Volleyball: Champions, Egonu eliminates Milan, Vakifbank goes to the semifinals

Milan-Vakifbank Istanbul 2-3 (25-18 22-25 25-22 21-25 11-15) Milan fights and plays, but Vakif goes once again to the semifinals of the Champions League. The 4938 of the Allianz Cloud drag Orro and teammates almost as much as a monumental Larson (16 points and a lot of work behind) and a Thompson with 27 points in 4 sets, but in the end the experience of Vakifbank comes out, which leans, in addition to a still convincing Bajema (19 points), to yet another extra large Egonu (MVP, 36 points at the end), precisely against the team to which he will most likely move next year. And it is she who signs the point that is worth the qualification, that of 21-25 in the fourth fraction, before a tiebreak, now meaningless, which sees the guests prevail.

Best race of the season

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For Vero Volley, at the best performance of the season, there remains the regret of a first leg that didn’t leave its mark and the few too many inaccuracies during the second leg, a well-played match that gave almost no margin for error . Gaspari starts with the starting sextet, with Orro-Thompson diagonally, Sylla-Larson spikers, Stevanovic-Folie in the center, Parrocchiale libero. Giudetti replies with Ozbay in opposite direction to Egonu, Gabi and Bajema in the band, Gunes and Ogbogu central with free Aykac. Balanced start (5-5), but for Milan there are already 4 players on target, for the Turks (helped by local mistakes) only Egonu. Larson starts in the 2022 playoff version, and 4 mistakes in a row force Guidetti into the first timeout at 15-11 and the second (after a wasted challenge) just two points later. Vakif too foul, while Milan has a super Thompson (7 points out of 12 attacks) and a lot of order in the defense wall, so he breaks away. A tackle on the net by Orro closes a substantially one-sided first set 25-18, with Vakif sunk by 10 errors. It starts again with Vakif less fouled, Egonu looking for higher shots and Bajema getting more involved, but Larson is starting to make himself felt even in attack. The American’s ace on Gabi’s wrists (11-9) certifies the difficult start of the Brazilian, but Bajema again with two consecutive points gives away the guests’ first break in a lifetime (12-14). Milan equalized at 18 (third ace from Larson), then Bajema (increasingly in the match) and Ogbogu (block on Sylla) dig another minibreak (19-21) which forces Gaspari into the first timeout. Enter Stysiak for Thompson (down), but that’s not enough. Closes 22-25 the ace of Bajema, absolute ruler of the set with 9 points. Milan, which reintroduces Thompson, is back to the wall, and Vakif, which found the defense it missed at the start, starts 0-4. Vero Volley overtakes (8-7) after a 4-0 break, then drops again, before returning to block work and getting back on track (15-13) with three consecutive rings (1 ace) from Thompson, to which are added the two consecutive fasts scored by Stevanovic (17-14, timeout of the guests). Again the Serbian, in an excellent moment, blocks Ogbogu (19-14), Guidetti changes Ozbay with Gulubay who presents himself with an invasion. 0-5 closed by 2 aces from Egonu, but Vero Volley responds with Larson and a block from Folie, giving the “la” to the decisive escape. Thopmpson closes (8 points in the fraction, as many as Egonu who, however, attacks 5 more balls) for 25-22 which is worth 2-1. Game now outside the box, you play on every detail, on every shot. Again Bajema loads Vakif’s attack on his shoulders, followed by Egonu (2 points in a row leading to the first break, 12-15). On 15-19, Rettke in for Stevanovic, before the timeout (15-20) which smacks of a last call. Ace by Davyskiba (in for Sylla, 17-20) and Guidetti timeout with Milan believing it again. The Belarusian did it again immediately, but the guests held and finished 21-25 with Egonu, who with the ninth point in the fraction (and his thirty-first) sends Vakif to the semifinals. Vakif then takes the tiebreak 11-15. (Rodolfo Palermo)