Fenerbahce Overpowered VakifBank, Milano Survived in Five Sets

One of the biggest clashes in women’s volleyball took place this weekend in Türkiye, where the #CLVolleyW semifinalist Fenerbahce passed their important rival VakifBank in four sets. Likewise, Italian powerhouse Milano held a more challenging battle than expected and became victorious by a thrilling tie-break.

The current leader of the Turkish Sultanlar League and one of the top four teams of the continent, Fenerbahce Opet Istanbul, faced the champions of the last two CEV Champions Volley Women editions, VakifBank Istanbul, in the 22nd round. After saying goodbye to the most prestigious tournament in Europe, the goal of VakifBank was to show their strength, but that was different from what happened. Fenerbahce made a strong start and took the first set without difficulties. Later on, even though they had some ups and downs in the second set, Stefano Lavarini’s squad won the battle by a score of 3-1 (25-13, 22-25, 25-18, 25-21).

Russian young star Arina Fedorovtseva once again shone with her performance: Including two aces and one block, the promising outside hitter became the top scorer of the match with 19 points. Turkish superstar Melissa Vargas (18 points) and her compatriot Meliha Diken (9) also helped their team in this crucial victory. Brazilian Gabi Guimaraes’s 17 points were not enough on the losing side.

The other #CLVolleyW semifinalist of the country, Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul, had no difficulties this weekend and took a straight-set victory against Sariyer Belediyespor. Fenerbahce maintained their top position and three-point gap in the overall standings with their closest follower, Eczacibasi. VakifBank suffered their second defeat but remained in third place.

This weekend was expected to be relatively comfortable for Allianz Vero Volley Milano since they took the court against Aeroitalia Smi Roma in the 22nd week of the Italian Serie A1 Women. On the other hand, they experienced colossal resistance and pressure during the match and fell behind 2-1 in sets. At that point, Paola Egonu and her friends started to play their usual game, and after an exciting fifth set, they completed the weekend with a win (3-2: 23-25, 25-19, 18-25, 25-21, 18-16).

Of course, the MVP was no one but Paola Egonu since she became the most productive player on the Milano side with 30 points, including three aces and one block. Helena Cazaute (18) and Dana Rettke (16) were the other players who scored in double digits. Albanian opposite Erblira Bici tallied 34 points in Roma.

With a four-set victory against their opponent, A. Carraro Imoco Volley Conegliano kept their perfect record and lead in the charts. Milano side retained their second place, followed by Novara and Scandicci, respectively.

All #CLVolleyW semifinalist closed the week with a victory in their domestic leagues. While this was easy for Imoco and Eczacibasi, as expected, Fenerbahce did top-notch work against VakifBank, and Milano managed to survive in five sets. Now, they will all start to focus on their next battles at the national and continental levels.