27/11/2013 18:00
PIACENZA upsets Igtisadchi in clash of the rookies
2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League - Women
Baku, Azerbaijan, November 27, 2013. On Wednesday Italy’s RebecchiNMeccanica PIACENZA upset Igtisadchi BAKU in the third round of action for prelim Pool B of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Women. Italy’s champions edged the hosts in four sets (25-16, 25-18, 21-25, and 25-20) to claim their second victory in the competition and also second place in the standing of the group that is currently topped by Dinamo MOSCOW with seven points. PIACENZA has six while Igtisadchi follows in third place with five. Lucia Bosetti top scored in the game with 17 points while PIACENZA captain Manuela Leggeri registered 16. Onuma Sittirak paced Igtisadchi in their losing effort with 16 as well.
The guests from Italy caught a good start (6:4) but their advantage was cut to a minimum at the first technical time-out. The teams played point for point for a short while before PIACENZA got back control of the operations (14:11) thereby forcing Igtisadchi coach Bülent Karslioglu into a time-out. This, however, did not change the course of the game with PIACENZA going up 19:13 and finishing the set quite comfortably at 25-16.
Things did not change also in the second set where PIACENZA imposed their rule right from the go (4:1, 10:3); as the second technical time-out was called, Rebecchi was leading the way 16:9 and eventually wrapped it up at 25-18 for a 2:0 lead in sets.
Igtisadchi finally found their way into the game in the early phases of the third set (5:3) and called for the first mandatory stop leading the score 8:6. As the score stood at 10:8 for the home side, the libero of Igtisadchi – Wanna Buakaew – got injured and was replaced by Lenka Dürr. Though they had to stand this difficult situation, Igtisadchi was still setting the pace of the game at the second technical time-out (16:14); PIACENZA briefly leveled the score making it 18 all but the hosts were not ready to accept a straight-set defeat. Onuma Sittirak aced for the 22:18 and Igtisadchi could finally cash that set at 25-21.
Igtisadchi briefly set the tempo of the game also in the fourth set (4:3) before PIACENZA flipped the charts around already by the first technical time-out (8:6). The game stayed very close also halfway the set but Igtisadchi could not stop the Italians in their terrific final rush so that Rebecchi could win the set 25-20 and the game 3:1.
“Today we had some problems due to the fact that we could not prepare for this game as we wanted. Our Thai players were away for some time with their national team as they participated in the World Grand Champions Cup in Japan” said Igtisadchi head coach Karslioglu. “We will do our best to compensate for this defeat by winning the return game next week in Piacenza” he concluded.
Click here for more info including detailed stats of the match
|