News from the club

Maaseik, Belgium, March 2, 2014. Noliko MAASEIK recently welcomed back Kristof Hoho and Jelte Maan who – for different reasons – had been out for several weeks. Hoho had scared Belgium’s volleyball community as he suffered a heart stroke last December during a match of the national league versus archrivals Knack ROESELARE. However, he quickly recovered thanks to a special defibrillator and after a series of checks the doctors gave him the green light to resume playing.

“I am very happy that I can play again” Hoho says. “The team has been going through a difficult season and it is very hard to follow all this from aside not being able to help and contribute to the team’s efforts. I am grateful for the support I have received and also for the attitude showed by the club”.

Jelte Maan is also back after undergoing surgery and a rehab process that lasted for three months. “We now have a complete roster of 12 players and this comes right in time for the start of the Playoffs” Hoho stresses. “So everything is still possible. In the four last matches we scored three clear wins and lost only at the tie-break to Knack ROESELARE, so this shows that we are back on track. We have a good position to start from for the Playoffs that will feature six teams. At the end of the Playoffs the first and second placed teams will battle it out for the title. I am convinced that we are ready to take on all other teams and we can stand this challenge” Hoho concludes.  

Maaseik, Belgium, January 30, 2014. Belgium’s Noliko MAASEIK is currently supporting three different charities whose goal and mission is to help people in need: Bone4Kids, A Heart for Limburg, as well as the Fund for Germ cell tumors.    

A spinning marathon was organized by Belgium’s multiple champions with the primary goal to raise funds for these organizations. The centre court of the Lotto Dôme was turned into a huge spinning room where some extra space was reserved to the sponsors and the fans of the 81 participants.
These spinners cycled – alone or in small groups – from 8:30am up to 8:30pm while spinning lessons were conducted by certified instructors from the company Basic Fit.
The Volleyball players of Noliko MAASEIK also joined this action as they accompanied one of the instructors for about one hour.
“This first charity event has been a huge success” says Noliko Assistant Manager Marc Vermeulen. “Via the registration fee paid by the participants, the contribution by our sponsors and some more proceedings from selling drinks and food we have collected 11.036,89 €. This is an excellent result that we are really satisfied with!”

Trento, Italy, January 22, 2014. TRENTINO Diatec made it to the Playoffs 6 of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League after defeating the Belgians of Noliko MAASEIK 3:1 at the “PalaTrento” (25-23, 25-19, 26-28, and 25-23). In the next round TRENTINO will get to test the likes of Russia’s standout Belogorie BELGOROD playing first away and then the return game at home.  

In 2012 TRENTINO Diatec and Noliko MAASEIK had also crossed their ways in the Playoffs 12 of the CEV Volleyball Champions League and their clashes had always ended with a victory for the Italians. This time the outcome was not any different, with the players from Trento making the next stage of the competition.

TRENTINO set the tempo of the game from the beginning of the first set, especially with blocks by Sebastian Solé and Alexandre Ferreira and got control of the operations going up 19:13; after that TRENTINO slowed down a bit and the score moved up to 24:23 thanks to some good attacks killed by Federico Pereyra for MAASEIK, before the guys of Roberto Serniotti closed the set (25-23).

In the second set Tsvetan Sokolov and his mates were back to their usual tempo and started strongly with a quick 6:3 to set the tone of the game. Starting from there TRENTINO dominated the scene in all fundamentals and after moving up the score to a huge 19:12, the Italians clipped the set 25-19. With this TRENTINO accomplished its mission to qualify to the Playoffs 6.
In the third set head coach Roberto Serniotti took the opportunity to give a rest to some players of the starting six and TRENTINO resumed playing with Matteo Burgsthaler, Michele Fedrizzi, David Szabo and Giacomo Sintini. The guests took the lead up to a tie at 24:24 and after thrilling and exciting rallies Noliko MAASEIK won the third set (26-28), led by the wing-spiker Pereyra.
The fourth set was played point for point (7:7) but was finally closed by the home team with the score of 25-23.The middle blocker of TRENTINO Sebastian Solé was named MVP of the match with 53% of efficiency in attack (he chartered 13 points including 5 blocks). Noteworthy was also the performance of opposite David Szabo who played in the third and fourth set and scored 11 points (including 3 aces). On the other side of the net Federico Pereyra nearly won a set all alone, as he scored 24 points.

 “I am very satisfied with the first two sets and honestly I am happy that we played a fourth set too, so I had the opportunity to replace some players and experience different situations. Let’s see what the match against Belogorie BELGOROD will bring. First of all we have to focus on the matches of the national league and the Italian Cup” stated local coach Roberto Serniotti.
“It is always tough playing against a strong team such Diatec TRENTINO; we tried and we gave our best, but their level is too high. It was a pity, but it was anyway a good and useful experience for our team” said the head coach of Noliko, Erik Verstraten.

