Argentina - ACLAV 2008/2009

    Meana: "It will be an interesting final series to watch"
    Belgrano was defeated and also Gigantes del Sur. Drean Bolívar arrived to a new Final, the 16th since the team has been coached by Javier Weber and the boys are motivated with the challenge of maintaining the title of Kings. It will be from this Thursday on, vs. La unión de Formosa, in the definition of the championship of the ACLAV A1 Men Teams Nativa Nación League, to be played to the best of seven matches.



    Eventhough the team of Tinelli already concentrated in the city of Lobos, with the mind on the matches that will face the team coached by Waldo Kantor, Pablo Meana made a balance of the last rival, Gigantes del Sur, in the radio program Morgan Lo Hizo (morganlohizo.blogspot.com): "I think we had a good Semi-Final Series. Eventhough we suffered one defeat, we played at a good level all the Play-Offs matches. No doubt, we will have to improve some things as usual, but the team is all right so we expect the Final Series".


    The Necochea player is one of the main clues of the team of Drean Bolívar and already has on his shoulders several battles. Therefore, an coming across the believe that Bolívar will defeat easily La Unión he added: "Eventhough all say we will win easily, it will not be so. We believe that La Unión is a strong rival and we will go match by match".


    The backgrounds between both teams showed that the rivality grew along the time, specially this season, with the decision of Formosa team to reinforce itself to win the championshi. Therefore, they hired Milinkovic and Elgueta, with the last seven matches undefeated and finishing second in the Regular Season. Also, Kantor already knows how to defeat in a Final Bolívar, as he did as coach of the Swiss Medical Monteros Team in the season 2004/05. At that time, the doctor of Tucumán team, was Gabriel Solari. Now he works with Bolivar and just now was hired by the Argentine National Men and Boys Teams.


    "I can imagine a very fought final series. We have been playing together for the last three years and most of the teams of this League knows us pretty well so they know how we play. The League has improved too and other teams also. La Unión has two great players as Marcos and Jorge that are in a great level and the other players also have showed a good output. It will be a very levelled Final Series, much more than the last two seasons vs. Gigantes del Sur and Chubut Volley, they will risk more. It will be nice for the people that enjoy volleyball to see such a series of matches" added Meana.


    All the team of Drean Bolívar had lunch in the concentration of Lobos with Marcelo Tinelli, that travelled to wish them luck in this new challenge. Next Thursday and Friday, the local fans expect to see them at the VIP place in the República Venezuela Stadium in Bolívar, in the start of a series to the best of seven matches, all live broadcasted by ESPN+.


    source: ACLAV

    Drean Bolívar wins the first Final match
    Drean Bolívar defeated La Unión de Formosa 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-15) in the first final match of the ACLAV A1 Men Teams Nativa Nación Card League, to the best of seven matches. The income of Badá was the clue to the victory of the team that lost the first set. Wallace was the best scorer with 2o points. On Friday, at the same time and field and also live broadcast by ESPN+ will be the second match.


    Drean Bolívar and La Unión de Formosa arrived with great expectations to the first match of the Final Series and about 1,600 local fans were at the República de Venezuela Stadium, including the presence of the owner of the team, the showman Marcelo Tinelli mixed with the audience.


    In the first set both teams showed great performances with Bolívar leading by 4 points but won by La Unión that fought each ball as if it would be the last one. On the second the victory was for Bolívar but the battle went on. From the third, the confidence of La Unión left the team that could hardly maintain a 3-4 point difference to finish giving away any fight on the last set, due to a poor performance of its main stars.


    Statistics


    Drean Bolívar (3): William, Wallace, Gabriel Arroyo, Alejandro Spajic, Guillermo García, Javier Filardi, Pablo Meana (L).
    Substitute players included: Lucas Tell, Maximiliano Cavanna, Badá, Mauricio Viller.
    Coach: Javier Weber


    La Unión de Formosa (1): Sebastián Brajkovic, Marcos MilinKovic, Martín Blanco Costa, Javier Soldi, Jorge Elgueta, Nicolás Tibaldo, Franco Massimino (L).
    Substitute players included: Carlos Viegas, Dante Carneri, Louis Mainville, Tomás Layus.
    Coach: Waldo Kantor


    source: ACLAV

    What a great victory, Bolívar!
    This team does not play against normal human beings. Its main rival is its own history and statistics. No doubt, Drean Bolívar history will have a special chapter in the history of Argentine volleyball. The team coached by Javier Weber won for third consecutive year, with a total of five, the ACLAV A1 Men Teams Nativa Nación Card League vs. La Unión de Formosa by 4-1.



    The last point, the one that allowed nearly the 2,000 Bolívar fans packed in the República de Venezuela stadium, that defeated a strong and great La Unión team by 3-1 (25-27, 25-16, 25-16, 25-14) allowed the local celebration (the last two seasons they won the series 4-0 away from home). But La Unión fought until the last ball without giving up even though Bolívar became very strong from the second set onwards even though its best player, Wallace, suffered a serious knee injury in the second match of the Final Series that finished 4-1. Another team would have felt this great absence, Bolívar didn't.


    But La Unión has to be named because they joint a team to fight the title against Drean Bolívar and that is what they did. They should also feel satisfied even though the last goal was not fulfilled. With the great output of Marcos Milinkovic and Jorge Elgueta the team coached by Waldo Kantor made this final series become the most levelled of the last seasons and the embrace between Waldo and Javier, both former setters of the Argentine National Team, is a proof of it. This only shows the improvement of the teams and the league, something that only talks good of Argentine Volleyball all together.


    La Unión stepped onto the field without shame ... If someone thought for a moment that they would give the match away they showed exactly the opossite and fought each and every ball until the last one.


    At the end the celebration atmosphere from the fans got into the field and the fourth set was too much for La Unión with Drean Bolívar not being able to be stopped. Both teams showed they are great but Bolívar had more air and felt they deserved this celebration. The last point, on the hads of Filardi and the celebration, cheering, shouting, crying, all was in the players and coaching team. There is no doubt that Bolívar with five championships, and other titles won in different parts of the world is the best team of Argentina. Another season that ends but the work goes on, and tomorrow there will be people already thinking on the 2009/10 season.



    Drean Bolívar (3): William, Badá, Gabriel Arroyo, Alejandro Spajic, Guillermo García, Javier Filardi, Pablo Meana (L).
    Substitute players included: Mauricio Viller, Lucas Tell, Maximiliano Cavanna, Rodrigo Aschemacher.
    Coach: Javier Weber


    La Unión de Formosa (1): Sebastián Brajkovic, Marcos Milinkovic, Martín Blanco Costa, Javier Soldi, Jorge Elgueta, Nicolás Tibaldo, Franco Massimino (L).
    Substitute players included: Louis Mainville, Sebastián Mora, Hernán Carneri, Tomás Layus,
    Coach: Waldo Kantor


    source: ACLAV