GRAZ/AMSTETT. With a 3-1 away win, VCA Amstetten NÖ laid the foundations for a place in the final for fifth place in the Austrian Volley League Men. After the first round went to the hosts in the Raiffeisen Sportpark, the Mostviertler turned the game around and won the next three sets in a row.
“Graz has not been easy for us. It took a little while for us to get into the game, but when this phase was over, we were fully there and clinched the first win in this series,” summarized VCA sports director Michael Henschke, who looked after his team from the coach’s chair .
Away success is “an important cornerstone”
The duels in the placement playoff, the winner of which ends the season in fifth place, are played in the European Cup mode, with a return game, where the match result is also included. Thus, the VCA goes into the return match with a cushion and can secure promotion to the final match by winning at least two sets.
“The away win is an important cornerstone in this series for us. It’s never easy to start a series like this as a visiting team. From that point of view, we have solved this task very well,” said Henschke.
Top scorer des VCA: Jonah Zelenka
The top scorer of the game for the Lower Austrians was diagonal attacker Jonah Zelenka, who replaced VCA top scorer Michael Czerwinski.
“Jonah has already had very good performances in the MEVZA this year and once again proved today that he is up to the task of being the main attacker. I was very happy about that,” says Henschke, whose team welcomes the Grazers in the second leg on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in the Johann-Pölz-Halle.
Austrian Volley League Men 2022/23
UVC Holding Graz – VCA Amstetten NÖ 1 – 3
25-17, 17-25, 23-25, 18-25
Top scorer: Ochaya (14), Perezic (12), Sablatnig (9) bzw. Zelenka (12), Pallot (11), Brzostowicz (9)
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