Maaseik, Belgium, January 14, 2014. Italy’s Diatec TRENTINO opened the program of the Playoffs 12 in the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men on Tuesday with a 3:1 away victory over Belgium’s Noliko MAASEIK (22-25, 25-15, 26-24, and 25-18).

The match was attended by 2,100 fans at the Lotto Dôme and once more the hosts could not count on their Dutch wing-spiker Jelte Maan who is still recovering from surgery while another local favorite, Kristof Hoho, was not 100% fit after suffering a heart stroke shortly before the Christmas break. This nevertheless did not prevent Noliko from catching a flying start and also from leading the way in the opening set (8:6) where the hosts could keep that lead all the way through the final 25-22. Diatec TRENTINO responded immediately going up 9:6 in the second set where the players around head coach Roberto Serniotti showed their great skills (16:9, 20:11) to make it straight to 25-15 anchored by their stellar Bulgarian opposite Tsvetan Sokolov. Noliko did nevertheless not lose composure and opened the third set with a good tempo (8:6) and the score stayed very close up to the second technical time-out where TRENTINO flipped the charts around and took the lead with the slimmest margin. That neck-to-neck race continued up to 24 all before TRENTINO scored two in a row to seal the final 26-24. MAASEIK was able to keep it up with TRENTINO also in the fourth set though only up to 9 all; after that the Italians broke away (18:10) and even though Noliko attempted a late comeback (21:16), the guests from Italy were simply too strong and could pocket a valuable away victory (25-18). Sokolov top scored in the end with 23 points while Argentine Federico Pereyra paced Noliko with 18.  

“Tonight we missed on a great opportunity; we played very well in the first set and then gave away a lot of chances” commented Noliko head coach Erik Verstraten.
“We are playing a lot of matches with this young team and have a busy schedule” added TRENTINO mentor Roberto Serniotti. “Tonight we played another tough game so I am happy with this victory.”

Maaseik, Belgium, January 12, 2014. Belgium’s Noliko MAASEIK will host on Tuesday Italy’s Diatec TRENTINO to open the actions in the Playoffs 12 of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men. This game against the four-time club world champions and three-time winners of the Champions League will be another opportunity to watch world-class Volleyball for the local fans at the Lotto Dôme.  

“After playing Russia’s Belogorie BELGOROD in the prelims, we are set to play another top team in this competition” Noliko head coach Erik Verstraten says. “My players will be very motivated to play TRENTINO since this game is another important step in their individual and collective development. This is a chance you do not get that often” he continues.

“Since I started my coaching career I have played Noliko quite many times, so this seems to be a a regular feature in my personal Volleyball story” adds TRENTINO mentor Roberto Serniotti. “Noliko is a club with a long tradition that has written the history of our sport in Belgium and has also launched some world-class players like for instance Wout Wijsmans. We will prepare very carefully for this double-header with Noliko. Even though they have changed some players I know that their main strengths are still the same: their float serve and their defense are the strongest attributes of this team” he stresses.

Both teams have gone through ups and downs lately in their respective national leagues; TRENTINO lost 1:3 at home to Calzedonia VERONA on Wednesday before edging this weekend Andreoli LATINA with the same score while Noliko needed five sets before having the upper hand in their clash with Argex Duvel PUURS.

Maaseik, Belgium, December 28, 2013. Noliko MAASEIK is currently organizing a Christmas Youth Tournament and could recently welcome 16 teams and their respective players at the Lotto Dôme. 

“The youth is at the center of this tournament; this is the intention and ambition of our club as we host this tournament. We offer to these young players a good stage where they can showcase their skills to an experienced and competent audience” says the Manager of Noliko youth division, Jo Tielens. The tournament is open to eight teams per gender and at the end of the prelims the top ranked sides will go for the final match to be played on the main court of the Lotto Dôme under the same conditions offered for the home matches played by Noliko in the CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League.

This is going to be an extraordinary experience for all these young players whose dream is to embark on a professional career in the sport. “This tournament has gained recognition and built on its excellent reputation throughout the years” Tielens adds. “Every year we notice an improvement in the quality of the Volleyball displayed by the participating teams who prepare carefully for this event and always look forward to their next participation.” This year’s edition will come to an end on Sunday with the men’s national teams of Belgium and Germany playing a friendly match as they fine tune their preparations for their respective World Champs qualifier coming up through January 3-5 in Paris and Ludwigsburg respectively.

