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VakifBank Continues to Reign Supreme in the CEV Champions League Volley

by Press 22/05/2023

written by Press

A stunning setup for the CEV Champions League Volley SuperFinals in Turin, Italy for the clash of two Turkish giants, no strangers to winning big matches and definitely not to each other.

21.05.2023, Pala Alpitour, Turin
Volleyball, CEV Champions League, Super Finals, Siegerehrung / Awarding Ceremony
Foto: Conny Kurth / www.kurth-media.de

Excitement brewing on both sides of the court as the players were waiting for first serve, but the start of the match was a cautious one. These two teams know each other extremely well and in the first plays of the match, it showed.

However, Eczacibasi seemed to be one step ahead and move a few points clear towards the middle of the set, but a series of blocks from VakifBank brought the matchup tighter yet again.

It was a back and forth affair for the remainder of the set, with coach Giovanni Guidetti choosing when to use his “challenges” wisely. At 25-25, Chiaka Ogbogu enters the scene and produces a monster block and smashes a loose ball just above the netto give VakifBank the lead.

The second set was all about VakifBank, despite a good start from Eczacibasi, in control from one end to the other, clearly boosted by the success of the first set. Ferhat Akbas’ Eczacibasi was not allowed to build back the rhythm and by the time the second half of the set rolled through, it was quite clear VakiBank will go into a 2-0 lead.

Nothing to lose in the third set for Eczacbasi, reaching a final for the first time since 2015 had to be met with more enthusiasm and that’s what they did, taking the lead in the match and looking like they would have the strength to push the final into the fourth set.

However, never count VakifBank out until the final play of a set, this is the best team in the history of the Champions League for a reason. Guidetti’s team came back strong and went close to taking the match and the trophy in straight sets, if it wasn’t for two handling mistakes. Eczacibasi narrowly won the third and the final had just gotten even more exciting.

The experience of the multiple Champions League Winner truly came to the forefront in the fourth set. A controlled performance that saw the Turkish giant become even greater, winning the set and with it yet another Trophy, their sixth!

On the night, the stars of both teams were shining bright, but it wasn’t meant to be for Serbian superstar Tijana Boskovic as she continues to wait to add the CEV Champions League Trophy to her cabinet. Paola Egonu, in front of her home crowd and her family, the fabulous Gabi in her first season as captain, the blocking machine Chiaka Ogbogu and the rest of Giovanni Guidetti’s team get to celebrate yet again, deservedly so.

MVP – Paola Egonu

Source: CEV

22/05/2023 0 comments

Kosovo Main

KV Drita claim Kosovar national league title in front of record-breaking crowd

by Press 17/05/2023

written by Press

Thousands of fans, as many as like never before, watched the final round of the championship series in the Kosovar women’s national league – with KV Drita GJILAN eventually retaining their title. The atmosphere was literally spine-tingling as KV Drita claimed the crown for the seventh time in their history. The fifth and last match of the series brought together more than 3,500 fans delivering a special choreography and witnessing a dramatic match between KV Drita and their rivals of Skenderaj.

In the opening ceremony, the president of the Kosovo Volleyball Federation, Bahri Gjinovci, presented shirts of the national team of Kosovo to the Mayor of Gjilan, Alban Hyseni, and the Sports Director of Skenderaj, Alban Berisha.

The president of the Kosovo Volleyball Federation, Bahri Gjinovci, awarded trophy to captain of Drita team

The match started with an extraordinary tempo and with frequent changes in the lead, before KV Drita fixed the final 25:22 on the scoreboard. In the second set, Skenderaj started better. The team from Drenica did set the pace of the game for quite some time, but they eventually lost it towards the end of the set following a run of six unanswered points by Drita resulting in another 25:22 set win. At this stage, Skenderaj had nothing to lose and mobilised all their strength, but the psychological pressure from the disadvantage took its toll, especially in the second half of the third set. Drita used it to their advantage, securing an eight-point lead, and Skenderaj’s comeback came too late, with the set ending at 25:21 for the team from Gjilan following the last point of the season scored by Venera Kadriu.

The fans accounted for a truly ‘hot’ atmosphere following Drita’s victory in the national league

17/05/2023 0 comments

Kosovo Main

KV PËJA retain Kosovar men’s national league title

by Press 17/05/2023

written by Press

KV PËJA have managed to retain their title in the Kosovar men’s national league, doing so after delivering a brilliant performance in the fifth and last round of the playoff finals held at the Bill Clinton Arena this past Saturday against KV Luboteni FERIZAJ.

The championship series lasted for a maximum five matches, all just as spectacular, which attracted thousands of fans to the Karagaqi and Bill Clinton sports halls. On Saturday, in a winner-takes-all fixture, KV PËJA emerged victorious 3:1 (25:23, 25:20, 21:25, 25:17), showing a very consistent performance throughout. The hosts managed to put up more resistance in the first set and even claimed the third but could not prevent their eventual loss at the hands of the newly crowned national champions.

17/05/2023 0 comments

Main Türkiye

Fenerbahce won Their Sixth Domestic Title

by Press 12/05/2023

written by Press

The champion of Türkiye became clear yesterday: By once again beating Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul, Fenerbahce Opet made a historical success and stood at the top of the podium after six years with their sixth national championship.

Fenerbahce Opet Istanbul completed the regular season in third place. They faced VakifBank Istanbul in the semifinals and secured their place in the finals after a phenomenal win in the Golden Set.

The Yellow Angels then faced Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul and made the series 2-0 by defeating their rival in the first two matches. Therefore, one more victory meant the trophy for Serbian expert Zoran Terzic’s squad. Knowing this, Fenerbahce started the game with great concentration and found a 2-1 lead in sets.

However, Tijana Boskovic and her friends didn’t give up and won the fourth set to extend the clash to a tie-break.

At the tie-break, the team showed how much they wanted the title, and thanks to the superior performance, they took the victory (3-2: 28-26, 21-25, 25-21, 24-26, 15-8), and the national league triumph.

Fenerbahce, therefore, received their sixth national championship. They lastly won the cup in the 2016-2017 season before. This title also broke VakifBank’s four consecutive championships in the Sultanlar League and made everything more challenging in the next season.

Five players in Fenerbahce scored in double digits yesterday: While Melissa Teresa Vargas became the top scorer with 19 points, Arina Fedorovtseva (16), Asli Kalac (15, including six blocks), Ana Cristina De Souza (14), and Eda Erdem Dundar (13) helped the team with their performance.

The Dream Team was full of Fenerbahce’s stars: The Turkish international Melissa Teresa Vargas was selected as the Best Opposite and MVP of the league. The Best Middle blocker was no one, but the captain Eda Erdem Dundar and the Best Outside Hitter was the young Russian talent Arina Fedorovtseva. Brazilian Macris Carneiro received the Best Setter award in her first year in Türkiye, and Turkish Gizem Orge was honored with the Best Libero.

After a long and challenging season in Türkiye, Fenerbahce Opet reached the top of the podium and brought the trophy back home after six years, thanks to their talented stars, experienced players, and, most importantly, quality and determination.

Source: CEV

12/05/2023 0 comments