07/04/2015 21:56
Dinamo KRASNODAR one step away from second European trophy after speedy home win over Atomic Girls
2015 CEV Volleyball Cup - Women
Krasnodar, Russia, April 7, 2015. Russia’s Dinamo KRASNODAR are only one step away from seizing their second international trophy following their straight-set win (25-18, 25-20, 25-22) in the first round of the 2015 CEV Volleyball Cup – Women finals with Poland’s PGE Atom Trefl SOPOT. Dinamo KRASNODAR already claimed the 2013 edition of the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup and on Saturday will be trying to follow up on their home victory also in the away match at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk-Sopot to add something more to their resume and trophy showcase.
About 2,000 fans were in attendance on Tuesday at Olimp Sports Palace for a sell-out crowd and the local heroines did not disappoint their supporters cruising to a speedy home victory. Right from the start of the match Dinamo set the tone with an 8:1 run that showed immediately the intention of the home side to impose their rule on this game. The first technical time-out somehow helped the Atomic Girls get back on track after such disastrous start as they reduced their deficit to three points. The mentor of Dinamo, Konstantin Ushakov, stopped the game by the score of 10:7 in favour of his team and his players responded well, with an ace by Natalia Dianskaya, the always reliable duo composed of Marina Maryukhnich and Tatiana Kosheleva (pictured) plus the immortal Liubov Shashkova (Sokolova) widening the Russian lead to 17:11. Fernanda Garay Rodrigues contributed a series of set balls for Dinamo (24:18) and Dianskaya finished it off immediately (25-18) for the provisional 1:0.
SOPOT seized the initiative in the early stages of the second set going up by 3:0 before Dinamo responded making it 5 all with their always outstanding stars Kosheleva and Shashkova. However, SOPOT got back control of the operations with another break of four straight points before Dinamo fought their way back levelling the score at 10 all. After this, the hosts comfortably edged ahead (14:10) before the Atomic Girls powered back to draw level again and again at 14 and 15. Still Kosheleva and Shashkova were just unstoppable and they chiefly contributed to the final 25-20 and 2:0 lead for the home side.
Once again, as it had happened in the previous set, the Atomic Girls were off to a good start leading the way by 2:0 and 5:2. However, again the home girls fought back and drew level at 7 all. The first technical time-out followed after an ace scored by Shashkova and after the break the home team was able to get a two, three-point lead. This was not kept for that long as SOPOT was able to restore the balance at 17 all and what then followed was a very tense and exciting final rush. Fernanda Garay got two match balls for Dinamo at 24:22 and she eventually teamed up with Marina Maryukhnich to stop one of the Polish attackers to seal the final 25-22 and 3:0 win.
“It was a tough match but we achieved our goal which was to win this first round,” commented Dinamo’s coach Konstantin Ushakov. “The final score is very important because this way we get the right edge for the big final in Poland. Even though Atom Trefl can count on world-class and tall players, we were simply the better ones tonight. In Poland it is going to be much more difficult, also because they will be able to count on their supporters and they will show a different attitude. However, we are ready for this and we will fight through to the end. There was not any real turning point in this match because we played focused and controlled it from the start. Yes, we made some unusual mistakes but this is due to the excitement and tension stemming from playing a European final.”
“I am very happy with this victory and proud of my team, we were the best tonight,” said home star Tatiana Kosheleva. “I want to say a big fat thank you to our supporters who have cheered us on with so much passion tonight. This match is only a first, small step on our way to winning the CEV Volleyball Cup. Our opponent is a good one and we can expect a tough fight on Saturday in Poland. We won in three sets but there is no room for making any mistakes there. We really want this gold medal and the trophy.”
Lorenzo Micelli, coach of PGE Atom Trefl SOPOT, said after the match: “Right from the start of the match we struggled and our defence and reception did not work well. I do not know why this happened. This match started badly for us and it ended in the same way. I hope that in Poland we will play better and show what we are really capable of. We will have to fight right from the start, as we can’t afford any mistakes anymore, we need to stick together and go for a home win.”
“I am not satisfied with this match and with the final score, of course,” commented Polish captain Izabela Belcik. “I know we can stand the fight and we will try to do that and win once we play our home match on Saturday.”
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