Maaseik, Belgium, December 18, 2013. Russian giants Belogorie BELGOROD showed once more their class to finish the prelims of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League with a perfect record of six wins in as many matches after they downed Belgium’s Noliko MAASEIK in straight sets on Wednesday night (25-22, 25-21, and 25-18). Belogorie is the only team that did not drop a set since the start of the season and will be a very tough opponent for any other Volleyball standout in the Playoffs. The game was attended by 2,400 fans at the Lotto Dôme who came together to support the home guys and also see some of the world’s best players in action.

Noliko was missing their best spiker Jelte Maan due to injury while Kristof Hoho was also out after suffering a heart attack during Saturday’s national league game with Knack ROESELARE. On top of this, Noliko could not line up their starting setter Matthias Valkiers and therefore the hosts were evidently sidelined while taking on a mission impossible with the Russian giant. Belogorie set the pace of the game right from the start (3:5, 8:10) and even though Belgian mentor Erik Verstraten stopped the match by the time his side was trailing 17:20, he could not prevent BELGOROD from widening their lead and cruising to the final 22-25. Things did not change also in the second set where Belogorie had a margin of three points by the first technical time-out (5:8) and even though MAASEIK stormed back to 17:18 – with the Russian coach asking for his first time-out since the start of the game – the guests could find back their rhythm and cash also the second set (21-25).  Belogorie opened with a 0:3 run in the third set before Matias Raymaekers brought back equality in the score. The Belgians fought very hard to keep the pace of their opponents (6:8, 12:12, and 15:18) but again BELGOROD was too much to stand and could finish the game in straight sets (18-25). “We are very happy with this victory, it was our goal to win all of our matches in 2013 and we could succeed in achieving it” said the German opposite of Belogorie, Georg Grozer (pictured) who was happy with the support he received from some fans of his former team MOERSER SC. “I am not satisfied, we played well but we lost in straight sets because of some silly mistakes” said Belgian mentor Erik Verstraten. “However, I have to admit that Belogorie is an excellent team and they showed their value tonight.”Grozer top scored in the game with 12 points while US American Jeff Menzel paced the home side with 10.

Maaseik, Belgium, December 16, 2013. On Wednesday Noliko MAASEIK will be hosting Russian giant Belogorie BELGOROD – a two-time winner (in 2003 and 2004) of the CEV Volleyball Champions League – for the last round of the prelims. Belogorie will travel to Belgium with a perfect record of five wins in as many matches and no sets dropped so far in the competition. It will be a unique opportunity for the Belgian fans to see some of the world’s best Volleyball players in action at the Lotto Dôme. 

“Belogorie may be compared to what FC Barcelona stands for in soccer, i.e. a superb world-class team” says Noliko head coach Erik Verstraten. “We have nothing to lose and we will be using this match to make the next step forward in the development of our team. My players will be extra motivated to play against one of the best teams in the world, something you do not get every day” continues the Belgian mentor. 

“The fact that we already qualified to the Playoffs 12 does not mean that we are taking this game very relaxed because our goal is to sweep all of our matches in the prelims” says the legendary mentor of Belogorie, Gennadi Shipulin. “I know that Noliko has a very good home record and an enthusiastic crowd, so we will not underestimate our opponent.”

By winning last week in the Czech Republic where they routed VK OSTRAVA in straight sets, the home heroes of Noliko made sure they will finish the prelims in second place but with nine points they are currently out of contention for a spot in the Playoffs 12. “I am happy that we have already claimed the right to play in the Challenge Round of the CEV Cup and our chances to continue this campaign in the Champions League also depend on the results from the other Pools” Belgian coach Verstraten concludes.

Ostrava, Czech Republic, December 10, 2013. Belgium’s Noliko MAASEIK made sure they will finish the prelims of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League in second place as they routed Czech champions VK OSTRAVA in straight sets (25-18, 25-18, and 25-23) Tuesday night in the fifth round of action for preliminary Pool B. VK OSTRAVA, on the other hand, suffered their fifth consecutive setback in the competition.

Though they were missing one of their best players – Dutch wing-spiker Jelte Maan – Noliko started the game with a very good pace and helped by the hosts’ errors, MAASEIK quickly made it 9:4 in the opening set. Though VK OSTRAVA scored five consecutive points, Noliko still had a three-point lead by the second technical time-out. The Belgians performed extremely well behind the service line as well as in blocking. They easily claimed the opening set with the score of 25-18.  “As we had played them in Belgium we did not have so many problems with their service but tonight we made a lot of stupid mistakes” said VK OSTRAVA team captain Richard Mauler after the game.

