PAOK, MENORCA and LINZ advance to #CEVChallengeCupW 16th Finals
News
On Tuesday night, AC PAOK THESSALONIKI, Avarca de MENORCA, and Oberbank Steelvolleys LINZ were among the teams to secure their progression to the 16th Finals of the women’s Challenge Cup 2024 as they recorded their second victory in as many matches with opponents from Cyprus, Austria, and Slovakia, respectively.
AC PAOK THESSALONIKI of Greece secured a place in the next round of the competition adding a 3-2 away victory to their 3-1 home success in the ‘derby’ with their neighbours of Olympiada Neapolis NICOSIA from Cyprus.
After a very close start, with the score remaining even up to 9-all, the home team gained a five-point advantage, 15-10. PAOK reacted and reduced their gap to two points at 18-16, but Olympiada responded well by scoring four times in a row (22-16). PAOK tried to equalise, but the Cypriot team convincingly claimed the first set 25-20. PAOK had a nervous start to the second set, quickly trailing by eight points at 11-3. However, PAOK gradually improved their performance, showing much resistance and closing in. An out-of-bounds serve from PAOK gave Olympiada a set point at 24-22. PAOK narrowed it down to 24-23, but Olympiada ultimately won the set 25-23, thus taking a 2-0 lead.
In the third set, PAOK showed determination and finally displayed their real strength. After another cagey affair in the early stages of the set, PAOK significantly improved their performance taking a clear lead at 16-10. Putting pressure on the home side and being highly effective in their attacks, PAOK established a comfortable lead (21-13), ultimately winning the third set 25-16. In the fourth set, although the home team had an early lead (12-9), PAOK, with outstanding performances from Kiriaki Terzoglou and Sharon Chepchumba Kiprono, and a strong overall team effort, managed to complete a comeback, taking control of the set at 18-13. Down the final stretch, Olympiada reduced the gap to 20-22, but PAOK controlled their lead effectively and won the set 25-22. At this stage, PAOK had already secured their progression to the next round of the competition. After leading 8-5 as teams switched sides of the court in the tiebreaker, PAOK further established their dominance. Although Olympiada managed to narrow the gap, PAOK remained composed and won the set 15-13 to finish the night in style.
In the next round, scheduled for mid and late November, PAOK will be playing VK PROSTEJOV of Czechia.
Darko Zakoc“Unfortunately, we started the game very poorly, especially in the first set, making many errors. The 2-0 deficit was a tough test, but we proved that we are a team that never gives up and always plays for the win. In the third set, we changed our approach to the game, and I think that helped us recover and eventually win. Congratulations to my players and our fans, who created an excellent atmosphere. Bravo to Olympiada Neapolis, who played much better than they did in the first game.”
Head coach of AC PAOK THESSALONIKI
Kiriaki Terzoglou, player of PAOK: “We are very happy. We kept our composure and did the simple things, which was what we needed to win the match. I am very proud of my team, and we are gradually improving with each passing year. We also thank our fans, who created a wonderful atmosphere!”
Patryk Fogel, head coach of Olympiada Neapolis NICOSIA: “At that stage, as we were leading 2-0, I thought we would stand a fair chance at qualifying for the next round. However, PAOK have obviously more quality and deservedly reached the next round.”
Avarca de MENORCA of Spain have advanced to the next round without conceding a single set in their two matches with Austria’s UVC Holding GRAZ. On Tuesday night, they recorded a 3-0 (31-29, 25-16, 25-22) victory on home soil to go with their 3-0 triumph from last week in Austria. The first set was closely fought before the Spaniards had the upper hand. The second set, on the other hand, was far more one-sided and by leading 2-0, Avarca de MENORCA had already punched their ticket to the next round where they are due to play Azerrail BAKU of Azerbaijan or SC BALTA of Ukraine. The third set was more of a formality, with MENORCA eventually claiming a 25-22 win. Antonela Guadalupe Fortuna and Jimena Fernandez top scored for MENORCA with 10 points apiece as Maya Taylor registered 15 for GRAZ in their losing effort.
Austrian reigning national champions Oberbank Steelvolleys LINZ have progressed to the next round as well. They did record a 3-0 victory (25-14, 25-18, 25-14) away victory at HIT UCM TRNAVA of Slovakia to go with their straight-set victory from the previous home fixture. This could lead to an Austrian derby in the next round of the Challenge Cup should TI-Volley INNSBRUCK emerge victorious from their re-match with VK Pirane BRUSNO. With the confidence resulting from five straight wins across domestic and international competitions, LINZ did immediately set the tone of the match and did not relinquish it until the end. After winning the first and second sets, the fate of this double header was already decided in favour of the Austrian champions. After leading 2-0, the coaching staff of LINZ made some changes, but these did not have any impact on their dominance. Emma Hohenauer, Bojana Ubiparip and Emily Zinger all scored nine points for LINZ.
Facundo Morando“We wish to develop and grow with each match. To achieve this goal, next to our regular training, we need good opponents as well. As we progress to the next round of the competition, we secure more demanding and valuable matchups. To this extent, the European Cups and MEVZA League play a leading role in supporting our development process.”
Head coach of Oberbank Steelvolleys LINZ
