Iraklis picks up volleyball cup
Champion Iraklis overcame the resistance of Panathinaikos and won Greek volleyball’s Super Cup last night with a 3-2 victory at Thessaloniki’s PAOK Sports Arena. Boosted by the strong support of some 3,000 fans, Iraklis was superior in its attacks and won the first set 25-20. Panathinaikos improved its serve and attack and bagged the second set 19-25, but in the third Iraklis overturned a 19-21 deficit to win 25-23. Panathinaikos came back and won the fourth set 20-25 but succumbed to the champion 15-11 in the tiebreak. Both teams showed a different face to the previous year, due to the arrival of new players and new coaches: Italian Mauro Berruto sits on the bench of Panathinaikos and Swedish Anders Christianson coaches Iraklis. The two clubs are again the favorites for the domestic title. The Super Cup was the official opening to the new volleyball season, with the league starting this weekend. Proceeds from the event yesterday will be donated to the fight against breast cancer.