The mentor of VK OSTRAVA, Zdenek Smejkal, decided to change something in his starting six for the second set with Swedish wing-spiker Erik Sundberg and second setter Tomas Dvorak getting some playing time. Still they could not do much against the great spikes killed by Jeffrey Menzel and Federico Pereyra. “We are still looking for the best starting six but even these changes did not bring the desired effect” Smejkal said in the end. “We showed too much respect for our opponent especially in the first and second set. That was our main problem tonight.”   The performance of the home side improved in the third set where VK OSTRAVA moved up 11:8; however, Noliko looked very determined and did not want to lose any set tonight. “OSTRAVA has a very young and brave team but we simply played better tonight. We made a couple of stupid errors in the third set where VK OSTRAVA went to the front with their good service but in the end we could finish it in straight sets” commented Belgian mentor Erik Verstraten.

Ostrava, Czech Republic, December 8, 2013. Still searching for their first victory in the competition, Czech rookies VK OSTRAVA will host on Tuesday Noliko MAASEIK for their last home match in the prelims of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men. Last Tuesday VK OSTRAVA did lose in straight sets to Russia’s giant Belogorie BELGOROD while Noliko is still in contention for a spot in the Playoffs 12 after their straight victory over Greece’s Olympiacos PIRAEUS.

“That game we played in Belgorod was the worst so far for us this season and I hope that the players have cleaned up their minds and forgotten it” says VK OSTRAVA mentor Zdenek Smejkal.
Though Noliko is not as strong as the Russian champions, the game with MAASEIK won’t be that easy: “We lost in straight sets to Noliko some weeks ago in Belgium, so this is going to be a very difficult match. If we keep focused and determined, I think that our fans can expect a great night” Smejkal continues. “We always play much better at home than away and our fans are helping a lot. It would be great if we could bid farewell to this competition with a home victory”.  

VK OSTRAVA has been going through many ups and downs so far this season but for the game with Noliko Sweden’s wing-spiker Erik Sundberg will finally make his debut in Europe’s elite club competition. In the last round of the Czech Extraleague, OSTRAVA beat Volejbal BRNO at the tie-break.

Maaseik, Belgium, December 3, 2013. Noliko MAASEIK found the right way to celebrate their 200th game in the European Cups as on Tuesday they downed Olympiacos PIRAEUS in straight sets (25-18, 31-29, and 25-18) to claim their second victory in Pool B and stay in contention for a spot in the Playoffs 12 of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men. The match was attended by 2,150 fans who contributed a great ambiance for the home heroes.

The pressure on the shoulders of all players was huge as the result of this game was heavily going to impact on their chances to make the Playoffs. After a close start (5:5), Federico Pereyra and Kristof Hoho (pictured, #3) gradually widened the lead for the home side (9:5, 12:6, 19:12) and Noliko had a very comfortable margin while approaching the finish line (21:14) to win the first set 25-18.

Things got more complicated in the second set where Olympiacos was off to a good start (2:4, 4:6) before Noliko fought their way back to flip the charts around (8:7, 11:9). Olympiacos responded by getting back the lead (12:14, 14:16) but once more Noliko clawed back. Olympiacos got a couple of set balls (22:24) but they could not wrap it up and it was Pereyra who cashed the final 31-29 for Noliko with an ace.  Noliko dictated the pace of the game right from the start of the third set (7:5, 14:10) and showed a superb performance to make it 19:13 and 22:15 before their many fans could celebrate a deserved 3:0 victory (25-18).

With this result Noliko recovered from a poor start of the season and is still well in contention for a spot in the Playoffs 12. Federico Pereyra and Kristof Hoho paced the home side in their winning effort with 13 and 12 points respectively while Boyan Yordanov registered 15 for the guests from Greece. “I am delighted with this straight victory. We played well from the start up to the end of the game. We pressured our opponent with good serves and Olympiacos did not find a way to stand that” said Noliko mentor Erik Verstraten.  “We had a terrible game tonight and possibly this is due to the injury of our setter Vasileios Kournetas” commented Olympiacos assistant coach Georgios Mylonakis. “We were also surprised by the way that Noliko pressured us with their serve. They played at a very high level tonight.”

Maaseik, Belgium, December 1, 2013. After losing 1:3 the away match in Greece, Noliko MAASEIK will host on Tuesday Olympiacos PIRAEUS for the fourth round of action in Pool B of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men. Olympiacos is currently ranked second in the group whose standing is topped by Russia’s champions Belogorie BELGOROD.

“In Greece we missed out on the opportunity to win” says Noliko head coach Erik Verstraten. “My players will be extra motivated to make up for their defeat so as to keep alive our chances to make the Playoffs 12” continues the Belgian mentor who just replaced Vincenzo Di Pinto at the helm of the team.

