on 25 points in 4th place, risking losing their position.
Pegasus (Polihni) lineup:
Hoff: 7 points (1/3 attack, 4 blocks, 2 aces)
Mayer: 13 points (10/29 attack, 2 blocks, 1 ace, 33% reception)
Yordanov: 23 points (20/37 attack, 3 blocks, 25% reception)
Chernogorov: 15 points (14/29 attack, 1 block)
Rusev: 11 points (7/11 attack, 4 blocks)
Gatsis: 3 points (1/2 attack, 2 blocks)
Mavros: 1 point (1/2 attack)
Paleochorinos (libero), Avgeridis
A.O.P. Kifisias lineup:
Okosanovic: 16 points (12/32 attack, 1 block, 3 aces)
Komitoudi: 4 points (2/4 attack, 1 block, 1 ace)
Petrov: 6 points (6/15 attack, 50% reception)
Antonovich: 14 points (12/35 attack, 2 blocks)
Spiliotis: 3 points (2/7 attack, 1 ace)
Kanellopoulos
Match MVP:
Boyan Yordanov was named the most valuable player of the match.
After the match, Yordanov shared: "First of all, thank you for all the kind words. I still play because I love volleyball very much and I know I will miss it when I stop. I want to leave something of myself to the new generations. For us today it was a big and important victory. From now on we look at match after match. The cup and the away match with Panathinaikos are ahead of us. We know our goal and we will fight for it."
