Lube Volley members stood out at the Under-22 European Championships in Portugal. Czech middle blocker Antonin Klimes closed out the continental tournament over the weekend with a gold medal, thanks to his country’s 3-1 victory over Poland in the final, and was named the tournament’s best middle blocker for his quality of play and consistent blocking. French spiker Noa Duflos-Rossi also earned plaudits in France’s matches, but finished just shy of the podium after a three-set loss to Israel in the third-place match.
Klimes scored 56 points in five matches, including five serve points, 29 attack points, and 22 block points (seven in the 3-1 victory against Bulgaria).
Duflos-Rossi scored 45 points in five matches, including five serving points, 38 attack points, and two block points.
Antonin Klimes’ Czech Republic: The Journey
Placed in Pool 2, the Czech Republic finished the first round in second place, behind France and ahead of Italy and Bulgaria. Klimes and his teammates opened with a narrow tie-break defeat against France, then rallied in four sets against Italy and Bulgaria. They won a thrilling semifinal tie-break against Israel. They also secured a commanding four-set victory in the continental final against Poland.
