Croatian champions Mladost beat Levski Sofia in the opening match of their second-round qualifying tie. Sven Jakopec’s closing block settled a tight fourth set and completed the home victory. The Zagreb club is seeking a return to the group stage after 27 years, with the return match on 11 November. Jakopec was named match MVP after scoring 16 points.
Croatian volleyball champions Mladost Zagreb beat Bulgarian champions Levski Sofia 3–1 in the first leg of the second Champions League qualifying round. The return match in Sofia is scheduled for 11 November.[1], [2]
The home win took 94 minutes. The set scores were 25–15, 25–19, 17–25 and 25–23. Mladost are seeking to bring the group stage back to their Dom odbojke arena after an absence of 27 years.[1]
Mladost opened with four aces and six blocks in the first set, when middle blocker Sven Jakopec contributed eight points. Levski, whose squad includes 12 players under 20, responded in the third set with leads of 5–1 and 8–2 before winning it. In the fourth, the visitors closed to 24–23, but Jakopec’s block ended the contest.[1]
Mladost finished ahead 14–8 in blocks and 65 per cent to 57 per cent in serve reception. Both teams scored 47 attack points. Jakopec’s 16 points included seven blocks, and he was named the match’s most valuable player. Levski’s Kristian Titryiski led all scorers with 25 points. Mladost coach Toni Kovačević credited his side’s serving and experience while stressing that qualification would be settled in Bulgaria.[1]
