PAOK wins volleyball’s Greek Cup against the odds

Champion PAOK earned its second ever Greek Cup in men’s volleyball as after beating holder Olympiakos in a thrilling semifinal on Friday it downed crosstown rival Iraklis in Saturday’s final on Rhodes.

PAOK upset favorite Olympiakos on Friday as it came from behind to win 3-2 in the first semifinal. The other semi was also thrilling, as Iraklis survived about 10 match-points of Panathinaikos to overturn a 2-0 deficit and win 3-2 in a three-hour match.

With Iraklis clearly more tired and influential Apostolos Armenakis bowing out injured early on in the final, PAOK scored a comfortable 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-18) victory to win the Cup.

PAOK’s Rafail Koumentakis was voted the MVP of the Final-Four.