The volleyball players of Nova Tech Lycurgus were able to overcome the lost European Cup match against Dnipro with a 3-0 win over Huizen. This makes the Groningers the new leader in the Premier League.
This is partly because Orion, which previously led the rankings, did not take action during the weekend. Lycurgus had little difficulty against Huizen on Saturday evening in treating the low-flyer to a 3-0 defeat in just over an hour of playing time. That happened in a solid match, in which the Groningen team did not have to go to extremes. Because Huizen’s resistance was too poor for that.
It did give the men of Lycurgus coach Arjan Taaij the opportunity to get rid of the frustrations of Thursday’s 3-0 European Cup loss against the Ukrainian SC Prometey Dnipro. In Mioveni, Romania, where the ‘home match’ was played against Russia due to the war, the Groningers were unable to cope with the power volleyball of the team from Ukraine. The second match against Dnipro in the sixteenth finals of the CEV Cup is scheduled for Wednesday in Martiniplaza.
Lycurgus rules from the beginning
Whether Saturday’s easy win over Huizen has predictive value for Wednesday remains to be seen. In any case, Lycurgus was predominant from the beginning. This time Taaij preferred Sam Gortzak as playmaker over the American Cole Bogner. Veteran Ramon Martinez Gion also started right from the beginning this time.
Together with center forward Robin Boekhoudt, he was the most dangerous man at Lycurgus. Both scored around ten points each. International Jeffrey Klok played another great game as libero. He caught many balls in the backfield and usually provided a good cross. Huizen could not offer enough in return to put Lycurgus on fire at any point.
Diagonal Thomas Sleurink fits in well
The superior Groningers quickly took a lead of several points in the first set. It then grew into a real hole. At 19-25 the set and the 0-1 lead went to the visitors. In the second set, Huizen initially kept up a little better, partly due to some carelessness on Lycurgus’s part. But the Groningen team almost made no mistakes after 15-18 and won the second set 16-25.
Lycurgus’s victory is more than deserved
Substitute Thomas Sleurink was important. The 19-year-old Kampenaar, who came over from Talentteam Papendal, replaced fellow diagonal Cal Fisher. The American is not yet back to his old self due to knee problems. Sleurink, who emphatically applied for a starting position, was a worthy replacement. The third set was also not exciting at 18-25, so the 3-0 win for Lycurgus was more than deserved.