Fenerbahce Get Closer To The Domestic Title By Overpowering Two SuperFinalists

We will watch a huge SuperFinals in Turin on the 20th of May between two Turkish powerholders, but the other top team of the country, Fenerbahce Opet Istanbul, become the closest squad to win the domestic title by defeating VakifBank and Eczacibasi, respectively, in the playoff stage.

VakifBank Istanbul and Fenerbahce once again faced off in the rematch of the Turkish Sultanlar League semifinals after the latter's four-set victory. VakifBank performed significantly on the court to keep their final hopes alive: They beat Fenerbahce in three sets (3-0: 25-23, 25-17, 25-21) and extended the series to the Golden Set in front of their fans.

VakifBank wanted to repeat their success in the CEV Champions League Volley semifinals, where they passed Fenerbahce in Golden Set. However, Serbian expert Zoran Terzic's team was more concentrated this time and advanced to the finals by winning the set by 15-11.

Turkish opposite Melissa Teresa Vargas (18 points) and Brazilian outside hitter Ana Cristina De Souza (14 points) became the most productive players on the winning side. Italian superstar Paola Egonu's 24 points were not enough for VakifBank to book their spot in the finals.

After a one-day break, the "Yellow Angels" took the court against the other SuperFinalists and the undefeated leader of the regular season, Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul, for the first leg of the final series.

Even though Fenerbahce struggled and lost the first set, they started to play a superior game and took advantage in the series with a score of 3-1 (20-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-17).

Brazilian international Ana Cristina De Souza once again shone with her performance (19 points), and Turkish middle blocker Asli Kalac stood out with seven blocks. Serbian opposite Tijana Boskovic tallied 19 points in Eczacibasi.

The playoff finals also started in Italy: A. Carraro Imoco Volley Conegliano met Vero Volley Milano in the first battle of Serie A1 Women final round. Milano side put a great effort on the court and found a 2-1 lead in sets, but then the Imoco side made an important comeback to win the clash in the tie-break (3-2: 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19, 15-11).

The match was a battle of opposites: While American Jordan Thompson became the top scorer with 36 points in total, Swedish Isabelle Haak helped Imoco with 32 points.

This weekend was full of outstanding battles in Türkiye between Fenerbahce and the SuperFinalists, and Fenerbahce side managed to take one step and another to become the new national league champion. At the same time, Imoco showed how they wanted to maintain their title in Italy by passing Milano after a thrilling five-setter.