© BELGIUM
Volleybal Lotto Volley League
No 2-0 lead for Maaseik in the title final. A tired-looking Greenyard was only able to make a fist in set two against Roeselare, which took revenge for the 3-1 defeat two evenings ago with the same scores.
Roeselare coach Vanmedegael made one change. Center man Van Elsen saw his strong substitute appearance on Thursday rewarded with a starting place, causing Treial to disappear to the bench. Knack got off to a very convincing start, Maaseik rather hesitantly. Things regularly went wrong with the Limburgers, especially in the reception area. D’Hulst’s floats caused a lot of damage halfway through: 14-8. A series from Cox gave some hope (19-17), but Coolman and Rotty secured the set win.
Maaseik hung the signs again in the second inning, but that cost blood, sweat and tears. Good serving work from Bartos and Iribarne was good for a reassuring 15-20 lead. In money time, Greenyard collapsed like a pudding for a moment. While Cox was being treated for cramps, Roeselare set Schiervelde on fire with fantastic volleyball. Verhanneman’s 25-24 came after a rally to frame. Yet the set win went to the Maaslanders, who recovered just in time via Iribarne and Bartos.
That good recovery gave the home team the necessary impetus for the rest. A tired-looking Maaseik was really nowhere there. Setter Vanker regularly made mistakes while D’Hulst distributed masterfully on the other side. An ace from Rotty was good for the 2-1 lead. After another poor start in set four, Bertini responded with the introduction of Hanzic for Iribarne and Lindqvist for the slightly injured Cox. The young Finn in particular showed his potential. Maaseik stayed in the wake of the West Flemish until 18-17. But with a zero out of four and a service miss, Hanzic condemned his own team to an overall justified 3-1 defeat.
Maaseik and Roeselare will therefore divide the loot for the time being. The title final continues on Tuesday evening in the Steengoed Arena. (rkb)
Sets: 25-22, 27-29, 25-15, 25-20.
Roeselare: Plaskie 12, Verhanneman 11, Coolman 12, D’Hulst, Rotty 21, Van Elsen 8. Libero: Deroey. Arrived in: Depovere, Wijkstra.
Maaseik: Polak 6, Bartos 13, Iribarne 8, Cox 17, Vanker 1, Fornès 7. Libero: Currie. Arrived in: Hanzic 2, Lindqvist 8, Berkhout.