“This is a very important game for us” says Olympiacos mentor Dimitris Kazazis. “It is the most difficult and important match for Olympiacos since the start of the season. If we win also in Belgium we will make a huge step forward in our quest to claim a spot for the Playoffs. Noliko is a tough opponent especially as they play at home but we feel ready to take on this challenge and hope to win in Maaseik as well.”

The game with Olympiacos will mark 200 matches played by Noliko in the European Cups. “Our story got started on November 1, 1986 as we played an away game in Leipzig, which was back then East Germany. Since then another 198 European matches have been played by our team and so on Tuesday we will make it to 200” says General Manager René Corstjens. “So far we have a record of 122 matches won and 77 lost. We have played 156 games in the Champions Cup and Champions League and we are evidently very proud of achieving this record. We have made the final four of the Champions Cup three times, another three times the finals of the CEV Cup and we also starred two times in the Supercup. We have won four silver and three bronze medals so far and we evidently are delighted with our success story in the European Cups” he concludes.

Maaseik, Belgium, November 27, 2013. Noliko MAASEIK recently dismissed their Italian-born head coach Vincenzo Di Pinto. “We decided that this was the best thing to do for our team. It was clear that things were not working and we had to acknowledge this thereby ending our cooperation with coach Di Pinto after only four months. We realize that it is not that easy to find someone that fits to our environment. In the past we were lucky enough to achieve this working together with Anders Kristiansson and Vital Heynen” says Club President Mathi Raedschelders. “We are very happy that Erik Verstraten has accepted our offer especially for he knows Noliko MAASEIK very well.”

Verstraten worked together with Vital Heynen for five years as his assistant. “When I was asked if I wanted to be the coach of Noliko, I did not hesitate for a second. It does not happen that often that you are asked to be the mentor of a top team like MAASEIK. I know the club quite well and can only say that their organization is superb. My job and task will be to get the team back on track. My short-term goal is to win our next Champions League game with Olympiacos PIRAEUS and keep alive our chances to make the Playoffs” Verstraten says. “The second major goal will be to make the Playoffs of the national league in March 2014 so as to claim one of two tickets for the next edition of the CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League” he continues. Verstraten just led the team to a 3-1 victory over GUIBERTIN in the national league to mark his debut at the helm of Noliko.

Piraeus, Greece, November 6, 2013. After they displayed some monster blocks – killing 13 in the end – Olympiacos PIRAEUS beat Belgium’s Noliko MAASEIK 3:1 (28-26, 25-22, 23-25, and 25-23) to claim their second victory in the prelims of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men and cement their second place in Pool B.

Greece’s champions controlled the game winning the first and second set before their opponents stormed back to seize set 3 and set the pace of the game also in the fourth. However, Olympiacos was able to keep cool and in the end seized the night thereby keeping well alive their chances to make the Playoffs 12. Once more Olympiacos was paced by their Bulgarian opposite Boyan Yordanov with 20 points, while Leonardo Caldeira and Milan Jurisic added another 17 and 12 respectively to the final count. Federico Pereyra and Jelte Maan were the most prolific scorers for Noliko with 24 and 21 points.

Olympiacos showed great blocks right from the go (8:7) and by exploiting that fundamental they gradually widened their lead moving the score from 11:8 to 14:11. Shortly after the second technical time-out, the match was very close and Noliko even had a couple of set balls (22:24) but Olympiacos found a way to stand that challenge. They first drew level at 24 and then sealed the final 28-26 on a spike killed by Nikos Smaragdis.

Olympiacos had the slimmest possible margin at the first technical time-out of the second set (8:7) and slightly opened the cushion (9:7) with two aces by Athanasios Maroulis. Noliko flipped the charts around with a terrific 2:6 run (11:13) but Olympiacos responded by cashing another four and get the lead back by the second mandatory stop (16:14). The hosts looked very confident and also highly motivated as they made it 20:17 on a point scored by Menelaos Kokkinakis. Noliko clawed back with three points in a row to make it 20 all but Olympiacos was in full control and finished it off at 25-22.

Olympiacos started out strong also in the third set (6:4) but then had a black-out as Noliko scored four points in a row to get to the front at the first technical time-out (7:8). The guests from Belgium fought bravely and were able to keep control of the operations (13:16) before Olympiacos found the right combinations and tactics to restore the balance at 18 all. However, that was all the home side could achieve as Noliko broke away once more (18:21) and then wrapped it up at 22-25.

