Federations
Bigbank TARTU crowned new champions of Credit24 Champions League
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Article Mon, Mar 4 2019
Tartu, Estonia, March 4, 2019. Bigbank TARTU claimed on Sunday the team’s first major title since 2015 – when they last became the champions of the Estonian – Latvian united league as well – as they secured top honours from the 2019 Credit24 Champions League. In the semi-finals, TARTU beat PÄRNU VK 3-0 before pulling out a dramatic 3-2 (21-25, 25-22, 25-19, 19-25, 19-17) victory in the grand finale with SAAREMAA VC.
As expected, the decisive match held in Tartu was a spectacle for the audience. In the final set, TARTU were able to grab a 12-7 lead, but SAAREMAA managed to get as many as four match balls. Still, in the last moments, TARTU were more confident and of course, it was opposite Hindrek Pulk who scored the last point, securing a 19-17 win for the home side. Pulk has a remarkable history in the league – with the last title, he has won the league as well as the MVP award with four different teams. He ended up with 20 points this time. “I do not deserve the MVP award; this time I think it should go to Stefan Kaibald instead, since he made the difference today. It was a team effort,” Pulk said.
On the winning side, there were other players who were pivotal to the victory, especially young outside hitter Stefan Kaibald and middle blocker Mart Naaber, who made his first appearance after a long injury break. “They were my two ‘jokers’ today,” admitted head coach Andrei Ojamets. “No one said success has to come easy and matches like this one will be remembered for a long time,” Ojamets added.
In the bronze match, PÄRNU VK beat the only Latvian club in the Final Four tournament, RTU/Robežsardze 3-0 (25-23, 27-25, 25-21).
Best players of the Final Four:
Outside hitters: Illia Kovalov (PÄRNU VK), Aleksandrs Avdejevs (RTU/Robežsardze)
Libero: Rait Rikberg (Bigbank TARTU)
Middle blockers: Meelis Kivisild (Bigbank TARTU), Harri Palmar (SAAREMAA VC)
Setter: Artis Caics (Bigbank TARTU)
Opposite: Siim Põlluäär (SAAREMAA VC)
MVP: Hindrek Pulk (Bigbank TARTU)
As expected, the decisive match held in Tartu was a spectacle for the audience. In the final set, TARTU were able to grab a 12-7 lead, but SAAREMAA managed to get as many as four match balls. Still, in the last moments, TARTU were more confident and of course, it was opposite Hindrek Pulk who scored the last point, securing a 19-17 win for the home side. Pulk has a remarkable history in the league – with the last title, he has won the league as well as the MVP award with four different teams. He ended up with 20 points this time. “I do not deserve the MVP award; this time I think it should go to Stefan Kaibald instead, since he made the difference today. It was a team effort,” Pulk said.
On the winning side, there were other players who were pivotal to the victory, especially young outside hitter Stefan Kaibald and middle blocker Mart Naaber, who made his first appearance after a long injury break. “They were my two ‘jokers’ today,” admitted head coach Andrei Ojamets. “No one said success has to come easy and matches like this one will be remembered for a long time,” Ojamets added.
In the bronze match, PÄRNU VK beat the only Latvian club in the Final Four tournament, RTU/Robežsardze 3-0 (25-23, 27-25, 25-21).
Best players of the Final Four:
Outside hitters: Illia Kovalov (PÄRNU VK), Aleksandrs Avdejevs (RTU/Robežsardze)
Libero: Rait Rikberg (Bigbank TARTU)
Middle blockers: Meelis Kivisild (Bigbank TARTU), Harri Palmar (SAAREMAA VC)
Setter: Artis Caics (Bigbank TARTU)
Opposite: Siim Põlluäär (SAAREMAA VC)
MVP: Hindrek Pulk (Bigbank TARTU)