VNL: Tine Urnaut, Rok Mozic star as Slovenia beats Argentina
MANILA, Philippines — Tine Urnaut and Rok Mozic lifted Slovenia past Argentina, 25-20, 27-29, 25-18, 25-17 in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Urnaut, Slovenia’s skipper, led the way with 19 points off 17 kills and two aces and had nine digs and nine receptions, while Mozic delivered 17 points including three blocks for their first win in the Quezon City leg.
Jan Kozamernik and Ziga Stern contributed nine points each as the Slovenians improved to 3-3, tying Germany and the Netherlands.
“We are happy with the way that we played. We need to continue like this,” said Urnaut.
The Slovenians brace for European champion Italy on Saturday.
“I think they are playing very good. They have a lot of good, young players. I have known them in the Italian league. It will be a difficult game for sure,” said Mozic, who plays for Verona club.
“We have to fight. This is a very important win for us. Tomorrow we have some rest and we leave everything we can against Italy and try to bring home another three points,” he added.
The Slovenians squandered a 24-20 second set lead, allowing the Argentinians to tie the match one set apiece. But they displayed strong composure in the third and fourth sets to close out the game.
Luciano Vicentin led Argentina with 13 points, including two service aces, seven receptions, and four digs while Agustin Loser, Bruno Lima, and Ezequiel Palacios had 12 points apiece.
The Argentinians lost for the fifth time in six matches.