Bulgarian international Martin Atanasov scored 13 points, but his Olympiacos lost the first "eternal derby" of the season in Greek volleyball. Panathinaikos won 3:2 (25:22, 22:25, 25:21, 22:25, 15:12) in a match from the fourth round of the Novibet Volley League, and it was an ace by the Bulgarian outside hitter that sent the match into a tie-break.
The clash was played in the "Mets" hall in Athens without spectators due to a penalty on the hosts and lasted almost two and a half hours. Panathinaikos recorded a fourth consecutive victory since the start of the season and remains undefeated, but with 11 points, they occupy second place behind leader Flisvos, who has 12. For Alberto Giuliani's Olympiacos, this is their second consecutive defeat after the surprising loss to Flisvos in the previous round.
Olympiacos started better and led 7:3 in the first set, but two aces by Gassman helped the hosts equalize at 7:7. The two teams went point-for-point until 20:20, when the strong serve of Ukrainian outside hitter Dmytro Yanchuk gave Panathinaikos a decisive advantage for 25:22.
In the second set, the visitors imposed their tempo and led 24:19, before a serving error by Gassman made it 25:22 in favor of Olympiacos. The third set developed evenly until 17:17, but the hosts again found a solution with a strong serve and won 25:21.
The most dramatic moments came in the fourth set. Panathinaikos led 17:13 and seemed close to victory, but Olympiacos gradually caught up and equalized at 20:20. At 21:21, Haynes scored an ace, and a triple block by Atanasov, Baranowicz, and Spencer gave the visitors a two-point lead. Raptis secured two set points, before Martin Atanasov ended the dispute with a direct point from a serve for 25:22 and 2:2 sets.
In the tie-break, the two teams continued the battle point for point. Panathinaikos led 10:8, but Olympiacos equalized at 11:11, and after a successful attack by Spencer, the score became 12:12. A mistake by the visitors followed, after which Yanchuk went to serve and with two consecutive aces brought Panathinaikos the victory with 15:12.
Atanasov finished with 13 points, scored after 9 successful attacks from 23 attempts, 3 blocks, and 1 ace. The Bulgarian outside hitter had 19% positive and 15% excellent reception.
The most effective scorer for Olympiacos was American opposite Jake Haynes with 16 points, and middle blocker Spencer added 12, including 4 blocks. For the winners, Nielsen scored 18 points, Yanchuk finished with 16, including 6 aces, and Karl added 14. Theodoros Voulkidis was chosen as the most valuable player with 11 points.
The hosts had a serious advantage from the serve with 14 aces against 9 for Olympiacos. However, the "red-whites" dominated in blocking with 14:5, which helped them stay in the fight until the last rallies. Nikolay Kolev was not in the squad for the match for Panathinaikos.
After the match, Olympiacos coach Alberto Giuliani admitted that his team is still far from the desired level. The Italian specialist emphasized that the volleyball players who returned from their national teams need more time for joint preparation and improving interaction.
In the next, fifth round, Olympiacos will host Panionios in the "Melina Mercouri" hall in Rentis, and Panathinaikos will visit leader Flisvos.
photo: Nikolay Varadinov
