The team of Halkbank Ankara made an important step towards claiming the 2022 #CEVChallengeCupM trophy, outclassing in three sets the French Narbonne Volley. However, nothing is over yet, as next week the away match will take place, and Narbonne still have their hopes high. 

On Tuesday, and in front of a full house at Başkent Volleyball Hall, the players of head coach Taner Atik proved better in the deciding moments. Inspired by their fans who created a great atmosphere, Halkbank were able to come back in the third set (10-17), and show nerves of steel, becoming this part the crucial for the eventual win. 

Overall, the Turkish side counted on better performance on the block (seven to five by their opponents), and aced as many as six time (while Narbonne did so three). The hosts of this home final match were able to score more on their opponents’ errors as well (25 to 21). In attacking, both Halkbank and Narbonne finished with 36 winning spikes.

The Cuban player Fernando Hernandez Ramos topped the charts for the winners (15 pts.), while for the French team, the Brazilian Rafael Rodrigues De Araujo finished with the same number of points (15). 

To coach Atik’s credit, his team became the first Volleyball team from Turkey that plays the final in three different cups, and he has been part of the staff in all the three cases. Furthermore, Halkbank is the first team that reaches the final stage of the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup, qualifying from the BVA Cup.