Eczacibasi and Stuttgart emerge victorious to lock horns in the #CEVCupW finals
Recap
Only one question remains in the CEV Volleyball Cup 2022 - Women - who will earn the title! There are only two contenders left - Eczacibasi Dynavit ISTANBUL and Allianz MTV Stuttgart who were determined in the away-matches of the semi-final phase on Tuesday night. Both teams triumphed in their respective encounters on Tuesday in front of the home crowd and were also victorious in the first leg. Eczacibasi Dynavit ISTANBUL booked the first spot in the grand final as they defeated CSM Volei Alba Blaj in straight sets . The team of Ferhat Akbas totally controlled the situation on the court in the first two sets, which were crucial for their fate, and even if they struggled a bit in the third part, they managed to overcome it and earned their second 3-0 win in the semifinals. Eczacibasi outblocked (8-3) and outspiked their rivals (45-34), once Tijana Boskovic scored match-high 13 points, performing only in two first sets. Also, the second finalist Allianz MTV STUTTGART had to win only two sets to celebrate a progress to the finals and they quickly completed this mission in the match against Mladost Zagreb. The German side showed great team efforts and powered by their captain Krystal Rivers, who topped the scorers chart with 16 points, they were unstoppable. Their impressive attack was a key to victory, Stuttgart outclassed Zagreb in this component - 50 winning spikes to 21! The first final clash will be played on March 15, a decisive re-match one week later on March 22.
Eczacibasi Dynavit ISTANBUL vs CSM Volei Alba BLAJ 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-19)
Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul entered the home court at Eczacibasi Spor Salonu Istanbul having to their name a 3-0 win earned one week before in Blaj. The team under guidance of coach Ferhat Akbas were, obviously, pre-favourite of this encounter and they were showing their strength from the beginning of the re-match as well. In the opening set, they quickly jumped to a 10-6 lead that they kept improving further, totally dominating the game. Recording as many 81% of team efficiency in attack Maja Ognjenović was winning the battle between Serbian setters (Sladjana Mirkovic is in charge of setting on side of Blaj) with Beyza Arici (6 points) and Tijana Bosković being top scorers of the home team.
Eczacibasi didn't slow down in the second set that started with 5-2 lead for the hosts. However, Blaj was motivated to keep the pace with their more decorated rivals. They shorten the distance at 6-5, but Eczacibasi immediately reacted redubling their efforts, leading by six-point margin at 16-10. With solid block (McKenzie Adams had three winning stuffs) and Bosković on fire hammering as many as eight points they didn't have to look back and took a 2-0 lead in the match.
Having already a spot in the final in their pocket (they needed two sets to seal the deal), coach Akbas decided to make a few changes in his line-up. Without their star duo Ognjenović & Bosković Eczacibasi started to struggle and CSM Volei Alba Blaj seized the opportunity and that resulted in a point-by-point race that was continued until 14-14. Then, Gozde Yilmaz went to the service line and made a difference (3 aces in third set), her team jumped to 18-14 and regained control on the court for good. Tijana Bosković topped the scorers chart with 13 points to her name, one less had the best scorer of Blaj - Victoriia Russu.
Allianz MTV STUTTGART vs Mladost ZAGREB 3-0 (25-26, 25-13, 25-10)
A week before, in the first match-up between these two teams, Allian MTV Stuttgart seized important 3-1 victory, so they needed two sets won in front of home crowd at SCHARRena STUTTGART. Already the first balls of this encounter showed that both teams are extremely eager to fight for every point and although it was Allianz MTV Stuttgart to take an early 10-5 lead, Mladost Zagreb was doing their very best to shorten the distance (10-8). However, the hosts have had bigger potential and it was clearly visible on the court. Simone Lee was a leader of the team having 7 points to her name, but actually it was all about team efforts. Stuttgart quickly ran away with the score, reaching a seven-point margin at 20-13. The efficiency in attack was the biggest difference in the opener, as Stuttgart recorded an impressive 20 points to only 8 on the side of Mladost.
The hosts kept the momentum and in the second set they pushed even harder, especially that they needed to win only two sets (as their first match-up ended with 3-1 win) to already secure a spot in the final. Powered by their star Krystal Rivers (100% of success in attack, six winning spikes out of six) they were scoring several points in a row. On the other side, Mladost couldn't find an answer, having only one player Dinka Kulić who was able to hammer attacks (7 points), the other three players from Zagreb who managed to score, had only one point apiece to their names. With 20-12 on the scoreboard, Stuttgart quickly earned an emphatic set win and stamped their ticket to the final.
Sparked by their home crowd and their big achievement, Allianz MTV Stuttgart was even more motivated to complete their task in three sets. The visiting team, even if still willing to fight, seemed to be powerless against spirited hosts, who took a ten-point lead at 15-5 and stormed to a comprehensive 3-0 win, using the first match point. Captain Krystal Rivers became a hero of her team and a top scorer of Allianz MTV Stuttgart with 16 points - all from spikes and 73% of success in attack to her name.