Istanbul, Turkey, March 28, 2015. PGE Atom Trefl SOPOT is the team that will measure up to Russia’s Dinamo KRASNODAR in the final of the 2015 CEV Volleyball Cup - Women. The Polish side achieved a complete comeback from two sets down against its semifinal opponent Galatasaray Daikin ISTANBUL to win the away return match by 3:2 (18-25, 27-29, 28-26, 31-29, 15-13) and claim a spot in the last battles for the trophy.
Galatasaray Daikin needed a 3:0 or 3:1 victory to get to a decisive golden set. The hosts started the match aware of this crucial fact. With their roster mostly consisting of new generation players, Galatasaray Daikin won the first two sets – by 25-18 and 29-27, and was well on the way to achieve its goal. In the following sets, the Atomic Girls showed some character. They kept their rhythm high from the beginning and, despite the battle Galatasaray Daikin put up, Atom Trefl made the difference in the decisive moments of the match. The visitors won the third and the fourth sets narrowly – by 28-26 and 31-29, which was already enough for them to advance. The Polish squad also won the tie-breaker with a minimal gap of two points - 15-13, to achieve its complete turnaround in this game.
Galatasaray Daikin’s captain and experienced opposite Nadia Centoni, who became the game’s top scorer with an impressive 30 points, commented on the match, "We have put in everything we had. What we lacked was experience. It is sad to see that our journey in Europe is finished after we got so close." Maja Tokarska and Charlotte Leys were the best scorers for the winning side with 16 points each.
PGE Atom Trefl SOPOT and Dinamo KRASNODAR will lock horns on April 7 in Russia and on April 11 in Poland to determine this year’s laureate of Europe’s second most prestigious club trophy.
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