29/10/2018 10:00
CSM Volei Alba BLAJ confident ahead of re-match with Czech vice-champions
2019 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Women
Luxembourg, October 29, 2018. CSM Volei Alba BLAJ return to Sibiu, the home to all of their European Cup matches, for the very first time since the end of the group stage of last year’s CEV Volleyball Champions League. On Tuesday, the silver medal winners from the 2018 #CLVolleyW will be playing the vice-champions of the Czech Republic, VK UP OLOMOUC at Transilvania Hall in one of four return matches scheduled for the 2nd Round.
Last week CSM Volei Alba BLAJ travelled to the Czech Republic without their full roster, so the injuries and absences of some key players took their toll, preventing head coach Darko Zakoč from the opportunity to test different combinations and solutions. However, with the arrivals of Maja Aleksić (a 2018 World Champion with Serbia) and Aleksandra Ćirović, but also with some other players having recovered from injury, the runners-up of the 2018 Champions League have more options for Tuesday’s night match. Captain Nneka Onyejekwe is the only player whose participation in the game is still in doubt.
Darko Zakoč, head coach of CSM Volei Alba BLAJ, says he can rely for this game on a full squad, significantly strengthened between the two games: “It is the second half of this double header, and even if we won there, nothing is set. There are two games, but we are in a better position than last Wednesday’s match, since we are close to gathering a full team. We now have more solutions than before and I hope we will prove that we are the favourite in this round but we need to confirm this when taking to the court.”
Ioana Maria Baciu, top scorer (25 points) in the first leg, is confident about her team’s chances to qualify to the next round: “I think we are much more and better prepared for Tuesday’s match. We also have the advantage of playing at home and the audience will be with us. We want this qualification very much, so we will mobilise all our strengths and show these on the court.”
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