Noliko stretched that same momentum also to the early phases of the fourth set (2:5, 5:8) and even though Olympiacos cut the deficit to a minimum (8:9), MAASEIK accelerated the pace once again to make it 11:14 and keep a three-point lead also at the second technical time-out. This is where Olympiacos woke up and anchored by their opposite Boyan Yordanov, they fought their way back to level the score at 21. Noliko made it 23 all, but Olympiacos eventually exploited two errors by their opponents to finish the game at 25-23 for a well-deserved 3:1 home victory.  
“We claimed a very important victory against a strong team” said Olympiacos head coach Dimitrios Kazazis after the game. “We made a big step forward in our quest to make the next round but we know that we have a difficult away match in Belgium waiting for us. Anyway, we will now focus on our national league until the CEV Volleyball Champions League resumes in early December.”  
“I think that the most important thing we can take from this game is that we played as a team and showed great passion and fighting spirit” added home hero and top scorer Boyan Yordanov. “There are still three rounds left and nothing is decided yet.” 
“We made many mistakes especially at the beginning of the game and this did cost us the first and second sets” commented Noliko captain Matias Raymaekers. “We tried to come back after winning the third set but in the end their experience at this level made the difference.”

Piraeus, Greece, November 4, 2013. Wednesday will be some kind of a “D-Day” for the home heroes of Olympiacos PIRAEUS who are set to play Belgium’s Noliko MAASEIK at the “Melina Merkouri” sports hall for what is their third game in prelim Pool B of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men. The winner of this game – Olympiacos and Noliko have both one victory so far in the competition – will make a huge step forward in their quest to make the Playoffs 12 as Russia’s Belogorie BELGOROD seems to be the undisputed leader of the Pool.

Last week Olympiacos lost in straight sets at home to Belogorie while Noliko beat Czech champions VK OSTRAVA. Greece and Belgium cross their ways for the second time this year as Olympiacos soccer team was drawn to play Belgium’s R.S.C. Anderlecht in the UEFA Champions League. The Volleyball players of Olympiacos want to emulate their colleagues from the soccer division and try to cement their chances to make the next round.  “We just had to forget our home defeat to Belogorie and we want to focus only and exclusively on our match with Noliko. It’s definitely a very different opponent than Belogorie but they are strong too. We knew already since the DOL that Olympiacos and Noliko were going to play for second place in the pool for Belogorie is simply out of reach. Noliko has a solid team and they have showed that in their home game with VK OSTRAVA. We have to play our best to achieve our goal which is nothing else than a victory. I hope the stands will be filled up by our fans and they will help us accomplish this mission” says head coach Dimitrios Kazazis.

Maaseik, Belgium, October 29, 2013. After losing last week to Belogorie BELGOROD in Russia, Noliko MAASEIK fought their way back in the second preliminary round of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men as they downed VK OSTRAVA of the Czech Republic in straight sets (25-10, 25-20, and 25-15) on Tuesday night at the Lotto Dôme with 1,750 fans in attendance.

Noliko caught a very good start (8:4, 13:6) and cruised to a comfortable 19:7 lead in the first set before they finished it off at 25-10. Though the Czech mentor made some changes to his starting six in the second set, this could not prevent Noliko from imposing their supremacy (8:1, 13:4) also in that section of the game. Finally VK OSTRAVA woke up and fought their way back to 14:11 and 17:15 before Noliko showed good composure to win the second set with the score of 25-20. Noliko continued their show also in the third set (6:3, 9:5, and 13:6) and cheered by their fans the hosts could complete their mission in straight sets (25-15).
Jelte Maan top scored for Noliko with 15 points while Richard Mauler paced VK OSTRAVA with 8.

“I am delighted with this straight victory as we played really good for three sets. We pressured our opponents with good serves to which VK OSTRAVA had no answer” said the head coach of Noliko Vincenzo Di Pinto.

“I had watched the game Noliko played last week with BELGOROD and I knew what to expect” said VK OSTRAVA head coach Zdenek Smejkal. “However we were still surprised by the quality of their serve and we did not find a way to tackle with this” he concluded. 

Maaseik, Belgium, October 28, 2013. After losing to Russia’s Belogorie BELGOROD last week, Noliko MAASEIK will host Czech champions VK OSTRAVA at Lotto Dôme for the second round of play in the prelims of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men. If they want to keep alive their chances to make the Playoffs, Noliko need to score a home win on Tuesday.

“This is a very important game for us” says assistant coach Giovanni Torchio. “Noliko has a very good tradition in this competition and our goal is to make the next round. I am sure that VK OSTRAVA will be a tough opponent and we have a difficult match ahead. We have been working very hard to create the right chemistry in our group especially since there are seven new players playing for Noliko this year. We see that our performances have been improving and I hope the game with VK OSTRAVA will be the continuation of this trend” he adds.

