Luxembourg, January 22, 2020. After the first night of the fourth leg of women's 2020 CEV Champions League, four new matches took place on Wednesday. Early in the afternoon, Eczacibasi VitrA ISTANBUL took on LP SALO. Then, Budowlani ŁÓDŹ hosted Fenerbahce Opet ISTANBUL while Lokomotiv KALININGRAD Region welcomed Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI. Finally, the latest match of the evening opposed A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO to C.S.M. Volei Alba BLAJ.
Already leading Pool A undisputedly, the two squads from Istanbul comforted their advance by winning 3-0 against Salo and Lodz. For Eczacibasi, Natalia Pereira scored 14 points in the game while the Finnish team could not put up much of a fight, with only 16, 13, and 13 points by set. As for Fenerbahce, the Polish opposition was a bit stronger but still lost in straight sets against Kelsey Robinson (15 points) and her teammates. Both Turkish teams are now sure to place first and second of the pool, no matter what happens in the remaining matches.
The third match of the evening was much tighter, as Kalingrad and Scandicci needed a tie-breaker to determine the winner. In this dangerous game, the Italians prevailed, notably thanks to the performance of Magdalena Stysiak and her 28 points. They now lead Pool B with 10 points.
The last match was also a one-way battle as Conegliano - the leaders of Pool D - claimed back their throne after yesterday's win by Nantes VB. To do so, they swept away Blaj. Raphaela Folie scored 16 points in the 25-16, 25-16, 25-17 victory against the Romanians, including six blocks.
Match by match
Eczacibasi VitrA ISTANBUL (TUR) vs LP SALO (FIN) 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-13)
“We are happy to continue the Champions League with a 3-0 win after the break we had with the national team. We have an intense schedule in the months of January and February. We will give our best to prepare as good as possible for collecting more wins.”
Spiker Hande Baladın, Eczacibasi VitrA ISTANBUL
Budowlani ŁÓDŹ (POL) vs Fenerbahce Opet ISTANBUL (TUR) 0-3 (20-25, 21-25, 22-25)
"Champions League matches are always important for our team and club. We had a break and we prepared for this second half of the league round even more. We are happy that we finished 3:0 and we are looking forward to our next matches."
Bahar Toksoy Guidetti, middle blocker of Fenerbahce Opet ISTANBUL
"I think today our team showed a very good level against Fenerbahce. We put up a good fight, as you can see from the numbers. We lost to 20, 21, 22 so we didn't give up today. We showed very good volleyball and I think we deserved to win at least a set, because 3:0 looks as if it was an easy game for Fenerbahce, but I think we played a really good game today."
Charlotte Leys, spiker of Budowlani ŁÓDŹ
"I think it was a very interesting game. We didn't have enough quality to win at least one set, but it wasn't a game filled with mistakes and for me a very positive thing is that we could play on a high level against such a great team. Thanks to that we can feel our strength as a team. Congratulations to Fenerbahce. We have to train more to be on such level as Fenerbahce."
Błażej Krzyształowicz, coach of Budowlani ŁÓDŹ
Lokomotiv KALININGRAD Region (RUS) vs Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI (ITA) 2-3 (17-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-16, 12-15)
"The match was very good from a tactical
point of view. The atmosphere at the arena was great. Lokomotiv were
better in serving and we were better in block." Luca Cristofani, Scandicci's Head Coach
“The match was hard but we were ready for it because we had played with Lokomotiv at home. Today’s match was hard since the supporters were great for Lokomotiv. I was ready for that sort of ambiance since the Olympic qualifier we played here with Mexico in the summer of 2019. I know how the spectators can support their favourite players here in Kaliningrad.” Samantha Bricio, player of Scandicci
“Matches in the Champions League are a good experience; we are getting better and better with each game. One or two seasons in CL and we will be able to finish such matches in our favour.” Irina Voronkova, player of Lokomotiv
“It was a very complicated match for us. After an unsuccessful first set, our team played better. The fourth set was also good for us. My players showed their character after an unsuccessful third set and levelled the match. For sure, it is very disappointing that we could not win the fifth set although we had an advantage but it is a lesson as well that will help us in the future.” Andrei Voronkov, coach of Lokomotiv
A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO (ITA) vs C.S.M. Volei Alba BLAJ (ROU) 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-17)
"Today everything went very well, Asia Wolosz drove us as she can do very well and we had fun following her playing a good game. We are happy with the win, but we have not yet qualified and we must keep the focus for the next games."
Raphaela Folie, middle blocker of A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO
"Conegliano delivered a great performance, it's for me the best team in Europe, this match showed the power of the Italian team. It's a pleasure for us to play against this kind of tough team and it helps us improve for the remainder of our season."
Sanja Gamma, player of C.S.M. Volei Alba BLAJ
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