Kifissia achieved the first big surprise of the season, after defeating PAOK 3:1 in a match from the second round of the elite Greek championship. Thus, in this "Bulgarian" derby, Svetoslav Stankov for the hosts and middle blockers Nikolay Kyurtev and Nikolay Kolev for PAOK stood against each other.
The two teams started evenly (5:5), after which PAOK led 8:10 and 10:14. Kifissia found attacking solutions through Evgeny Banov and reduced the deficit to 18:20, but with a good serve, Dicepsalos brought the visitors to 18:22, and an ace by Hernandez made the score 20:25, giving PAOK a 1:0 lead in sets.
In the second set, the hosts gradually raised their level, especially in blocking, and although Milenkovic's team held its ground, a new Brazilian block and an attack by Spiridou led to a 21:17 advantage for Kifissia, which they did not relinquish until the end – 25:21. It is noteworthy that until this point, PAOK had not recorded a single block!
The start of the third set was also even (6:6, 8:8), but Kifissia, led by Maciej Borys's block and stable attacks by Hernandez and Kokkinakis, once again prevailed. PAOK narrowed the gap to 20:18, but the hosts kept their composure and won 25:20.
In the fourth set, PAOK started better, found blocks through Niki Kolev and led 4:6 and 6:8. The Cuban Hernandez equalized at 13:13, but two consecutive points by Borys and a successful block once again put Kifissia ahead. At 19:18, PAOK attempted a comeback after a series of points by Kyurtev and Kolev and an ace by Kokkinakis, but Kifissia did not allow a reversal.
A series of four consecutive points (24:20) and a double hit by Bankov brought 25:20 and the big 3:1 set victory!
Set Scores
| Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-25 | 25-21 | 25-20 | 25-20 | 3-1 for Kifissia |
After losing the first set, Kifissia completely changed its rhythm and began to dominate in blocking and serving, not allowing PAOK to reach more than 20 points in the next three sets. PAOK's team showed fluctuations in attack and serious problems in defensive organization.
Individual Statistics
| Team | Player | Points | Aces | Blocks | Attack percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kifissia | Evgeny Banov | 20 | - | - | - |
| Kifissia | Svetoslav Stankov | 3 | 1 | 1 | - |
| PAOK | Ramos Fernandez | 17 | - | - | - |
| PAOK | Nikolay Kurtev | 9 | 1 | - | 80% |
| PAOK | Nikolay Kolev | 7 | 1 | 3 | 33% |
The Bulgarian presence in the match was strongly noticeable – Svetoslav Stankov played a full match for Kifisia, while for PAOK, Nikolay Kyrtvev and Nikolay Kolev were not among the highest scorers. Kyrtvev impressed with 80% efficiency in attack, and Kolev stood out with 3 blocks, but this was not enough to stop the hosts' momentum.
Kolev leads the blocking rankings with 1.43 per set.
