21/02/2018 21:13
Italian ‘Panthers’ and Dinamo KAZAN secure highly coveted spot in Playoffs 6
2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Women
Luxembourg, February 21, 2018. On Wednesday, last year’s silver medallists Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO of Italy and Russia’s Dinamo KAZAN made it five wins in a row in the pool stage of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Women to secure their progression to the Playoffs 6, even though there is still one more round to play next Tuesday. Imoco Volley stamped a 3-0 away victory in the Czech Republic in their matchup with Agel PROSTEJOV while Dinamo KAZAN needed four sets to edge Polish national champions Chemik POLICE. Wednesday’s programme included another exciting matchup in Pool A, with Volero ZÜRICH claiming a 3-1 victory over ASPTT MULHOUSE VB to remain in contention for a spot in the next stage of Europe’s elite club competition.
ASPTT MULHOUSE VB (FRA) vs. Volero ZÜRICH (SUI) 1-3 (24-26, 25-20, 22-25, 19-25)
• Volero ZÜRICH claimed an early 8-4 in the first set as the hosts seemed to struggle in defence while Alexandra Lazic scored as many as four points for the Swiss side. ASPTT MULHOUSE VB regrouped to draw level at 11-all with the help of their opposite hitter Britt Herbots. ASPTT MULHOUSE edged ahead at 16-15, and the score remained close until 22-all. After a very close ending, Ana Bjelica sealed a 26-24 win for Volero with an ace.
• ASPTT MULHOUSE VB stormed back to lead 8-5 at the first technical break of the second set. Volero asked for a time-out when trailing 8-12 and this paid off since the Swiss team drew level at 13-all. ASPTT MULHOUSE VB claimed a two-point lead at 16-14; Nancy Carrillo and Samara Rodrigues joined the action for Volero, but ASPTT MULHOUSE VB were able to hold on to their lead and claim a 25-20 victory.
• ASPTT MULHOUSE VB head coach Magali Magail asked for a time-out with her side trailing 2-5 in the third set. As many as 1,700 fans in attendance tried to help the hosts in their effort to come back – but Volero were still ahead at both technical time-outs (8-6, 16-13). ASPTT MULHOUSE VB tried to fight their way back but Volero held on to their lead to seal a 25-22 win.
• Volero stormed to an 8-5 lead in the fourth set as Rodrigues stabilised their reception. The Swiss side had a seven-point advantage at the second technical time-out and despite the raucous support from the home crowd, ASPTT MULHOUSE VB could not close in and Volero eventually celebrated a 3-1 victory.
Bojana Markovic, outside hitter of ASPTT MULHOUSE: “We fought but we are aware of the numerous mistakes we made. We had to face an extremely experienced team. We can be proud of ourselves.”
Magali Magail, head coach of ASPTT MULHOUSE: “We fought but we lost against a stronger team than us; we lacked energy at the end of the match in order to keep up the fight.”
Ana Antonijevic, setter of Volero: “I am very happy with this match; it was a very good team performance.”
Avital Selinger, head coach of Volero: “I am happy with this victory.”
Agel PROSTEJOV (CZE) vs. Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO (ITA) 0-3 (21-25, 21-25, 15-25)
• The game was quite tight for a long time. The hosts kept the pace of their mighty opponent until the second half of the third set.
• The sets never became a one-sided affair until halfway through. However, in the middle of each set, the visitors took a lead ranging from four to six points and no longer looked back.
• The pre-favourite Italian team did not manage to really step up until the final section of the third set, but after that, the strength of Imoco Volley was just overwhelming.
• Agel PROSTEJOV had their fifth attempt to score some points in an immensely tough Pool B, but still without success. Their best player was Andrea Kossanyiova (18 points).
• Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO played a very solid game and they delivered a superb team effort. Their most valuable players were Kimberly Hill (14 points) and Samanta Fabris (13 points). Thanks to their 3-0 win, they have secured their progression to the Playoffs 6.
• A small group of loud fans cheered Imoco Volley on. The triumph of their squad made these ‘tifosi’ very happy.
Kathleen Weiss, player of Agel PROSTEJOV: “Our game was very nice with a lot of good actions until the second half of the third set, but after that, we lost our rhythm. Except for the remainder of the third set, we were able to compete with this heavyweight team. I think we left a good impression, even though we did not manage to claim a single set in this clash. The game was quite close in all aspects, with the exception of blocking where Imoco had definitely the upper hand.”
Joanna Wolosz, player of Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO: “We played very well tonight. We had the situation under control. It is true that our blocking skills were not so excellent at the beginning, but we made a little improvement already before the end of the opening set. We were very strong in attacking and serving all the time. We are very happy with our straight-set victory, especially after our loss in the Italian Cup finals at Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA last Sunday.”
Dinamo KAZAN (RUS) vs. Chemik POLICE (POL) 3-1 (24-26, 25-16, 25-23, 25-14)
• Katarzyna Zaroslinska-Krol, the main opposite hitter of Chemik, suffered an injury before the match and could not join the game in Kazan.
• Despite the dismissal of their head coach last week, the Polish team showed great resilience. In the first set, the visitors managed to keep the pace of the leading Russian team and eventually emerged victorious after a dramatic ending.
• The second set started with the score remaining tight all the way to 11-all, but after substituting their starting setter Irina Filishtinskaia, Dinamo KAZAN stepped up their efforts and stormed to a comprehensive 25-16 victory.
• The Polish team failed to keep the pace of their rivals at the beginning of the third set, trailing by 1-9; however, Chemik POLICE made a great effort and almost caught up with the opponents at 23-22. Dinamo KAZAN nevertheless were able to hold on to their lead and ultimately won the set 25-23.
• In the fourth set, Dinamo KAZAN played a lot more accurately than the opponent did, thus securing a 3-1 win, and with it first place in Pool C as well.
Alexander Perepelkin, assistant coach of Dinamo KAZAN: “Today the opponent played a little better than they did in the first match we played in Poland. They served better and played well, especially at blocking. This made us look a bit shaky in the opening set. However, it is good that we managed to win comfortably the next set, since this made things easier for us for the remainder of the match.”
Strashimira Simeonova, player of Chemik POLICE: “I believe that we played well today. Katarzyna Zaroslinska could not join the game but the team delivered a good performance even without her. As for Dinamo KAZAN, they served really strong – and in Poland there are no teams like that, who can serve that well and that powerfully at the same time.”
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