Olympiacos 3-1: The greens were superior and the Volley League title will be decided in the fifth match

Panathinaikos showed in yet another game that it will not go down unchallenged against Olympiakos for the women’s Volleyball League, the “green” beat the “red and white” 3-1, tied the series at 2-2 and now the title will be judged next Saturday (27/04) at “Melina Merkouri”.

In one week, Panathinaikos set fire to the women’s Volley League title battle. Initially, he spoiled the “red and white” party at “Melina Merkouri” and in Metz’s closed game, the “clover” further postponed the coronation by leading the finals to a fifth match.

Dragan Nesic’s players, with first violins in the attack, Sheridan Atkinson and Kenia Karkathes, defeated Olympiakos 3-1, tied at 2-2 and everything will now be decided next Saturday (27/04) at the home of Piraeus.

The only survivor from Lorenzo Micelli’s team was Mikaela Mleinkova, with the Italian called upon to find the solutions to lead Olympiakos to their first title since 2020, while completing the year with a double.

The match

The two teams entered the match strong (4-4), with Atkinson on his side Panathinaikou to take action from the start by getting three of the first four “green” points.

The mistakes in the attack of Piraeus made their appearance, with the score quickly slipping away in favor of the home team (7-4, 9-5, 11-6).

Karkathes took the “weapon” of the American diagonal, Sheridan Atkinson, and with an offensive crescendo led Panathinaikos to a double-digit difference (22-12, 23-13) and finally to the comfortable conquest of the first set (25-15).

In the second set things were more balanced, the two teams could not separate by more than one point with the lead changing hands.

All this until 13-11 after another point from the first fiddle of Clover, Atkinson, and Mleinkova’s misfired attack.

THE Olympic managed to draw with the Czech Republic and Nizetich’s single block (15-15), with Dragan Nesic’s players taking the lead again with two points thanks to Atkinson (19-17).

Three consecutive mistakes (two missed attacks and one violation in the net) for the “red and white” made it 22-20, with Karkathes flying for 24-22 and giving two set balls to her team.

In another set, the two teams went hand in hand at the start, with Olympiakos taking the lead for the first time in the match with two points for (5-7).

Nizetich’s single block on Atkinson and the video check allowed Lorenzo Micelli’s players to get a three-point safety cushion on two occasions (5-8, 7-10).

THE Panathinaikos went on a 3-0 mini-run to tie it at 12-12, with Olympiakos responding with the same coin to make it 14-17.

Mikaela Mleinkova had a different point of view in the healthy walk that went to develop the match. The Czech’s three personal points and Karkathes’ attack error turned 23-21 into 23-25 and made the looming 3-0 set, 2-1.

In the fourth set, there were many lead changes, with neither team being able to defend the difference they were getting.

This resulted in 4-2 becoming 4-4, 15-11 quickly turning into 15-14, while when Olympic went ahead with 20-18, Panathinaikos’ 3-0 run with Atkinson taking the “gun” again turned the tide once more.

The “red and white” with Mleinkova on a big day tied temporarily at 23-23, before Atkinson’s block and Panathinaikos’ winning block out with the help of the video check gave the fourth set 25-23.

The sets: 25-15, 25-23, 23-25, 25-23