Antwerp, Belgium, September 27, 2015. A packed Lotto Arena in Antwerp witnessed the thrilling second day of competition in the 2015 CEV DELA Volleyball European Championship – Women, as 5,800 spectators carried the local team to victory. The Yellow Tigers signed their second win in the tournament after beating Azerbaijan in three sets (25-17, 25-20, 27-25) thus continuing their dream journey in the spectacular event. Also signing their second victory in the competition, Turkey sailed past Hungary to present their candidacy to the leadership of the pool with a three-setter triumph (25-20, 25-20, 25-14).
Belgium vs Azerbaijan 3:0 (25-17, 25-20, 27-25)
Belgium’s Yellow Tigers opened up Sunday’s action in Antwerp with a 3-0 victory against Azerbaijan. To the delight of a 5,791 crowd in the Lotto Arena, captain Charlotte Leys and her teammates managed to stop powerhouse Polina Rahimova and her compatriots in three sets.
The home favourites immediately put the pressure on their guests with a quick 4:0 lead in the first set. Polina Rahimova’s reaction was quickly denied by Freya Aelbrecht and Lise Van Hecke. Setter Frauke Dirickx sent her squad straight to 16:10 at the second technical time-out, and despite a couple of strong attacks by Marharyta Azizova, Els Vandesteene and Laura Heyrman secured the first set 25-17.
The visitors didn’t want to suffer a second setback and setter Oksana Kurt pushed her spikers Odina Bayramova and Marharyta Azizova to a 9:5 lead. Local captain Charlotte Leys started the comeback of the EuroVolley co-hosts with a winning serve, as Freya Aelbrecht’s ace brought Belgium back on track: 12:10. At 24:18, Belgium missed two spikes, but substitute Krystsina Yagubova sent her serve wide for a two-set lead by the local heroines 25-20.
Azerbaijan’s search for a first set win in this championship was immediately countered by the winning mood of the local team. Lise Van Hecke and Laura Heyrman soon stormed to a promising 9:3 lead. Polina Rahimova’s efforts for a comeback stranded in a couple of excellent digs by Valerie Courtois. Laura Heyrman’s block offered Belgium a first match-point, but the locals required two more before Freya Aelbrecht set the Lotto Arena on fire with the ultimate winning spike 27-25.
“We were in a really difficult position at the start of this game after the 3:0 loss against Turkey. Yet our start was dramatic and our serves in the first two sets were not effective enough. If you want to beat a good team like Belgium in front of their home crowd, you can’t afford any mistakes. Unfortunately we made too many of them. Only in the third set, we could push Belgium a little further. But it’s tough to lose 3:0 twice. Tomorrow’s game against Hungary will be crucial for us, especially since we have set our sights on the Olympic qualification,” commented the coach of Azerbaijan Bülent Karslioglu.
“We couldn’t dream of a better start: two games, two wins, twice 3:0. Yet, Azerbaijan gave us a little scare in the third set. But we knew we had to concentrate on their main spiker, Rahimova. Azerbaijan is a little too dependent on her, whereas we have to count on everyone. The two wins give us more confidence for the third game against Turkey, yet they’re still the highly favourite team for the first place in our pool,” stated Belgian star Freya Aelbrecht
“I’m very proud of the level we played today. Even at the end of the third set, it felt as if we had control over the game. Now Turkey will be a tough opponent. Against Hungary, and even against Azerbaijan, we couldn’t consider ourselves the underdog. Against Turkey, we definitely are. But the fantastic crowd will definitely help us,” added Belgian player Laura Heyrman.
Hungary vs Turkey 0:3 (20-25, 20-25, 14-25)
With another 3-0 win (25-20, 25-20, 25-14) against Hungary, Turkey joined Belgium on top of the Pool B in Antwerp. Both teams can boast a perfect record so far, and Turkey followed Belgium's path of a three-setter victory, finishing their game against Hungary in three periods.
Nonetheless, the green-and-red side surprised the pool favourites with an ace and a couple of good blocks to capture a quick 5:2 lead in the first set. Things turned around very quickly when Turkish coach Ferhat Akbas successfully challenged an extremely close service. After that situation, captain Gözde Kirdar built up a 14:8 lead that stated the Turkish control of the period. Kirdar, again, and Hande Baladin crushed the last Hungarian hopes in the set (25-20).
The team led by Belgian coach Jan De Brandt started the second period with extremely tricky serves by Petra Szeles and Edina Dobi, giving them a quick 8:4 advantage. Turkey regrouped, with Kübra Akman towering high above the Hungarian block for 10:10. Despite showing excellent fighting spirit, the Hungarian side couldn’t prevent the Turkish team from extending their lead to 22:17. Gözde Yilmaz served it out with two aces to put the final 25-20 in the scoreboard.
Ferhat Akbas’s ladies raised their level in the third set in order to prevent another slow start. Polen Uslupehlivan and Meliha Ismailoglu showed their skills for an early 10:3 lead. Libero Dora Kötel excelled in the Hungarian defense, but Turkey outclassed their opponents as they seemed unable to put an end to the Turkish efficiency. The Baku 2015 European Games champions closed the period 25-14, thus sealing their second three-set victory in the competition.
“We took a slow start in the two first sets, but in European Championships,you have to expect anything. I’m happy that I could use all 14 of my players, and they all gave great energy on court. I’m very happy that I can play Belgium on Monday, it will be like a big final for us,” stated the coach of Turkey Ferhat Akbas.
Turkish libero Gizem Karadayi added: “At first, the Hungarian team surprised us with their serves, but I’m happy that we found a solution and beat them 3:0. In the beginning of a tournament it’s important to save as much energy as possible. Therefore we want to beat Belgium, so we can get an extra day of rest. I expect a big game against Belgium: both teams are already sure to get through to the next phase, so both sides can play freely.”
“We knew that Turkey and Belgium are too strong for us. So the game against Azerbaijan will be decisive if we want to get through to the next round. That was our aim four months ago, but we need a little miracle to achieve it,” explained the coach of Hungary Jan De Brandt.
“Today our team functioned better than in our first game against Belgium. We served better, but we needed an extra little bit to compete with Turkey. The last pool match against Azerbaijan will be the big game for us. Yet, we are well aware that this is our first big international tournament, whereas Azerbaijan has already competed in World Championship and World Grand Prix," added Hungarian player Zsuzsanna Talas.
For more information on the 2015 CEV Volleyball European Championship - Women visit eurovolley2015.eu or click here. In social media, please use the competition’s official hashtag #EuroVolleyW.