10/01/2018 20:10
VakifBank drop one set but extend CL winning streak to 16 matches, Dinamo rout Chemik
2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Women
The matchup between 2017 silver medal winners Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO and Agel PROSTEJOV completed the programme of yet another exciting Champions League night, with the Italian ‘Panthers’ storming to their second 3-1 victory in as many matches in Pool B.
Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO (ITA) vs. Agel PROSTEJOV (CZE) 3-1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-16, 25-17)
• Imoco Volley played their second straight home match in Pool B, this time against the reigning Czech national champions.
• The hosts claimed an early lead in the first set (8-4) but PROSTEJOV fought their way back with the help of Kathleen Weiss (10-9). Robin de Kruijf was just unstoppable for Imoco Volley, and after leading 16-10 at the second technical, CONEGLIANO stormed to a landslide 25-14 win.
• Agel PROSTEJOV rushed to an early lead (3-1) in the second set before Imoco Volley responded with Samanta Fabris to edge ahead (8-6). Agel stormed back from 11-14 to lead 19-14 and even though Kimberly Hill closed in for the hosts, PROSTEJOV won the set 25-21.
• The ‘Panthers’ set the pace of the game in the third set (8-4, 11-6) with Hill and Fabris; a Czech time-out at 14-7 did not help with CONEGLIANO storming to a comfortable 25-16 win propelled by their young middle blocker Anna Danesi.
• Nina Herelova and Andrea Kossanyiova provided an early Czech lead in the fourth set (5-3, 10-8) but CONEGLIANO came back from four points down (9-13) to edge ahead at 15-14. Wolosz found the right timing with her opposite and outside hitters for the hosts to finish it all off at 25-17.
Joanna Wolosz, player of Imoco Volley: “Well, I think it was a good match for us, even though they caught us by surprise in the second set with their defence game. In any case, we reached our goal to win the first two matches at home and now we can prepare for the hard match against Fenerbahce in Istanbul.”
Kathleen Weiss, player of Agel PROSTEJOV: “We knew that CONEGLIANO is a very strong team. We played a good match but it was not enough to beat Imoco. We look forward to the next matches.”
Chemik POLICE (POL) vs. Dinamo KAZAN (RUS) 0-3 (17-25, 20-25, 19-25)
• Dinamo KAZAN were simply too strong for Chemik and recorded their second straight victory in Pool C – where they are yet to drop a set.
• Irina Voronkova top scored for Dinamo KAZAN with 17 points. She was a constant threat to POLICE, especially from the service line.
Jakub Głuszak, coach of Chemik POLICE: “They served very strong, especially Voronkova. Nobody in the Polish league can serve that strong, so it was something new for us. My players tried to adjust to it, but it took too much time. We fought, but Dinamo was stronger and that is the reason for our 0-3 loss.”
Strashimira Simeonova, player of Chemik: “They are used to play without solid reception, whereas we simply just aren’t. Our game is efficient when the reception is good; otherwise, it is hard to provide resistance in a game with such a team as Dinamo. Nevertheless, I believe that the rematch could be different.”
VakifBank ISTANBUL (TUR) vs. Grot Budowlani LODZ (POL) 3-1 (25-16, 24-26, 25-15, 25-16)
• Zhu Ting top scored in the match with 21 points for VakifBank.
• Milena Rasic recorded as many as eight blocks for the home side out of 18 for VakifBank.
• VakifBank claimed a 10-point lead in the third set at 23-13, the highest point difference in the match.
Milena Rasic, player of VakifBank: “We played a very good match but I think we could have won 3-0. Unfortunately, we lost focus and let them play their own game in the second set. They played very well but after we found our rhythm again, we were able to take three points from this match.”
Giovanni Guidetti, coach of VakifBank: “The best thing out of this match is that we took three points. We played this match after some intensive training and I know that my team is a little bit tired. However, I do not like it, when my team does not play well in defence. That is the reason why we failed in the second set but in the end we are happy with the three points we have taken from this match.”
Blazej Krzysztalowicz, head coach of Grot Budowlani LODZ: “We played an extremely tough game against a very experienced team. I think VakıfBank is the one of the best teams in history. It was a very good lesson for us. We got problems in reception and attack as well. VakıfBank served very well. It was a very tough match but as I said, it was a good lesson for my team.”
Hana Cutura, player of Grot Budowlani LODZ: “We fought very well but our reception was a problem for us. However, we fought well and I am happy with the way performed, especially since we were able to take one set. It was a good match. VakıfBank is a very strong team. Of course, they played very good and fast. They were very good also with their reception. Overall, we have to be happy about this game. We have to continue fighting like this in the next matches in our group.”
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