24/03/2019 16:10
Yamamay two sets away from third #CEVCupW title
2019 CEV Volleyball Cup - Women
Busto Arsizio, Italy, March 24, 2019. On Tuesday night, Yamamay e-work BUSTO ARSIZIO will be chasing their third title in the CEV Volleyball Cup when playing their second matchup with Romania’s CSM Volei Alba BLAJ. Yamamay are only two sets away from securing their third CEV Cup crown after storming to a 3-0 victory in the first matchup in Sibiu. The organisers expect some 4,000 fans to attend the match at Palayamamay, including some 100 supporters of BLAJ travelling all the way from Romania.
• Despite their 0-3 loss at home, BLAJ will be playing without any pressure and this means that the Italian ‘Butterflies’ will have to remain focussed in order to take the two sets they need to seal the title.
• Yamamay can count on a full roster for this match with Floortje Meijners and Kaja Grobelna competing for one of the two outside-hitter spots available in the starting six.
• BLAJ will most likely opt for the same starting line-up they used in Sibiu, with setter Lora Kitipova, opposite Ioana Maria Baciu, middle blockers Nneka Onyejekwe and Nadja Ninkovic, outside hitters Sonja Newcombe and Ana Lazarevic plus libero Marina Vujovic.
• Yamamay won the CEV Cup in 2010 and 2012, before losing the final to Dinamo KAZAN in 2017.
Alessia Gennari, team captain of Yamamay e-work BUSTO ARSIZIO: “We know we are one step away from history, but we are aware that it will not be an easy game. We must focus on playing our best volleyball: if we play as a team, we know we are superior. We are excited to see the Palayamamay filled to push us to victory, and we look forward to Tuesday evening. We want to celebrate with our fans, but first there is a game to play and Volleyball teaches you that you can have the last word only when the very last ball touches the floor.”
Darko Zakoc, head coach of CSM Volei Alba BLAJ: “As I said after the Sibiu match, we left a very bad impression there, as basically there was only one team on the court and we did not play as we should have done in a final. That is why for the re-match we will firstly try to play another kind of game, show everyone that it was an accident in Sibiu and confirm that we played a final of the Champions League last year, not by coincidence, and in this season, we have played very well in the CEV Cup. The chances are small now, so we want to enjoy the match, play without pressure and have another attitude towards the match than the previous week and, who knows?, maybe we will achieve something extraordinary.”
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