The 7th round of the Polish men's volleyball league Przyga took place, and the team Rubin, which includes Japanese national team setter Seita Sekita, played against Olsztyn away from home. They lost in straight sets 3-0.
Results
Olsztyn vs Rubin 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-17)
In the first set, Olsztyn took the lead from the beginning, but the score remained close, with the score never being more than two points behind. Sekita, who played in the starting lineup that day, built his game around his strong attack from the middle, and his combination with MB Klage (Germany) was particularly impressive. Meanwhile, Olsztyn also focused on the sides, but also used the middle at key points, making it difficult to narrow down the target. The match remained close until the middle, but a spike by Rubin's captain OH Ferens (Poland) was blocked by the opponent's block, making the score 3 points behind at 18-15. Olsztyn then took the lead at 23-18 with a receiving ace from the opponent and a service ace from OH Defalco (USA). In the end, a spike by Rubin's OP Kapitza (Poland) was blocked, and Olsztyn took the set 25-20.
In the second set, Olsztyn's OP Buttlin (Poland) exploded. After a good dig from his teammate, he hit a spectacular shot that broke through Rubin's three blocks, and then from a 7-4 situation, he made it 11-4 with four consecutive breaks, including three consecutive service aces, and Olsztyn took control of the set. Rubin also tried to change the flow by replacing the setter with Sekita and Stempien (Poland), and replacing the outside player Walinski (Poland), who was targeted by the serve, with Marszczyk (Poland). Then, in the final stages, consecutive breaks from Kapitsa's serve brought them within three points at 23-20, but that was the end of their counterattack. In the end, Defalco's sharp pipe attack pierced the Rubin court, and Olsztyn took the set 25-21.
In the third set, Rubin started with Stempien as setter. Sekita watched from the bench. Olsztyn's momentum was unrelenting from the beginning. Buttlin's fourth service ace, Defalco's cutting attack in a different slot, and Defalco's second service ace once again put them ahead of Rubin, 10-4. Rubin also caught up to 2 points at 14-12 with spikes from Ferens and Kapitsa, but from there they were all caught by Olsztyn's blocks, while Olsztyn's attacks, led by Defalco, were successful one after another, and they were once again far behind at 22-14. Defalco, who was in top form that day, scored the match point to make it 25-17. Olsztyn defeated Rubin with a set count of 3-0.
Rubin's Captain Ference Spike
The MVP of the day was Defalco. He scored 19 points with 14 attack points, 2 service aces, and 3 blocks. He had a particularly impressive 741 TP3T conversion rate for a side player. Rubin couldn't keep up with him. The plan was to break Defalco down with his serves, but Defalco's reception was also good that day, so I think he needed a more aggressive serve to break him down.
Olsztyn's opposite Buttlin also had a great performance with four aces. Buttlin is one of my personal favorites, and although he is small for a volleyball player at 194 cm tall, he can reach a maximum height of 360 cm. In addition to the power of his spikes and serves, his selling point is his stability. He has no ups and downs in his performance and always shows a consistent performance. His ability is good enough to be a member of the Polish national team, but the Polish national team has too many players to be a candidate. However, there is a good chance that he will be called up to the new team for the Paris Olympics.
Number 21 is Buttrin
Olsztyn was able to attack with serves, mainly from Defalco and Buttlin. As a result, Sekita had difficulty deploying his strong attack from the center, especially from the middle of the first set. Rubin, who does not have a big ace, will have a tough time in high-set matches, so reception is a vital line. Even if it is not an A pass, I would like to somehow make it a B pass and create a situation where I can use the center. However, Sekita personally showed his presence not only in setting, but also in digging and serving, and he also got a touch on the block, so I think he did well. The problem is probably the thinness of the side attacker depth. We hope for the return of OH Gyelzioth (Poland) and the early joining of a second opposite.
The 8th round will be played against Lublin away from home on Sunday, November 21st at 17:30. Lublin is a team that was promoted this season, but they are a strong team, having beaten the powerful Belhatov. Since the two teams have similar names, we need to be careful not to confuse them.
Photo: PLPS
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