The last Argentine A1 League champion beat Buenos Aires United in Master Cup finals, the first tournament in the season, by tie break (24/26, 25/17, 24/26, 25/19, 11/15) in Mar del Plata city.
The king is on the run to a new championship and wants to repeat the successful 2010/11 season with a new team. Although many players went away (spikers Patti and Czech Baraneck, for example), coach Armoa create a new group with the same winner mystic. This Thursday, UPCN won the Master Cup after beating one of the best teams in the country, Buenos Aires United, which line up some volleyball stars as opposite Milinkovic, Cuban middle blocker Ihosvany Hernández, setter Firpo and American Olimpic Gold medal Riley Salmon.
Diego Gutierrez (who played in Germany and France) setted the UPCN offensive and was and important weapon to take advantage of the strong shots of Roman Bogdan Olteanu, Brazilian Junior Souza and Argentine opposite Diego Bonini. Even that, the local team won the second and the fourth set when setter Firpo get injured. Milinkovic was admonished and in tie break receive the red card, so he cant play much of the decisive period.
UPCN blocks a lot and that made easier the job for the winner, that repeated 2010 conqest.
Line-ups:
Buenos Aires United: Sebastián Firpo – Marcos Milinkovic, Ihosvany Hernández – André Radtke, Riley Salmon – Mariano Giustiniano; Martín Meana (L). Coach: Waldo Kantor. Substitutes: Bruno Vinti, Tomás Layús, Juan Ignacio Finoli, Rodrigo Ronda and Gastón Tissera.
UPCN Volley Club: Diego Gutiérrez – Diego Bonini, Gustavo Molina – Junior, Rodrigo Peres Lopes – Bogdan Olteanu, Sebastián Garrocq (L). Coach: Fabián Armoa. Subtitute: Martín Ramos.
Once Unidos Stadium
Referees: Fernando Romano and Luis Fuentes
Sets: 26/24, 17/25, 26/24, 19/25 y 11/15.
FORMOSA UNION, THE THIRD
Formosa Union won the bronze medal with the new players middle blocker Alejandro Spajic and spiker Leonardo Patti. They defeated Boca Juniors by 3-2 (23/25, 25/27, 25/20, 25/23, 15/8)
Lines up:
FORMOSA UNION: Maximiliano Cavanna – Gustavo Scholtis, Alejandro Spajic – Javier Sánchez, Leonardo Patti – Nicolás Tibaldo (c), Franco Massimino (L). Coach: Martín López. Substitutes: Ezequiel Palacios, Juan Cruz Aramburu, Pablo Peralta.
Boca Río Uruguay Insurance: Nicolás Uriarte – Juan Pablo Hatrick, Francisco Russo – Maximiliano Gauna, Mauricio Arrúa – Joao Kulakauskas, Facundo Santucci (L). Coach: Marcelo Gigante. Substitute: Lucas Araujo.
