Luxembourg, March 14, 2018. BURSA BBSK keep on performing excellent in this year’s CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Women. The Turkish side have reached the semi-finals without losing a set and today’s match was no different. Although the players of NANTES VB fought until the end and showed some good team spirit, eventually BURSA BBSK were too strong to be beaten. In the other semi-final match, played on Wednesday, we witnessed some amazing Volleyball scenes. Olympiacos SFP PIRAEUS and Dinamo KRASNODAR were both determined to win, but after more than two hours of play, the home team claimed a 3-2 victory. The two sides were constantly exchanging the lead in the different sets, which made this matchup a very interesting and emotional one. Melina Merkouri sports hall was full of supporters, cheering up for their favourite team. With this home victory, the ladies of Olympiacos repeated the success of their men’s team, who earlier today beat Gazprom-Ugra SURGUT by 3-0 in the semis of the Challenge Cup as well.

BURSA BBSK (TUR) vs. NANTES VB (FRA) 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-18)

•    BURSA BBSK took a straight 3-0 win without any serious problems, although their opponents fought until the end.
•    The players around head coach Angelo Anibal Vercesi needed only 83 minutes to secure their victory.
•    Despite the loss of her team, Katie Lynn Carter from NANTES VB was the best scorer of the match with 17 points.
•    NANTES VB still have chances to reach the finals. For this to happen, they have to win 3-0 or 3-1 at home and take the eventual Golden Set as well.

Olympiacos PIRAEUS (GRE) vs. Dinamo KRASNODAR (RUS) 3-2 (18-25, 25-14, 23-25, 25-19, 15-13)

•    Saskia Hippe from Olympiacos PIRAEUS was of a big help for her team, scoring the sensational tally of 29 points (four aces, one block and 24 points made in attack).
•    Georgia Lamprousi also helped a lot for the win with her 18 points (93% in attack), one ace and three blocks.
•    Iuliia Podskalnaia from Dinamo KRASNODAR was the best scorer for her team with 20 points (including two aces and six blocks).
•    The key moment of the match was in the fourth set when Olympiacos made a great comeback from 4-14 to 11-16 and eventually, thanks to the warm support of the home fans, took the lead by 21-16.
•    The supporters of Olympiacos did it again in the tiebreak when the score was 3-8 in favour of Dinamo’s players. The fans gave their favourites “wings to fly”, and so the hosts made it 10-8.
•    Olympiacos has to win also in Russia in order to take part for a second consecutive year in the final of the CEV Challenge Cup – Women.
•    “The Reds” need a victory by any result in the match that will be held in Russia next Wednesday. In case of a 2-3 loss, there will be a Golden Set played, which will be the decisive key to reach the finals.

Branko Kovacevic, head coach of Olympiacos PIRAEUS:  “It was a very difficult and also stressful game. There were some moments, when we thought that there was no hope for us. Congratulations to the girls and at the same time also to the fans, because players and fans became one - they didn’t stop fighting, even in some very difficult moments. I think we have a good advantage before the match in Krasnodar.”

Saskia Hippe, opposite hitter of Olympiacos PIRAEUS: “It was a crazy game today! We played as a team. I think we played our best game this season so far. We always fight for the win until the end. Now we have to go to Russia to prove again that we are better! Our fans are amazing – they create great moments: and these moments are the reason why I’m playing Volleyball, these are the moments why I love Olympiacos so much. We have an amazing crowd to support us.“

Konstantin Ushakov, head coach of Dinamo KRASNODAR: “It was a very good game, we could have been the winners, but we couldn’t make it.”

Marianna Nosova, setter of Dinamo KRASNODAR: “Olympiacos is a very strong team, it was a really good game for both teams. We must play a lot better at home if we want to reach the final.”

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