25/01/2018 11:33
Fenerbahce vs Imoco Volley the highlight of another exciting #CLVolleyW night
2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Women
Luxembourg, January 25, 2018. There are four exciting matches coming up later today to wrap up the third round of action in the pool stage of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Women. Volero ZÜRICH will vie for their first victory in Pool A when hosting CL rookies Developres SkyRes RZESZOW of Poland. Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL and Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO will deliver the ‘Match of the Week’ in a very competitive Pool B, as Italy’s Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA are hosting Agel PROSTEJOV in that same group. Pool C leaders Dinamo KAZAN of Russia play Serbia’s Vizura RUMA to complete the programme of the day.
Volero ZÜRICH (SUI) vs. Developres SkyRes RZESZOW (POL)
• After two defeats in their previous two games, Volero ZÜRICH are still waiting for their first win of the current #CLVolley season.
• It is the first time since the 2013-2014 #CLVolleyW season that Volero started the competition with two straight losses. The last time Volero ZÜRICH were without a win after three games was in the 2012-2013 season.
• Belgium national player Hélène Rousseaux will come back to Zurich after seven years. The Developres SkyRes RZESZOW outside hitter played at Volero ZÜRICH from 2009 to 2011.
• The last time Volero ZÜRICH hosted a Polish team (Impel WROCLAW in 2014), the multiple Swiss champions claimed a 3-0 victory.
• Due to a defeat at Sm’AESCH Pfeffingen last Sunday, Volero ZÜRICH lost the top spot in the Swiss national league.
Silvija Popovic, libero of Volero ZÜRICH: “I think this team have got everything it takes to win this matchup against RZESZOW. Of course, we are not happy about the two defeats in the CEV Champions League, but that is sports. Sometimes things are just not going how you want. Nevertheless, we are poised to show our fans tomorrow that we can do better. We play at home, in front of our fans; this will inspire us to play at our maximum. We have never played against RZESZOW before, therefore, we had to prepare with video footage. But this should not be a problem – we just want to win.”
Hélène Rousseaux, outside hitter of Developres SkyRes RZESZOW: “It is really nice to be back here in Zurich. I did not have a lot of time to see the city as we just arrived today, but I am happy to be back. I am already looking forward to the matchup against my former club because it is a crucial game for both sides. In my opinion, if we find a way into our flow and work as a team, it is difficult to stop us. On the other hand, we have to do our best in our blocking and defensive game in order to stop Rosir Kalderon. Nonetheless, I am confident that we will claim the win.”
Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL (TUR) vs. Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO (ITA)
• Imoco Volley lead the way in Pool B with two wins in as many matches.
• Fenerbahce lost their last match in Pool B to Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA after leading 2-0.
• Imoco Volley are the silver medal winners from the 2017 edition – whilst Fenerbahce won gold back in 2012 as well as silver in 2010 and bronze in 2011 and 2016.
Polen Uslupehlivan, player of Fenerbahce: “This is our third match in the Champions League. We won the first game but we lost the second one. Therefore, this match is extremely important for us in order to progress to the next round. The team is aware of this. We are trying to analyse Imoco Volley as thoroughly as we can. It is an extremely difficult opponent. It will be a difficult game but we are Fenerbahçe, so we are good team, too. We should not make simple mistakes. If we can concentrate on the game and if we can start well, I believe we will get a good result. Finally, I invite all our fans to Burhan Felek Sport Hall to support us. This game is extremely important for us, so we need their support.”
Polina Rahimova, player of Fenerbahce: “All of our opponents in this group are powerful. There is no easy team and game in the Champions League. Imoco Volley is a really good and powerful team and they have many experienced players. It will be a difficult game for sure but we will do our best to get a good result. We will play at home and we want to use this to our advantage. We are really working hard. We will fight for victory to the end. I want all our fans to come to Burhan Felek Sport Hall and support us. I hope they will not leave us alone.”
Monica De Gennaro, player of Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO: “Our team is playing well and we have achieved excellent results this far in the Italian championship and in the Champions League. We hope to continue this way also when playing against Fenerbahce. They have a very strong team, one of the most complete in Europe, with important international players, but we hope to score points also in Istanbul thanks to our fast play and the quality of our game.”
Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA (ITA) vs. Agel PROSTEJOV (CZE)
• It is the first home match for NOVARA in the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League.
• Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA and Agel PROSTEJOV are crossing swords for the first time in their history.
• While playing for Pomì CASALMAGGIORE, Massimo Barbolini and Francesca Piccinini played PROSTEJOV two years ago in the CL – with the Italian side winning two matches out of two.
• It is the second participation of Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA in Europe’s elite competition – and so far they have won only once at home.
• Agel PROSTEJOV have lost both of their matches in Pool B so far – 1-3 to Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL and 1-3 to Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO in Italy.
Francesca Piccinini, player of Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA: “We know this is a crucial match for us. We need a good result and we have been working hard to be ready for this fight. Our goal is to secure a spot in the Playoff phase and therefore we must do our best in every single game.”
Miroslav Cada, coach of Agel PROSTEJOV: “We will need to do our best if we want to be competitive against such a great team as NOVARA. We want to create difficulties to our opponent, and we must serve well and defend as much as we can for that to happen.”
Dinamo KAZAN (RUS) vs. Vizura RUMA (SRB)
• Dinamo KAZAN lead the way in Pool C after recording two straight 3-0 wins in their previous matches.
• Last season, Dinamo KAZAN and Vizura locked horns in the quarterfinals of the CEV Cup, with Dinamo claiming both matches in straight sets.
• Dinamo KAZAN are five-time Russian national champions, uninterruptedly from 2011 to 2015; Vizura are four-time Serbian national champions, with their streak lasting since 2014.
• The average age of Dinamo KAZAN’s players is 28, whilst Vizura’s is 20 or 19 without taking into consideration their most experienced player, Sladjana Eric.
• Dinamo KAZAN have won 20 matches in a row by combining the Russian national league, national cup and Champions League.
Rishat Gilyazutdinov, head coach of Dinamo KAZAN: “According to the information we have about Vizura, this team is different from the opponents we have been playing in the Russian championship; first of all, they have a different speed when they spike. We will respond to this by increasing the positive actions on the court: that does not apply to the block only, but rather in defence, and in general, when it comes to ball contact. We will focus our training on teamwork although, unfortunately, due to frequent flights we suffer a significant shortage of training time.”
Evgeniya Startseva, captain of Dinamo KAZAN: “In the Champions League, any team can be a competitor. Even now in Pool C, where we have been winning 3-0 so far, each game is difficult. We prepare for the match with Vizura as we do for any other game. We have watched their games with the Polish and Bulgarian teams. We remember last year’s games with them; we remember that the girls there were young and impudent, meaning this in a good way.”
Natalya Mammadova, opposite hitter of Dinamo KAZAN and Europe’s Best Player in 2007: “I know Vizura well enough since I played with them when I was in the team of Volero. This is a young team, rather ambitious and fearless, though. I think they will fight to the end, fight for each set and for each point. Even though they probably understand now that we are superior to them in terms of both class and experience. Of course, I cannot make any prediction, but we will treat this opponent very seriously, just like any other. We will then see the result on Thursday.”
How to follow the matches...
Watch them live: http://cev.laola1.tv/
Click here for a comprehensive TV schedule.
Live score, statistics, reports and photos: all available on www.cev.lu
Social Media: Follow via the official event hashtag (#CLVolleyW) with the most regular updates coming on our competition Twitter account @CEVolleyballCL
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