Alex Nikolov played another strong match in the Champions League and was chosen as MVP in Cucine Lube Civitanova's third consecutive victory in Group E. The Italian team won away against Polish PGE Project Warsaw with 3:0 (25:19, 25:21, 27:25) and with this success solidified its first place in the group.
The Bulgarian international was the top scorer in the match with 19 points, once again leading his team's attack and posing a constant threat to the hosts' defense.
Match flow
First set
The match started with noticeable pressure from the visitors, who took the initiative from the very first rallies. Alex Nikolov "bombed" the opponent's court from almost all zones, and by his eighth point, the score was already 11:17 in favor of Lube. Until the end of the set, the Italians did not lose control, and Mattia Bottolo closed out the set " 25:19, in which Nikolov scored 9 points from attack with 69% efficiency.
Second set
The second set started with a slight advantage for the hosts, but the game became disjointed, after which the initiative returned to Lube. Several ties followed before the Italian team took control and led 14:18, after Alex Nikolov's 13th point so far. Towards the end of the set, errors occurred on both sides, and after an out serve, Lube's first set point came. Eric Loeppky skillfully placed the ball behind the block and closed out the set ". 25:21.
Third set
The third set offered the greatest dose of drama. It started with another point for Nikolov ". his 14th in the match, and then the lead changed hands several times. The hosts repeatedly made runs of 2-3 points and kept the intrigue alive. In the end, Lube led 20:22 but allowed a tie. Bottolo was the first to bring a match point for the visitors, followed by a timeout for the hosts and another tie. On Lube's second match point, Gargiulo successfully finished through the middle and ended the contest ". 27:25.
Individual performance
Alex Nikolov finished with 19 points, a +11 efficiency rating, and 56% attack efficiency.
Mattia Bottolo added 11 points, and Eric Loeppky ". 10 points for the clean victory.
In the hosts' lineup, not a single player reached double-digit points.
Team statistics
| Metric | PGE Project Warsaw | Cucine Lube Civitanova |
|---|---|---|
| Attack points | 29 | 39 |
| Block points | 3 | 7 |
| Serve points | 5 | 4 |
| Opponent errors | 25 | 24 |
| Total points | 62 | 74 |
The decisive difference came from their play in attack and on the block. Lube scored 10 more points in attack and had more than double the advantage in blocking, which fully compensated for their minimal deficit on serve. Warsaw relied heavily on opponent errors, but this was not enough against the more effective and better organized Italian team. It was precisely this stability in the main elements that allowed Lube to close out the match in three sets and solidify their leadership in the group.
photo: cev.eu
