Three in a row in ParaVolley Europe Golden EuroLeague for Sempeter

Having lost to final opponents GiocoParma in the pool stages, the Slovenians had a point to prove coming into the gold medal match. 

And they rose to the occasion in fine style, using their experience to find a way to win against talented opponents. 

The first set proved to be crucial, as it could have gone either way until its closing stages, before Sempeter edged it 25-23. 

That gave the defending champions all the encouragement needed to then take the next two 25-16, 25-20 and secure a straight sets victory – finished off with an ace. 

The bronze medal match turned out to be a less straightforward success for Dream Volley Pisa than they might have imagined in repeating their Pool win over Mozdulj SE to claim a place on the podium. 

The Italian team raced into a 12-0 first set lead and duly converted that into a 25-8 overall scoreline.

Mozdulz put up a much better fight in the second set before Pisa took it 25-22 and then went one better in the third, shutting down a Pisa fightback to win it 26-24. 

But the team in blue and yellow reset and came back strongly in the fourth set to take it 26-13 and ensure they prevailed. 

The first match on court saw familiar foes Panthers take on Lyon in the fifth versus sixth play-off. 

The sides have met several times in the past, with Panthers winning the latest clash earlier this year in the Silver League. 

The first set was very tight, with the teams level at 16-16 and 20-20 before the visitors came through to take it 25-22. 

The second set followed a similar pattern, with the teams evenly matched until Lyon were able to win the key points in the final stages to again win it 25-22 before they close out the match in straight sets, clinching the third 25-18. 

Images by Jon Cornish

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