Istanbul, Turkey, January 21, 2015.  Galatasaray FXTCR ISTANBUL qualified for the quarterfinals of the 2015 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Men after gaining a second victory over eighthfinal opponent Chemes SPISSKA NOVA VES.  Following a straight-set win in the first leg at home, the Turkish side defeated Chemes by 3:2 (25-22, 25-22, 21-25, 19-25, 15-8) in Slovakia on Wednesday.

The first two sets of the match started and ended the same way: moving towards the technical time-outs point for point and then Galatasaray taking control of the game and winning both sets by 25-22.  With this score, the Turkish team had already sealed its ticket to the quarterfinals. Then Flavio Gulinelli, Galatasaray’s head coach, brought about some changes to the starting seven for the third set, letting in some younger players.  Although they had already been eliminated from the tournament, the players of Chemes kept a disciplined act on the court and won the next two sets.  But Galatasaray FXTCR continued into the tie-breaker with the younger line-up, put up a good fight and won the fifth set by 15-8.

The Turkish team’s middle blocker Ibrahim Emet commented on the match:  "We are excited as much as we are happy for this victory.  Because it is not only a match won, but a step up towards the quarterfinals.  It is also important for us to give our younger brothers the chance to gain experience.  Tonight they struggled at certain moments of the match, but in the end they knew how to keep up their work.  I feel proud of my team.  The next step will be harder; we will make the best out of the time we have to prepare for this next round."

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