The Czech champions travel to Belgium in high spirits: “We have nothing to lose and we can exploit our position as underdog” stresses Czech mentor Zdenek Smejkal. “This match will be the next opportunity for my team to gain experience from this competition”.

VK OSTRAVA just won their last game in the Czech national league beating VSK STARE MESTO in straight sets while Noliko MAASEIK had to fight their way back from two sets down to edge Precura ANTWERP (21-25, 25-27, 25-22, 25-22, and 15-9).

Maaseik, Belgium, October 25, 2013. Noliko MAASEIK did not start the 2013/2014 season as they had hoped. They first lost Belgium’s Super Cup to archrivals Knack ROESELARE but even more shocking was the defeat that Noliko suffered to Volley HAASRODE LEUVEN in the 1/8 finals of the national cup. This means Noliko was eliminated from this competition by a team competing in the second division of the national league.

“This was a very special game. Our opponents showed a brilliant performance and we simply could not respond to that” says club President Mathi Raedschelders. “They were supported by their crowd and got an extra boost. We realize that we have put together a new team and that it takes time to develop but we still hope our guys will perform well in the future”.  

 Noliko started quite strong in the national league beating Prefaxis MENEN (3:1) and following up with a come-from-behind victory over Argex Duvel PUURS (3:2). This coming Sunday Noliko will welcome Precura ANTWERP at the Lotto Dôme for another important game. ANTWERP signed five players this past summer to strengthen their roster to make it to the final stage of the national league and claim one of two tickets available to represent Belgium in the 2015 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League. Precura lost this week 2:3 their away match with Germany’s Generali UNTERHACHING in the first round of the 2014 CEV Volleyball Cup but the result leaves the door open for a possible comeback next week in Belgium.

“ANTWERP will be a tough opponent for my young team” says Noliko head coach Vincenzo Di Pinto. “I was happy with what we showed in the first set of our game with Belogorie BELGOROD last Tuesday. This shall help our players find the right confidence”. Next Tuesday Noliko will welcome VK OSTRAVA of the Czech Republic for the second round of play in the prelims of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League.

Maaseik, Belgium, October 8, 2013. The premises of Noliko’s car sponsor GROEP Jam Mercedes played host to the official presentation of the team that is set to compete in the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League. Noliko has got a totally different look since the last season after signing seven new players as well as Italian head coach Vincenzo Di Pinto who will be assisted by his countryman Giovanni Torchio.   

Di Pinto was extremely happy to embark on this adventure at the helm of Belgium’s most decorated club of the past decade: “Noliko has been a dominant force throughout the last decades here in Belgium and has a very good reputation in Europe as well” Di Pinto said. “Together with Giovanni and the rest of the coaching staff I will have the opportunity to build a new team whose goal is to turn into a contender for the title in the national league as well as to qualify for the Playoffs of the CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League”.

This summer Noliko could sign also middle-blocker Matias Raymaekers who is returning home after seven years and playing for some of the best teams in Europe. “I am simply looking forward to playing again at the Lotto Dôme” said the middle-blocker who – in that position – will join forces with Wilhelm Nilsson, a member of the Swedish national team who last season played in his native country for FALKENBERG VBK. The other newcomers are opposite Jeffrey Menzel and setter Vincenzo Devany, both from USA, Argentinean wing-spiker Federico Pereyra, and Belgium’s Kristof Hoho and François Lecat. The roster is completed by setter Mathias Valkiers, libero Bert Derkoningen, middle-blocker Michaël Parkinson and wing-spiker Jelte Maan.

“Our Pool is extremely interesting. Russia’s Belogorie BELGOROD is one of the best teams in the world and one of the hottest candidates for the trophy. VK OSTRAVA recently signed three excellent players while Olympiacos PIRAEUS can rely on a number of very experienced players. It will be a real challenge for us to make the Playoffs” head coach Vincenzo Di Pinto concluded.    

Picture (from left to right): physical trainer Fons Vranken, head coach Vincenzo Di Pinto, club president Mathi Raedschelders, assistant coach Giovanni Torchio, general manager René Corstjens, press officer Vital Vossen, and organizing director Dieter Leenders

Antwerp, Belgium, October 5, 2013. In a game that prolonged their legendary rivalry, last year’s national champion and Cup winner Knack ROESELARE beat on Saturday archrivals Noliko MAASEIK to claim the Belgian Super Cup in a sold-out Antwerp Arena. Though these teams did not have an ideal preparation for the start of the season as most of their players just returned home after competing at the 2013 CEV VELUX EuroVolley, they still displayed a very good performance for thousands of fans in attendance.

