28/09/2015 22:05
Turkey shock 5,000 fans after convincing win over co-hosts as Hungary stun Azerbaijan
2015 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Women
Antwerp, Belgium, September 28, 2015. The quest for a spot in the playoff matches and quarterfinals of the 2015 EuroVolley reached its highlight on Monday as the teams in Pool B braced to continue their journey in the competition. The thrilling day in Antwerp started with Hungary’s stunning victory over Azerbaijan in four sets 3:1 (25-16, 26-28, 25-22, 25-16) to secure the qualification for the playoff matches. The passionate fans in the Belgian city could not witness the third triumph of the local heroines in the following match, as the Yellow Tigers were stopped by an inspired Turkish team who won the final clash in Pool B by 3:0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-16).
Azerbaijan vs Hungary 1-3 (16-25, 28-26, 22-25, 16-25)
Hungary caused quite a sensation on the first clash of the day in Antwerp after achieving a memorable victory over Azerbaijan in four sets. The team directed by Jan De Brandt finished in third position of Pool B thus advancing to the playoff matches of the tournament.
The Hungarian team, with the support of a group of loyal countrymen on the stands, started very strongly with tactical serves and good attacks that gave them the lead in the first set (12:4, 16:7). The Azeris were unable to get back in the game and suffered an unexpected setback in the opening period (25-16).
More balance appeared in the second set, and Hungary attacked through the contribution by Renata Sandor, Agnes Pallag and Zsuzsanna Talas, while Odina Bayramova anchored her team on the other side of the net (7:8,15:16). A better blocking system by the Hungarians was enough to break away in the score (18:15) at the end of the set as Azerbaijan continued showing problems in reception. However, the serves by Polina Rahimova gave hopes to the Azeri’s (23:23). Bülent Karslioglu's ladies saved two set points, before a block by Marharyta Azizova was decisive to close the period 28-26 for the team from Baku.
In the third set Azerbaijan dominated at the beginning thanks to Polina Rahimova’s attacks (16:12). But the ladies directed by coach Jan De Brandt fought back with the strong contribution by Zsuzsanna Talas and Dora Horvath (19:19). Individual mistakes that appeared on the Azeri side of the net and an ace by Dora Horvath paved the Hungarian route to a win in the set after a well placed ball by Renata Sandor.
The strong playing by the gold medallists from the 2015 CEV Volleyball European League contributed an early 9:5 lead in the fourth set. An excellent Agnes Pallag steered her team in the period and her spikes helped Hungary keep control of the game (17:12). Azerbaijan could not recover and Hungary completed their stunning demonstration of self-confidence and courage to win the set 25-16 and the match 3:1.
“I think we really deserved to win. We knew Belgium and Turkey had better teams, so everything would depend on this match. It is unbelievable that we are among the 12 best teams in Europe. Don’t forget that it took us 28 years to compete again in a Final Round of the European Championship,” declared the coach of Hungary Jan De Brandt.
“Even if it was a beautiful thing to win the CEV Volleyball European League, this qualification for the second round is an even better result for us,” added Hungarian player Agnes Pallag. “We are a team, we stick together, we are a very good group and we wanted this victory more than our rivals,” she added.
“After the first two losses in the tournament, our situation was bad and it got even worse because one of our most important players, Odina Bayramova, suffered an injury. Moreover, our experienced setter, Oksana Kurt, was not completely fit either. This European Championship is over for us now, we have to consider what will happen next with our team,” said the coach of Azerbaijan Bülent Karslioglu.
Belgium vs Turkey 0:3 (18-25, 17-25, 16-25)
With a convincing three-setter win against the home team of Belgium, Turkey secured the leadership of Pool B in Antwerp. Following their perfect record, without a single set lost thus far, the Turkish ladies conquered a spot in the quarterfinals, whereas the Yellow Tigers will go to the playoff round.
Belgian setter Frauke Dirickx used all her experience to open the clash with a 6:3 lead for the locals. The guest team accepted the challenge and replied with a couple of effective serves by Polen Uslupehlivan to make it 10:7 in their favour. The attacks by the spiker together with Neriman Özsoy’s contribution maintained the lead for the Turkish side, and three compelling blocks by Eda Erdem Dündar led the 2015 European Games champions to a convincing 25-18 set win.
The visitors had found their best attacking level while the Yellow Tigers could only hang in on the scoreboard thanks to a strong blocking effort by Laura Heyrman. After the tie at 9:9, Turkish setter Naz Aydemir Akyol launched her armada of spikers to a comfortable 18:12 lead. Charlotte Leys’s attempts to close the gap were halted at 19:17, and Kübra Akman set her team on track for a compelling finish at 25-17.
The Yellow Tigers seemed tamed, while Turkey further cemented their dominance jumping to a quick 9:2 lead in the third set. One last time, the 4,961 fans in the Lotto Arena hoped for a turnaround after Freya Aelbrecht’s spike reduced the deficit to three points at 7:10. Nonetheless, the Turkish ladies sailed to an impressive 16:7, as Eda Erdem Dündar offered her team a third chance for celebrating, thus ending the Turkish classy display of skills with a powerful kill block (25-16).
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.
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