Cucine Lube achieved a decisive away victory against Verona in a match that started dramatically but ended with complete domination by the team from Civitanova. The most prolific scorer for the win was Alex Nikolov, who finished the match with 20 points, and Leoppky also made a significant contribution, finishing with 19.
Lube – Verona 3:0 (27:25, 25:23, 25:17)
The match also featured an interesting detail off the court – Lube's starting libero Balaso did not play, and his absence coincided with the day a rumor spread that he might transfer to Perugia. Despite this, the guests did not show a drop in their performance and demonstrated stability in all elements. The match was also watched by USA national team coach Karch Kiraly.
First set: nerves, extended play, and a block by Botolo for 25:27
The first set was the most tightly contested, going into extended play and offering a lot of tension. Lube held strong mentally and closed the set 25:27, with the decisive moment coming after a block by Botolo.
In this set, Alex Nikolov scored 5 points, and Leoppky added 6, with the two setting the tone that was maintained until the end of the match.
Second set: Nikolov's serve and two aces by Botolo tipped the scales
The second set started with an early lead for the guests – 2:4, followed by two consecutive points from Nikolov, with particular impression made by the situation where the Bulgarian executed a difficult float serve, followed by a successful counter-attack for 2:6.
Botolo also recorded a personal milestone – at 5:8, he scored his 1500th point since playing in the Italian championship.
Verona returned to the set after a strong series by Keita in attack and serve for 10:10, but after 12:12, Lube made a crucial run of break points and pulled ahead. After a block against Keita, it became 15:18, and Nikolov added a difficult deep attack for 16:19.
The hosts came dangerously close after an ace in Nikolov's zone for 18:19, but the Bulgarian immediately responded with a line shot for 18:20, and then scored an almost impossible back-row attack for 21:23.
The end of the set was decisive – two aces by Botolo secured the close of the set and a 0:2 lead in sets for Lube.
Third set: Verona collapsed, Lube dominated – Nikolov and Leoppky unstoppable
The third set was one Verona likely won't want to remember. Lube started explosively, made several key blocks early on, and Nikolov and Leoppky continued to "harass" the hosts in attack.
Additional problems for Verona arose from their star Keita beginning to experience serious difficulties – blocked, attacks out of bounds, and a lack of his usual effectiveness.
In this set came Nikolov's first block, and Lube's lead began to grow steadily, reaching 8:16 after a serve out by Keita. Leoppky scored two consecutive points for 11:19, and from then on, the match was merely played out.
Nikolov's 20th point came after an ace for 12:20. Verona tried to bring back some intrigue with two runs of two points each for 16:23, but this didn't change the outcome. After an attack out by Nikolov, the final point was delayed for a moment, before Leoppky put an end to the contest with an attack for his 18th point.
Team Performance: Lube was the better team in everything
Lube demonstrated superiority in all main components:
Attack: 33/39 points
Blocks: 4/9
Aces: 3/6
Points from opponent errors: 23/23
Total points scored: 63/77
With such balance and efficiency, the guests left no doubt as to who controlled the match – especially in the third set, where the difference became apparent from the very first rallies.
Nikolov and Loeppky crushed Verona – 38 points total and killer efficiency in attack
Alex Nikolov played another strong match for Lube and led the team to a decisive victory over Verona, finishing as the top scorer with 20 points and an impressive +11 coefficient. The Bulgarian added 1 ace, 2 blocks, and finished with 63% attack efficiency, being a key factor in the decisive moments of the first two sets and in the guests' dominance in the third.
Deservedly, the Bulgarian became the MVP of the match.
Even more effective in attack was Eric Loeppky, who finished the match with 18 points and an incredible +14, scoring 3 aces, 2 blocks, and finishing with 68% in attack. It was his stability and aggression in serving that gave Lube an additional boost, especially in moments when Verona was trying to get back into the match.
Bottolo complemented the guests' strong performance with 10 points, and Lube once again demonstrated excellent distribution of attack responsibility and a high level of execution in all elements.
For the hosts Verona, only Keita (13 points) and Rok Mozic (10 points) tried to keep the team in the match, but this proved insufficient against an organized and uncompromising Lube, who did not allow a drop in performance in any of the three sets.
| Team | Player | Points | +/- | Aces | Blocks | Attack % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lube | Alex Nikolov | 20 | +11 | 1 | 2 | 63% |
| Lube | Erik Loeppky | 18 | +14 | 3 | 2 | 68% |
| Lube | Botolo | 10 | - | - | - | - |
| Verona | Keita | 13 | - | - | - | - |
| Verona | Rok Možič | 10 | - | - | - | - |
The numbers speak clearly enough – Nikolov and Loepke not only scored points, but did so with elite efficiency (63% and 68% in attack), which is rarely seen with such a high volume of actions. The +/- indicator also highlights their dominance – the two were the most consistent and useful players on the court. Verona lacked a third reliable scorer, and when the burden fell only on Keita and Mozic, Lube easily closed the match without allowing any hesitation.
Lube will have two weeks off in the Italian championship due to the national cup tournament, for which Gianpaolo Medei's team failed to qualify. On February 12, Alex Nikolov and company will visit Montpellier in their penultimate group stage match of the Champions League, where Lube are the undisputed favorite in the group.