This match was the debut of Italian-born head coach Vincenzo Di Pinto and his assistant Giovanni Torchio at the helm of Noliko MAASEIK. Noliko was still missing two key players, Jelte Maan and Wilhelm Nilsson, who are currently competing with their respective national teams – Netherlands and Sweden – at the second round World Champs qualifier in Almere.

After a very close start (11:11), Knack ROESELARE got the edge in the opening set with an impressive dismay of power by their captain Hendrik Tuerlinckx well supported by Finnish setter Eemi Tervaportti. Noliko opposite Jeff Menzel – who had found his way to Belgium only one day before the Super Cup – joined the game but could not prevent Knack from winning the first set 25-22. The second set followed the same plot as Knack broke away after a tie at 10 to get a margin of four points by the second technical time-out. Knack was able to keep that cushion up to the end (25-22) to make it 2:0 in sets. Noliko did not surrender and opened with a 5:2 and 8:5 run in the third set. Knack drew level at 17 all but this time Noliko was able to keep cool and finish it off at 25-23. Knack caught a flying start in the fourth set (10:3) and did not look back anymore to cash the final 25-19 and a well-deserved 3:1 victory.

“The team is our strength because we have the same roster as last year and we are used to playing together” said Knack ROESELARE team captain Hendrik Tuerlinckx. “Still I do not think that we are the clear-cut favorite to win this year’s national league because Noliko has showed their potential tonight and Precura ANTWERP also has a good roster this season”.

“Tonight it was easy to see that we did not have a good preparation for the start of the season. Our team is not complete yet and we have to start everything from scratch” concluded Noliko spiker Kristof Hoho.

Maaseik, Belgium, August 12, 2013. The fans of Belgium’s multiple champions Noliko MAASEIK will have to get familiar with a totally re-styled team for the start of the coming season after seven players left the club that is once more set to compete in the CEV Volleyball Champions League. After announcing the arrival of Italian-born head coach Vincenzo Di Pinto, Noliko just finalized the transfer of six players and has also signed an assistant coach to support Di Pinto.

“The past season was not that successful for us” says Organization Director Dieter Leenders, “and the contracts we had with most of our players and our former head coach did all come to an end. So we decided that this was a good opportunity to re-style the group”.

Vincenzo Di Pinto who found his way to Maaseik a couple of weeks ago will be assisted by Noliko former middle-blocker Jo Van Decraen who is returning home after retiring from the sport at the end of the past season. Matias Raymaekers is also back in Maaseik after playing there from 2002 to 2005 before he moved abroad and played with some of the best European teams, including Italy’s Lube Banca Marche MACERATA and Russia’s Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK. Other additions to the team are US American setter Vincenzo Devany, Sweden’s middle-blocker Wilhelm Nilsson, Belgian rising star François Lecat, plus Argentinean Federico Pereyra and another US American player, Jeffrey Menzel. These newcomers will join four players who did wear the jersey of Noliko also last year, and namely setter Mathias Valkiers, libero Bert Derkoningen, middle-blocker Michaël Parkinson and wing-spiker Jelte Maan.

“We are currently looking for two more players to complete our roster and we hope for a very successful season” concludes Dieter Leenders.

Maaseik, Belgium, August 3, 2013. Belgian multiple champions Noliko MAASEIK will be coached by Italian-born Vincenzo Di Pinto in the coming season. Di Pinto, 55, travelled to Maaseik this past Wednesday to join forces with the club that is set to participate in the 2014 CEV Volleyball Champions League.

The Italian mentor previously coached Volley Club TURI, Volley MOTTOLA, Mater Volley CASTELLANA GROTTE, Volley GIOIA DEL COLLE, M. Grecia TARANTO, PERUGIA Volley and NMV CASTELLANA in his home country. “I started out in 1980 in Gioia del Colle and the fil rouge, as they call it, throughout my career is that I have always worked with clubs with very limited financial resources. I nevertheless managed to move up from the fourth division to the Serie A1” Di Pinto says. Back in 1998, Di Pinto finished in eighth place at the FIVB World Championship in Japan with the Spanish national team and was awarded there the “most creative coach” of the tournament.

“I always deliver my best in difficult circumstances and I like challenges. I decided to opt for Noliko though I had offers from Turkey and Brazil for I know that this club has a very good reputation. Everything is well organized here and you enjoy excellent conditions; these are my first impressions after spending only a few days here in Maaseik. My ambition is to win some trophies and to perform well in the CEV Volleyball Champions League. I know that Belgium’s national champions Knack ROESELARE were able to keep their players from the past year so they are starting as pre-favourite this season and we surely will have a tough challenger on our way”.    

Picture (from left to right): Noliko vice chairman Eddy Evens, Vincenzo Di Pinto, sports manager Pascal Delfosse and assistant coach Jo Van Decraen.