20/02/2020 15:00
THY ISTANBUL set sights on winning #CEVChallengeCupW
CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup 2020 - Women
Istanbul, Turkey, February 20, 2020. After making it to the quarterfinals of the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup in their maiden appearance in European competitions, THY ISTANBUL have set their sights on seizing the trophy. After defeating C.S.M. LUGOJ of Romania in the 8th Finals, their next opponent in the competition is Askö LINZ-STEG of Austria, with the first clash scheduled for Thursday night.
Ramazan Yıldırım, Turkish Airlines Sports Club Secretary General, said before the first quarterfinal match against the Austrian national champions: “We enjoyed a very good start to the season by winning the BVA Cup to qualify for the European Cups for the first time. We have continued to perform well by reaching the quarterfinals of the Challenge Cup. Our goal is to make it to the semi-finals, the final and ultimately lift the cup. We work hard in line with these goals. We want to be the champions, thus making sure that our hard pays off.”
Özge Kırdar Kinasts, setter of THY ISTANBUL, said, “We are very happy to have reached the quarterfinals without losing any matches, although the teams we have played so far were not at our level. I think we will go to the finals because we have played on our own level and showed our game in the best way. Still, it is good to take it one match at a time. We want to win the match on Thursday and reach the semi-finals with a good performance at home as well. Regardless of who our opponent in the semi-final will be, we want to go to the final and bring the trophy to our country.”
“I am incredibly excited about playing in the Challenge Cup because our team has been working extremely hard and making significant improvements over the course of this season. I think it is nice that we can show this not only in Turkish competition but also in the Challenge Cup. Each round of the European competition we are getting stronger and stronger, so I am looking forward to seeing what we can do in the upcoming rounds. Additionally, I like that we get to travel to different places in Europe and experience new cities and cultures,” said American outside hitter Madison Kingdon Rishel.
Dutch outside hitter Anne Buijs added, “The Challenge Cup is so important and fun to play. We have the chance to win a European cup, which is great! Moreover, we get to travel to different countries. I won the cup last year with Saugella MONZA, and it would be amazing to do it again with this club and these girls.”
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