T&T’s Marc-Anthony Honore and his SL Benfica suffered a heart-breaking 'Golden Set" 15-12 against eight-time Russian national champions, Belogorye Belgorod to bow out of the European Volleyball (CEV) Challenge Cup at the quarterfinal stage in front their home fans in Lisbon, Portugal, yesterday.
Following a 22-25, 20-25, 27-29 to the third-ranked Russian Super League club in the first leg of the quarterfinal two weeks, Benfica found itself needing to win the return leg by a 3-0 or 3-1 margin to force a "Golden Set"
Honore and his team-mates looked wells et to advance to the semifinals against fellow Portuguese club, Sporting CP after they won the match, 25-18, 25-23, 25-22 to force the 'Golden Set".
However, the visitors got off to a good start in the "Golden Set" and held on for a 15-12 victory to book their final-four spot.
Domestically, SL Benfica continued their winning form at the top of the Portugal Men’s Volleyball A-1 Division after a straight sets beating of Vitoria Guimaraes on Saturday, 25-22, 25-20, 25-15 for a sixth straight league win and an overall record of 20-1 and 60 points, three more than Sporting CP (19-2).
AJF Bastardo (15-5) and Sporting de Espinho (13-7) complete top four semifinal playoff spots with 45 and 40 points respectively.
The duo of Vitoria Guimaraes (13-8) and Mamede (11-10) are still in contention for the fourth and final main draw playoff spot with 39 and 38 points respectively.
Over in Asia, national women’s team middle-blocker, Sinead Jack and her Denso Airybees fell to a second straight 0-3 loss to Okayama Seagulls and third in-a-row overall, in the Japan Women’s Volleyball Premier League on Friday.
Denso Airybees were overwhelmed 20-25, 22-25, 15-25 and slipped to an 8-9 record and eighth spot on the 11-club table with 25 points, three behind sixth-placed Seagulls (9-9) who are in the sixth and final playoff position, ahead of Ageo (10-8), via their head-to-head results.
With three matches left to complete the regular league season, Jack and her clubmates must win their remaining encounters against second-placed JT Marvelous (February 16), third-placed Body Queenseis (February 17), and Ageo, six days later to have any chance of qualification.
In Turkish the Women’s Lig Bayanlar, national captain, Krystle Esdelle and her Pursaklar Belediyesi team-mates were stunned by Ilbank, 25-27, 17-25, 22-25 to drop to 15-4, in the 14-team Group B table, and further behind unbeaten Ankara PTT (18-0).
Despite the loss, Esdelle and her team, are safely among the top eight qualifiers to the main draw playoffs along with the top four teams from Pool A and will return to league play on Saturday, February 16, versus Kecioren, third with a
14-4 mark.
