Istanbul, Turkey, February 11, 2016. On Thursday night the Volleyball ‘hub’ of Istanbul, Burhan Felek Volleyball Hall, witnessed the surprising performance of Galatasaray against Impel WROCLAW that were considered the favourites going into the first clash on schedule for the Challenge Round of the 2016 CEV Volleyball Cup – Women. Galatasaray eventually edged their opponent 3-1 (22-25, 25-14, 25-14, 25-16) and are now only two sets away from claiming a spot in the semis of Europe’s second most prestigious club competition.

The visitors of Impel WROCLAW caught a good start. Even though Galatasaray managed to keep the score tight up until the end of the opening set (23-22), Impel WROCLAW had an excellent serving round and eventually seized the first set 25-22.  

The players of Galatasaray looked much focussed at the beginning of the second set. Excellent defence actions from experienced libero Nihan Güneyligil and the solid performance delivered by their young setter Gamze Alikaya led the home team to win many rallies throughout the rest of the match. The hosts claimed both the second and third sets by the same score (25-14).  

The beginning of the fourth set was quite challenging. Impel WROCLAW put on a fight up to 10-10. Shortly after the second technical time-out (16-13), Polish opposite Katarzyna Skowronska-Dolata received a yellow card due to her objections to the referee’s decision that had called for the break. As actions resumed, Galatasaray edged ahead 18-14 with the help of their young middle blocker Asli Kalac before the hosts cruised to the final 25-16 to finish the match 3-1.

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