Luxembourg, February 27, 2019. The last Wednesday of February was a successful one for AYDIN BBSK  and Saugella MONZA as their fairy tale journey in the 2019 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Women continues after two exhausting and very interesting tiebreak battles.  In their away match from the semi-final phase of the competition, the players of the Turkish team showed great spirit, winning 3-2 over GEN-I Volley NOVA GORICA. Both teams delivered a real spectacle, constantly exchanging the lead in the match, having all the fans wondering until the very last moment who will be the eventual winner. The same was the scenario also in the second semi-final match, where the Italians from Saugella MONZA delivered a 3-2 victory vs. Volero LE CANNET.

GEN-I Volley Nova Gorica (SLO) vs AYDIN BBSK (TUR) 2-3 (25-19, 25-27, 23-25, 25-16, 8-15)

•    The first set was quite equal, with the hosts initially leading with a small point difference. They maintained the leadership and eventually opened the match with a comfortable 25-16 win.
•    The Slovenian girls started off better in the next set too, but as the game was unfolding, the Turks from AYDIN BBSK equalised at 16-16 and even took the lead with one point for 17-16 in their favour. The play then went point by point and, inspired by their improved performance, the visitors took the set to bring more intrigue in the match.
•    Both teams were following each other in the score in the third set as well – and to please the fans in Sportna Dvorana there were many interesting and intense rallies. Eventually, the Turkish team took the initiative for 2-1.
•    The hosts then regrouped and brought the match into a tiebreak. However, they couldn’t cope with the pressure and eventually AYDIN BBSK won the decisive set.
•    Brayelin Martinez from the winning side topped the charts with 26 points.

Volero LE CANNET (FRA) vs Saugella MONZA (ITA) 2-3 (20-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-23, 13-15)

•    It is the seventh straight victory in as many matches for Saugella MONZA in this year’s Challenge Cup.
•    The visitors showed much quality and determination to edge Volero 3-2 with as many as 15 blocks.
•    Volero started at a slow pace but the hosts were able to regroup and put up a fight until the very end.
•    MONZA caught a flying start winning the first and third sets, with the help of Serena Ortolani and Hanna Orthmann. Laura Melandri scored as many as six blocks in the match but Volero fought back in the fourth set powered by Ana Bjelica and Angelina Lazarenko.
•    Volero caught a promising 5-1 lead in the tiebreak but Orthmann and Melandri rose to the occasion to secure a 3-2 victory for MONZA.

Miguel Angel Falasca, head coach of Saugella MONZA: “I am extremely happy with this result, especially since we achieved it on the road. We played a good match in all key areas of the game, especially against a quality team that performs very well at home. If we had made fewer mistakes, especially in the fourth set, we would probably have finished the match in four sets. However, we had to adjust to a ball, which is not the same we use in our national league. It is important to win such matches and we were able to do that, thanks to our spirit as well.”