In the first leg Imoco continues its run and in Istanbul beats the reigning champions 3-1. Allianz also prevailed in Poland with the same score. Tomorrow it’s Scandicci’s turn against the Turkish side Eczacibasi
VAKIFBANK ISTANBUL-CONEGLIANO 1-3 (25-23, 17-25, 18-25, 18-25)
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48 hours after the success of the Italian Cup (the sixth for the club), Conegliano completes the feat in the Champions League. In Istanbul, in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Imoco beat Vakifbank 3-1, the reigning champion team coached by Giovanni Guidetti from Modena. The Turks deluded themselves in the 1st set then suffered the decisive return of Wolosz and her teammates and were no longer able to stem the rising Venetian tide. Santarelli starts with the Dutch De Kruijf in the center preferred in Lubian. Conegliano starts off strong, hits the wall (4-2 in the 1st set) and gains a 3-point lead which they hold until 20-17. Vakifbank returns at the end of the set and with a winning block from Ogbogu on Robinson they close 25-23. Conegliano’s reaction was immediate, raising the engine speed from the second set onwards and giving Vakif no chance. A dominance demonstrated by a couple of fundamentals: superior on serve (4-1), on block (9-4). The match point (24-17) in the 4th set was achieved by De Gennaro with a splendid defense on Gabi and Fahr closed on the second attempt. Top scorer of the match was Swedish Isabelle Haak with 20 points. Return match scheduled for Thursday 29th in Treviso.
commercecon LODZ-Milan 1-3 (18-25, 25-14, 18-25, 14-25)
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After Conegliano comes the success of Milan which in Lodz, in the first leg of the quarterfinals, beat Commercecon Lodz of Valentina Diouf and coach Alessandro Chiappini 3-1. The waste from the knockout in the Italian Cup final did not affect Milan’s performance who easily won 25-18 in the first set. The blackout comes in the 2nd set with Diouf (22 points for her and 42% in attack) who leads the Polish teams to a draw. Alarm bell that Vero Volley is good at facing and overcoming. Egonu, compared to Sunday, is not squeezed and finishes with 14 points (14 out of 31 in attack, 45%). Top scorer of the match was US powerhouse Dana Rettke. For her 16 points and 7 point blocks. Return match scheduled for Thursday in Milan. Tomorrow at 5pm the last women’s quarter-final for the Italian teams with Scandicci playing in Istanbul against Eczacibasi.
Gazzetta dello Sport
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