PAOK defeated Aris 3:1 (25:14, 25:22, 23:25, 25:15) in the Thessaloniki derby from the fourth round of the Greek Novibet Volley League for men. The match was played in the PAOK Sports Arena and marked the return of the rivalry between the two teams to the elite after a ten-year hiatus.
Bulgarian volleyball player Krasimir Angelov came off the bench for Aris in the first and fourth sets and finished with 2 points, scored directly from a serve. He executed four serves without error, two of which resulted in direct points. Angelov also recorded three unsuccessful attacks and two receptions, one of which was positive. Thus, the Bulgarian scored 40% of Aris's five aces in the match.
Maicon França was chosen as the Most Valuable Player (MVP), finishing with 26 points, including 23 from attack and 3 blocks. The Brazilian achieved 62% efficiency in attack (23 successful attacks from 37 attempts), as well as 83% positive and 50% excellent reception.
The hosts started convincingly and won the first set 25:14. In the second, Aris offered more serious resistance, but PAOK closed the set at 25:22. The visitors managed to reduce their deficit after 25:23 in the third set, before the hosts again imposed a clear superiority in the fourth – 25:15.
Besides Maicon França, Berger with 15 points and Petkovic with 12 stood out for the winners. PAOK scored a total of 13 points from blocks against 10 for Aris, and the advantage in attack was even more pronounced – 56 against 38 points.
The top scorer for the visitors was Julien Winkelmuller with 15 points, followed by Haralambos Paximadakis with 11 and Giorgos Pentidis with 10.
The match lasted 111 minutes, and the success was PAOK's third since the start of the season. Aris remains without a win after the first four rounds.