03/03/2015 18:02
Atomic girls stun Romanian champions to set sight on CEV Cup semis
2015 CEV Volleyball Cup – Women
Bacau, Romania, March 3, 2015. Poland’s PGE Atom Trefl SOPOT made a huge step forward on their way to the semis of the 2015 CEV Volleyball Cup – Women as they cruised to a 3:0 away victory (25-15, 25-21, 25-18) in their first match up with Romania’s champions Stiinta BACAU. The return match is now due to follow on March 10 at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk-Sopot with the eventual winners of this fixture playing Turkey’s Galatasaray Daikin ISTANBUL or Russia’s Omichka OMSK REGION in the semis.
The home heroines fought bravely but the guests totally dominated the scene, thereby getting the right edge for the return match coming up next week in Poland.
The beginning of the first set was fully controlled by PGE Atom Trefl SOPOT that started out really strong with Klaudia Kaczorowska serving well, whilst good hits were killed by Katarzyna Zaroslinska and Charlotte Leys (2:12). The guests from Poland extended their lead to 5:16 when the mentor of Stiinta BACAU made some necessary adjustments to the organisation of his team. The Romanian ladies played with glowing hearts but the guests – with a perfect contribution from setter Izabela Belcik and opposite Katarzyna Zaroslinska – dictated the tempo of the set all the way through and sealed the final 15-25.
The opening of the second set was slightly better for Stiinta BACAU especially via the attacks killed by their captain Denisa Rogojinaru. Inspired by the passionate local crowd, the home team took the lead at the first technical time-out (8:4) but SOPOT reacted promptly and cut the deficit down to eventually draw level at 8 all. It was a tight affair with no team going up by more than three points until 13:16 when the guests showed their confidence and determination. The experienced players from Poland kept their rhythm high and won the second set with the score of 21-25.
Stiinta BACAU opened the third set with good tempo, cruising to a 3:0 lead and the head coach of SOPOT – Lorenzo Micelli – immediately asked for an early break. After that stop the guests gradually got back control of the game anchored by setter Izabela Belcik (7:8 at the first technical time-out). Both teams displayed some great actions but PGE Atom Trefl SOPOT performed just brilliantly thereby regularly shaking the Romanian defence line with their attacks and serves. The Polish team stayed concentrated and moved straight up to the end of the game (18-25) without losing composure.
Katarzyna Zaroslinska (pictured, #18) became the best scorer of the match, contributing 20 points to the victory of PGE Atom Trefl, whilst Denisa Rogojinaru topped the charts for BACAU with nine.
Romanian mentor Florin Grapa said: “We knew that every match would be tougher than the previous ones we have had. Unfortunately today SOPOT performed very well at serving and attacking; despite this, we did not give up and by the end of the match we had improved our efficiency and quality in reception.”
Click here for more info including detailed stats of the match
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