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The top offensive player during the third round of the CEV U20 European Championship will not advance to the finals.
NJIT opposite Alvaro Gimeno led all players with a tournament-high 24 kills as Spain surrendered a two-game lead and lost to Poland in five games on Sunday in a de facto play-in match for the European Championship Finals.
Both Spain and Poland entered this final match having won their first two pool-play matches to open the third round. The winner of the Spain versus Poland match won the pool championship and clinched the final berth to the 12-team finals that will begin later this month.
Gimeno contributed 13 kills to help Spain win the opening two games against Poland. The opposite concluded the in the loss with a 56 percent offensive efficiency and a team-high three aces.
Gimeno finished the eight-team third round of the European Championship leading all players with a 4.45 kills per game average. In addition, Gimeno had the tournament’s third-best attack percentage at .375.
The European Championship was Gimeno’s first tournament with the Spanish Men’s Junior National Team since completing his first NCAA season at NJIT.
Gimeno as a freshman ended the 2018 season sixth in the EIVA averaging 3.29 kills per game. He also was named the EIVA Newcomer of the Year and was a First-Team All-EIVA selection.