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The season was nevertheless spectacular for the Slovenian champions and even though they were thoroughly beaten in their final match, they never surrendered and showed great energy until the very end. A win would have taken them to the quarterfinals, which would have been a great sensation and would have been a tremendous success, but -if nothing else- this loss made the boys from Bled even hungrier and they will definitely return next year with even more determination and firepower.

Zenit Kazan won both matches, one in Ljubljana, as well as the one at home, and even if ACH Volley was very close to victory in the first game, when they lost 2:3, this was not the case in the second game, which they lost 0:3. They started the game really well, as they took an early lead, but then made too many unforced errors, which turned the game to in Zenit's favour. On several occasions, the club from Bled came close but did not really jeopardise Kazan's victory.

The season can not be judged by one single game, especially not if it is against such a great team, which not only has a much bigger budget, but also serious ambitions to capture the title for the second straight year, as anything else would be a failure for this club.

It is safe to say that once more the team from Bled had an outstanding season on Europe's highest stage, which was cut short also due to some bad luck in the drawing stage, when they were matched against the reigning champions.

Far from over

ACH Volley might have dropped out of the Champions League, but their season is far from over. They are still competing on two fronts: the so-called 'Mevza' League (middle-european league) and the National Championship. They have their eyes set on winning both of these and so far things look good, as they are firmly holding first positions in both. The team can also commend itself with one laurel this season: they have won the Slovenian Cup.

ACH Volley's head coach Glenn Hoag is very optimistic about the future: "Our next big goal is the Final Four Tournament of the Mevza League. First we have to play the last leg match of the main phase against Salonit, and then we will focus on preparing for this tournament. During these preparations, we will play two matches with Mladost from Zagreb and also two before the final of the national championship, as there are no other games, and this is the only way to keep our competition rhythm. Our goals are clear - winning both competitions."

Popularity still rising

When talking about the ACH Volley club, it would be unfair not to mention the popularity it enjoys throughout Slovenia. When everyone thought that nothing could top last year's volley-mania, thing got even more intense this season. It seemed that with every game the team played, more people were watching them; they even convinced those who never liked this sport.

Hala Tivoli, Slovenia's largest sports hall (fans unofficially renamed it into Hala 'TiVolley') was simply too small to fit all the people, and at every game there was perhaps even a bigger crowd cheering outside the arena than the one inside. Taking in the facts that the team always plays its best, that the players have a great respect toward the game, never complain about anything and do not cause any sort of scandal, it is not hard to see why this has become one of the most popular and successful sports clubs in Slovenia.