The last match of the regular season in the MEVZA league saw the home team, i-Vent Maribor, face off against ACH Volley Ljubljana.
The first set was closely contested in its early stages, but the visitors from Ljubljana went on a 5-0 run to take a 21:15 lead and comfortably secured the first set. Maribor entered the second set with much more determination and maintained the lead throughout. When the home team pulled ahead 16:10 and the unstoppable Gustavo Cavalcanti found his rhythm, it became clear that they would level the match.
A similar scenario unfolded in the third set, which the home team won 25:19, the same score as the previous set, taking a 2:1 lead. However, a lapse in concentration followed. After a dominant fourth set where Maribor was outplayed, an intense and thrilling fifth set ensued. As i-Vent Maribor’s captain Žiga Donik stated, unforced errors crept in during the final set, and after more than two hours of play, ACH Volley Ljubljana secured a 3:2 victory.
Sebastijan Škorc, head coach of i-Vent Maribor: “We fought hard today, and I truly want to congratulate the boys for their effort. Both teams made a lot of attacking errors, but our fighting spirit allowed us to play a good match. Although there was more at stake than just one point, we can still be satisfied with this valuable point.”
Žiga Donik, captain of i-Vent Maribor: “We played one of our best matches today, especially in terms of effort and fight. Despite some attacking errors, our performance was solid. Our slightly shuffled lineup may have confused the visitors, disrupting their game. However, we made too many unforced errors in the fifth set to secure the win.”
