CEV Champions League 2022/23
Group stage. 6th round
Tirgu Mures (Sala Polivalentă). Romania. February 8
"Alba Blaj" — SC "Prometey" 3-1 (25:23, 25:20, 24:26, 25:16)
The match between the Prometey and Alba Blaj clubs in the final round of the Champions League group stage turned out to be a real battle. Unfortunately, in the end, the Romanians triumphed, taking the final third place in Quartet B and earning a ticket to the quarterfinals of the CEV Cup.
From the start, the "red and whites" had problems with reception. Therefore, on the serve of Boyana Milenkovic, who in those minutes managed to earn an ace, the score became 4:1 in favor of the hosts. Ivan Petkov responded with a time-out, which somewhat stabilized the game.
Both sides began to steadily exchange productive attacks. At the equator of the set, an error when the ball was served into the game and an organized block of Romanians worsened our situation - 13:7. However, later a successful video challenge on "net touch" by the coach of "Prometey" added confidence to his team and helped reduce the deficit - 15:12.
Toward the end of the set, Victoria Russu hit an out. And in the next rally, our Viktoriia Danchak served an ace and returned the intrigue — 23:22. Unfortunately, the opposite of "Alba" corrected herself after the previous mistake, putting an end to this set - 25:23.
The beginning of the next set was for the "red and whites" - 2:4. Later, the representatives of Romania seized the initiative for a short time and made a spurt - 6:4. Despite this, our volleyball players continued to impose their game on the opponents. Oleksandra Milenko first equalized parity with a block-out, and after a few moments with elegant cut shots, she ensured the leadership of our club - 9:11.
The "swings" on the floor continued. At one point, a series of simple errors in the closing stages of the opponents' attacks led to disastrous numbers on the scoreboard, given how things had developed from the start - 18:15. Petkov's players could not turn the tide of the confrontation - 25:20.
Against the background of previous failures, the players of "Prometey" began the third set with a weak belief in the overall victory - 6:2. It was felt in every movement and touch of the ball — 14:7. The Bulgarian mentor tried to save the situation with time-outs and substitutions. In particular, Anastasiia Majevska appeared on the court instead of Mirta Grbac, and, as it turned out, it was fortunate.
Such perturbations did benefit our athletes because the gap between the teams decreased with each rally — 15:12, 17:14. In that segment, the actions of Ukrainians on the block caught the eye. With this game element, they earned a significant part of the points.
Russu's shot in the antenna, and it's 19:18. "Red and whites" got an excellent opportunity to grab the set after Svitlana Dorsman's effective cut shot — 23:23. Very soon, our captain, putting all her strength into the next shot, earned a set ball. It was implemented in the next episode - 24:26.
"Alba" started quite powerfully in the fourth set — 5:0. "Prometey" succeeded in reception after an unsuccessful serve by the opponents. No matter how much we wanted it, this moment did not become the reference point for the comeback of the Ukrainian team - 25:16 and overall 3-1.
So, with one win and two points, our players take the final fourth place in group B.
