A historic final spot in the CEV Cup was only a golden set away for Roeselare.
The West Flemings had factored in the fact that it had to undergo the law of the strongest when visiting Piacenza. The storage pressure was too high, the attacks came too fast and the block was too strong to get around.
So Roeselare ran behind the facts for three sets. Not that it played a terrible game in Italy, on the contrary. The opposition could – now at full strength – simply shift that gear up.
In the third set, the visitors finally regained some confidence. With a lead halfway, a first (mini) triumph seemed to be in the making. But after a few steely aces from Piacenza everything could be redone: 3-0 after an hour and a half of volleyball was the result.
Everything had to be decided in the golden set. A scenario that Roeselare had prepared down to the last detail. The little confidence that the team tanked was used optimally. And when Seppe Rotty made it 10-13 with a nice ace, the belief was completely there.
Roeselare got two match balls, but only needed one. The visitors saw a service from Piacenza end up in the net with shaky knees and rubbed their eyes: the historic final ticket had now really been won.
The West Flemings are preparing for a 4th final after their 250th European match. The first leg against Modena is scheduled for March 29, followed by the second leg in Schiervelde on April 5.
Stijn D’Hulst: “Unbelievable what we put here, I can’t believe it yet. You dream of a CEV Cup final all your life, now it’s reality for us.”
“We said in advance that we had chances in a golden set, even if we lose 3-0. In a set of up to 15 points, everything is suddenly possible. We kept fighting, so chapeau for the whole team.”
Matthijs Verhanneman: “We were lagging behind in the first two sets. I felt that the spring broke. In the golden set we had to play all or nothing and then it tilted at the right time. We suddenly felt the doubt with Piacenza.”
