17/12/2013 21:42
Volero ZÜRICH edges Dinamo KAZAN second lines after terrific comeback
2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League - Women
Kazan, Russia, December 17, 2013. In the final match of the group stage Dinamo KAZAN and Volero ZÜRICH amazed Volleyball fans there in the capital city of Tatarstan with a breathtaking match-thriller that was packed with beautiful rallies and a storm of emotions. The home team missed three of its leaders in that match, and their young Volleyball players failed to seal the game though they were leading 2-0 after two sets. The Swiss side showed an indomitable will to win and snatched the victory at the tie-break (25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 28-30, and 8-15).
Both teams had already booked their tickets to the Playoffs 12 and could easily go for some experiments. The head coach of Dinamo KAZAN Rishat Gilyazutdinov gave his leaders a chance to rest. There was no Ekaterina Gamova, Jordan Quinn Larson-Burbach or Antonella Del Core on the team entry list. Only Evgeniya Startseva and Ekaterina Ulanova were retained out of the first team to support their young colleagues. However, the substitute line-up of Dinamo KAZAN won two straight sets from their more experienced opponents. 19-year-old Olga Biryukova and 18-year-old Irina Voronkova came out unstoppable and showed their worth. The latter top scored in the game with 31 points.
At the dawn of the third set, Volero ZÜRICH considerably improved their efficiency in attack. Ukrainian Olesia Rykhliuk and Cuban-born star Kenia Carcaces Opon were particularly tormenting the hosts’ defense. The Swiss team won back 4-5 points several times during the match, including in the fourth set as well. Volero detected some soft spots in the reception of Dinamo KAZAN especially in the name of Olga Biryukova, and hammered her with powerful serves. As a result, Volero ZÜRICH seized the dramatic final of the fourth set with the score of 30-28. In the tie-break, the Swiss champions were simply irrepressible and converted 12 of their 16 attacks.
“Of course, it would be interesting to play against Ekaterina Gamova. Perhaps it would have been a completely different game. But even the young team of Dinamo KAZAN played against us pretty well. The match was very exciting and it is really nice that we have finally sealed the prelims with a victory. Our team is gradually pacing up”, said Volero ZÜRICH opposite Olesia Rykhliuk after the match.
“We were prepared for any outcome in this match, because almost all of our starting players had a planned match off. Our young girls tried very hard and at times played excellent, but in some episodes they just lacked experience, so at the end of the day we let the victory slip away” said Dinamo KAZAN libero Ekaterina Ulanova (Kabeshova).
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