22/02/2018 09:00
CSM Volei Alba BLAJ and NOVARA set sights on Playoff spot
2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Women
Luxembourg, February 22, 2018. The penultimate round of action in the pool stage of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Women will end on Thursday with another two exciting matches – and with CSM Volei Alba BLAJ of Romania hoping to add a fifth straight victory to their tally in Pool A in order to secure their progression to the Playoffs 6. Italy’s Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA, fresh from winning their national cup, will be hosting Turkey’s Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL in another key match as they battle for the top spot in Pool B with last year’s Champions League silver medallists and domestic rivals Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO.
CSM Volei Alba BLAJ (ROU) vs. Developres SkyRes RZESZOW (POL)
• The hosts are hoping to secure their fifth victory in as many matches and to make sure they will finish on top of the charts in Pool A with one more round to go next week.
• Earlier this season, CSM Volei Alba BLAJ claimed a 3-0 victory in Poland in their previous matchup with RZESZOW.
• The organisers expect a full house in Sibiu as it happened with the previous home matches contested by BLAJ in Pool A.
Ana Cleger, opposite hitter and best scorer in the League Round this far: “I strongly believe that we are able to claim another victory in front of our fans. It will not be an easy match and I am sure that we will meet strong resistance from Developres but we will try to do our best, as usual. We are very close to achieving an important and historic qualification to the Playoffs 6 and this thought is enough to motivate us even more to go for another victory.”
Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA (ITA) vs. Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL (TUR)
• This past weekend, Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA won the Italian Cup in Bologna. Their rising star Paola Egonu scored as many as 60 points in the Final Four and received the award for the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
• In the second round of action in Pool B, Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA came back from two sets down to secure a 3-2 away victory at the expense of Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL.
• Katarzyna Skorupa, Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA setter, played one season for Fenerbahce back in 2015-2016.
• Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA have won three matches so far and lost one, while Fenerbahce’s win-loss record stands at a disappointing 1-3.
• Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL Brazilian spiker Natalia Pereira Zilio did not travel with the team to Italy and she will not feature in the game with NOVARA.
Anthi Vasilantonaki, player of Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA: “We know that this is a crucial match for us. We are focused on our target and we will do anything we can in order to achieve a victory. Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL is a great team with amazing players, but we can make it happen. We want to secure our spot in the Playoffs.”
Salih Erdogan Tavaci, coach of Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL: “This is a difficult season for our club, we could not show our best performance earlier on but now we have grown and are ready to fight against such a great opponent as Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA. We came to Novara with one goal only, which is a victory.”
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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