Ford Levoranta Sastamala was strongr in the opening match. FLS took a major step toward the next round of the Challenge Cup by defeating North Macedonia’s VC Strumica 3–0 in their home match. The second part of the opening round will be played next Wednesday in Strumica. Advancement is determined by the number of match wins; if the teams are tied at 1–1, a ”golden set” will be played to decide who advances.
The top scorer for the home team, Ford Levoranta Sastamala, and for the entire match was Miikka Väisänen (10/+5). The most effective player for VC Strumica was Taylor Tripp (10/+2). Both were named the best players for their respective teams.
Ford Levoranta Sastamala – VC Strumica 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-17)
Ford Levoranta Sastamala: Miikka Väisänen 10/+5, Niklas Björlin 9/+7, Roland Jackson 9/+6,
VC Strumica: Taylor Tripp 10/+2, Kristian Ilijev 8/-3, Filip Madjunkov 7/+3
Starting lineups:
Ford Levoranta Sastamala: Roope Keskinen, Urpo Sivula, Jiri Leinonen, Atro Berg, Matti Maijala, Niklas Björlin, libero Teemu Lahti
From the bench: Miikka Väisänen, Niilo Kilpinen, Ville Järnvall, Roland Jackson, Ville Vainio, Iiro Seppälä
VC Strumica: Eftim Richliev, Taylor Tripp, Mitko Spasov, Kristian Ilijev, Atanasij Delevski, Filip Madjunkov, libero Stefan Maglesev
From the bench: Filip Stankov
Comments:
Urpo Sivula FLS:
– The main thing is that everyone got some time on the court. The goal was a 3–0 win, and we achieved that. Now we have two matches this weekend—lots of rest and lots of playing—which is actually quite nice, but it’s also quite a lot to handle.
Taylor Tripp, VC Strumica:
– We knew that the home team is a strong, top Finnish team. We can always improve and play harder in the next match. We’ll take some rest this weekend following the long journey, hit the gym early next week, and then, next Wednesday, you’ll see a refreshed Strumica.
Match statistics:
https://lml-web.dataproject.com/MatchStatistics.aspx?mID=5379&ID=156
Text: Jari Penttilä
Images: Hannu Moilanen
