Italian giant Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA continues its flawless run in Group E, after leaving no chances for Volley Haasrode LEUVEN on their home court – 3:0 (25:10, 25:19, 25:19) in an hour of play. This is Lube's fourth consecutive victory without dropping a set, solidifying the team's top spot in the standings.
The Belgians only showed resilience in isolated moments of the second and third sets, but overall, the class and depth of the home team's squad made the difference from the very beginning of the match.
Alex Nikolov played another strong match and finished as the top scorer with 14 points, with an impressive +11 rating, 1 block, 56% positive reception, and 72% attack efficiency. However, the MVP award went to Noah Deflo Rossi, who added 12 points to the dominant victory.
For the guests from Leuven, Gomez and Peter finished with 10 points each.
In the battle for second place in the group, Montpellier is second before their away match against Warsaw, who currently hold the third position.
Team statistics
| Metric | Lube | Leuven |
|---|---|---|
| Attack points | 38 | 31 |
| Block points | 11 | 1 |
| Service points | 4 | 2 |
| Opponent errors | 21 | 13 |
| Total points | 74 | 47 |
The statistics show Lube's complete dominance, especially in blocking – 11:1, which completely broke down the Belgian attack. The Italians were more aggressive on serve as well, and the high number of errors provoked from Leuven is indicative of the constant pressure. The 27-point total difference clearly summarizes the course of the match.
The next challenge for Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA is an away match against Montpellier on February 10, a match that could definitively determine the top of Group E and give the Italians a significant advantage before the knockout phase.
photos: cev.eu
