25/01/2017 21:22
Yamamay advance in #CEVCupW, Maritza deserve applause
2017 CEV Volleyball Cup - Women
Plovdiv, Bulgaria, January 25, 2017. Unet Yamamay BUSTO ARSIZIO qualified for the 8th Finals in the 2017 CEV Volleyball Cup - Women. The Italian Butterflies lost their away re-match with Maritza PLOVDIV by 2-3 (25-16, 24-26, 25-23, 23-25, 15-17), but following their four-set win in the first leg, they are through to the next round of the competition. Despite the elimination, the home squad earned the applause of the 3,000-strong crowd at the magnificent Kolodruma hall for the match victory, the winning spirit and all the emotions they brought to the fans.
Other than the reception, Yamamay outplayed Maritza on all counts in the first set and managed to break away to an impressive 25-16 win. The second set was a different story. Maritza greatly improved on reception and offense, but with two consecutive blocks the Italian team neutralised their two set points to tie it at 24-24. Silvana Chausheva responded with a block-out and an ace to hand the win to her team at 26-24. In the first half of set three, the Butterflies gained a six-point advantage, but Maritza maintained a fighting spirit and good blocking efforts to catch up. The Bulgarian side saved the first two of Yamamay’s set points, but on the third it was all over – 23-25 and the Italian squad rejoiced with a spot in the next round.
During the next two sets, both coaches resorted to some substitutions, more so on Maritza’s side, but those who were on the court gave their best to keep the audience entertained with some quality Volleyball. After several lead switches in the fourth set, it was 23-22 to Yamamay, when Maritza scored three in a row with setter Kristina Cesljar stamping a 25-23 win with an ace. The two teams showed how much they both desired the victory with a fierce battle for every ball in the fifth set. Maritza maintained a slight advantage and Yamamay was keeping close behind to bring it to overtime. On their third match point, the Bulgarian champions closed it off at 17-15 and earned an eruption of applause from the stands.
Valentina Diouf scored a phenomenal 30 points for Yamamay to top the charts. Her teammate Brayelin Martinez added another 20. On the winning side, Silvana Chausheva was the best scorer with 19 points. Nasya Dimitrova and Gabriela Tsvetanova scored 14 and 13, respectively.
Giulia Pisani, captain of Unet Yamamay BUSTO ARSIZIO: “We earned this qualification, but at the same time we lost a match that we should have won. So I am happy, but not so happy.”
Radosveta Teneva, captain of Maritza PLOVDIV: “We took away the victory, but only this. We wanted so much to make this audience happy by making it to the next round in the CEV Cup. It is a great feeling to see so many people come and watch our game. It was a pleasure for us, and, once again, we are sorry that we came short of a clear win.”
Click here for more info including detailed stats of the match
|