Champion of the last World, Turkish League and Turkish Cup, VakıfBank continues on its way in the CEV Champions League. Having won the CEV Champions League championship 4 times in its history and being one of the two teams that won the most in this tournament, the yellow-blacks defeated the Polish representative Developres Rzeszow 3-0 in the rematch of the match, where they were defeated 3-2 away in the first match, tenth in a row and ten in total. earned the right to appear in the semi-finals for the fourth time.
Making a strong start to the fight at VakıfBank Sports Palace, VakıfBank won the set 25-15, after Isabelle Haak’s 8 points, and took the lead 1-0. In the second set, the first part of which was contentious, VakıfBank gradually increased the speed, bringing the situation to 2-0 with a score of 25-19. As the excitement continued until the last moments in the third set, the guest team won with a score of 25-23. VakıfBank won the last set, which was again the scene of a great rivalry, with the same score this time, and the yellow-blacks made their name in the semi-finals with a 3-1 victory.
While Isabelle Haak was the top scorer of the game with 28 points in VakıfBank, the Swedish star was also selected as the most valuable player of the game with this performance. Gabi scored 19 points and Michelle Bartsch-Hackley scored 15 points, while Zehra Güneş scored 11 points in double digits.
GIOVANNI GUIDETTI: I’M VERY HAPPY THAT THE TEAM COMES WITH THE PRESSURE
Referring to the difficulty of the struggle after the match, VakıfBank Head Coach Giovanni Guidetti said: “I congratulate our opponent’s players, coaches and technical team. They performed extremely well. They challenged us both here and in Poland. I congratulate my players because we were under great pressure. “Pressure is a privilege for us.” Therefore, I am very happy that we are experiencing this pressure today and that my team has been able to cope with this situation so well,” he said.
ISABELLE HAAK: EVERY ISSUE WE HAVE TO FIGHT WITH A LOT OF PATIENCE
VakıfBank’s opposite Isabelle Haak, who was selected as the most valuable player of the match, said after the match: “It was a very tough match. We knew that our opponent was a very good team and defended very well. We had to fight very patiently for every point. Our opponent was extremely good. He put on a performance. Despite the difficulty in the last episode, we did a good job unlike the first match.”
GABI: IT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT MAKES US DIFFERENT.
Gabi, the Brazilian star of VakıfBank, said in a statement after the match, “We expected such a difficult match today. I congratulate our opponent. They did not give up even for a moment during the match, they managed to keep us under pressure. We did not have to put up such a tough fight for a long time. We have always Being motivated and staying in the game is one of the most important factors that make us different.”
VakıfBank will face Fenerbahçe Opet in the semi-finals of the CEV Champions League.