Huge Comeback From Rzeszow Against Bielsko-Biala, VakifBank Survived in Tie-Break

This weekend, a huge clash between #CLVolleyW squads was played in Poland, and Rzeszow managed to beat Bielsko-Biala in five sets, with a huge comeback starting from the third set. While all elite teams participating in the most prestigious tournament of the continent completed the weekend with a victory in Italy and Türkiye, things were quite challenging for VakifBank once again.

In the biggest match of the weekend, two CEV Champions League Volley teams, Developres Rzeszow and BKS Bostik Bielsko-Biala, took the court against each other in the third round of the Polish Tauron Liga. The Bielsko-Biala side made a strong start to the game and found the 2-0 lead in sets. However, after that point, the Rzeszow side pushed their limits and increased their performance to a higher level, which let them extend the fight to the decisive fifth set. Rzeszow managed to keep their momentum in the tie-break as well and became victorious by a score of 3-2 (22-25, 25-27, 25-21, 25-15, 15-9).

The Dutch outside hitter Marrit Jasper became the top scorer of the game with a total of 25 points, including five blocks and three aces. Brazilian opposite Sabrina Machado also contributed quite well to her team, tallying 23 points. On the other hand, the MVP award went to the Polish libero of the winning side, Aleksandra Szczyglowska, who had a 44% positive reception and many important digs that led the team to this important comeback. Polish outside hitter Julita Piasecka’s 23 points were not enough on the Bielsko-Biala side.

The excitement continued in Türkiye with the second week of the Turkish Sultanlar League, and the powerhouses of the country, the titleholder Fenerbahce Medicana Istanbul and Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul had no difficulties in beating their opponents and taking second victories in their domestic journey.

This was not the case for VakifBank Istanbul once again: They met Kuzeyboru, and VakifBank was the quite pre-favorite of the match. Being aware of this, Giovanni Guidetti’s squad made a strong start and won the first set without letting any surprises happen. Starting from the second set, we watched a better Kuzeyboru, and they prevailed in the next two consecutive sets. Since VakifBank also lost their first match as well, the pressure started to rise, but then they started to play their usual game and left the court with a five-set victory (3-2: 25-13, 18-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-12).

Canadian opposite Kiera Van Ryk highlighted with her performance on the winning side with 18 points, followed by Turkish Derya Cebecioglu and Russian Marina Markova. Russian international Anna Lazareva was the most productive player of the intense battle, scoring 26 points in total.

It was quite a comfortable weekend for Italian #CLVolleyW participants A. Carraro Imoco Volley Conegliano, Savino Del Bene Scandicci, and Vero Volley Milano: They all overpowered their opponents in straight sets and continued their way undefeated after the first two matches.

We saw two thrilling five-set matches this weekend: In Poland, where two #CLVolleyW faced off, Rzeszow triumphed over Bielsko-Biala after a dramatic comeback starting in the third set. Meanwhile, VakıfBank faced more resistance than expected but eventually secured a hard-fought victory. Other top Italian and Turkish teams cruised to comfortable wins, maintaining their unbeaten records. It will be exciting to see what next week brings for the strongest clubs of the continent.