09/11/2020 17:10
THY ISTANBUL return to #CEVChallengeCupW to finish the job
CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup 2021
Istanbul, Turkey, November 9, 2020. The two-time winners of the BVA Cup, THY ISTANBUL, look forward to starting their second straight adventure in the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup – with two matches against Croatia’s OK KAŠTELA coming up later this week – and more specifically on Tuesday and Wednesday. The anticipation is mounting and the matches have drawn much attention – with live broadcasting available on TRT Spor-2. Last year, in their maiden appearance in international competition, THY ISTANBUL reached the semis of the Challenge Cup, before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic cut the season short.
The Secretary General of Turkish Airlines Sports Club Ramazan Yildirim looks forward to the return of international competition. “We are a club operating under the umbrella of Turkey’s most valuable brand, Turkish Airlines. As I always say, our goal is to achieve the best we can do. Only this will suit such a brand. Although we are a young and new team that has been operating since 2016 only, we are progressing with each year. We have successfully achieved all the goals we have set so far. The main architect of this club, with his vision and support, is the Chairman of the Turkish Airlines Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, and also our Club President, Mr Ilker Ayci. We thank him very much for his contribution to Turkish sports and our team.”
THY ISTANBUL have completed the first half of the Turkish national league in fourth place. “We are fighting in a very busy and intense schedule. Despite this, I find everyone in the team is motivated and much concentrated. This is what it means to be a team. Teams that can overcome difficult times together achieve success,” he continues. “Now, there are two important matches ahead of us in order to achieve our Challenge Cup goals. We will host the Croatian team OK KAŠTELA in Istanbul. Due to the coronavirus precautions, our matches, played without any audience, will enjoy live TV coverage. I hope that our team will make the audience watch quality and enjoyable matches. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to TRT General Manager Mr Ibrahim Eren and all members of the TRT family for sharing the Challenge Cup excitement of our team and supporting Volleyball.”
Head coach Marcello Abbondanza speaking with the President and Secretary General of THY ISTANBUL, Ilker Ayci and Ramazan Yildirim
“I am happy to start this European competition in this particular moment after last season we could not continue our journey after reaching the semis,” says head coach Marcello Abbondanza. “We have been working extremely hard to win this cup and this is our only goal.”
“After enjoying a good start to the national league, our European Cup adventure is starting this week. We offered our opponent to play both games of this round in Istanbul and they agreed. I have complete faith that we will win these matches and make it to the next round,” commented team manager Gizem Giraygil. “We continue to take firm steps towards winning the Challenge Cup, after our first attempt remained unfinished due to the pandemic last year.”
“We are going through a very intense period. We play league matches twice a week. We are happy to have completed the first half of the league by winning against AYDIN BBSK, which is critical for us to reach our goal. Now we are going to play two Challenge Cup matches in a row. I believe that we will win these matches and continue our Challenge Cup adventure,” said team captain Seyma Ercan.
“I am excited that we will be playing the first CEV Challenge Cup match of this season. Since the Challenge Cup is a knockout competition, every match counts. I fully believe that by taking it one match at a time we will reach the final stages,” said middle blocker Asli Kalac.
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