Club Volleyball

Imoco defend the title in Italy after a five-set thriller, a historic comeback from VakifBank

News

Article Wed, May 11 2022
Author: Alperen Bakırlıoğlu

In two of the best leagues in Europe, Italy and Turkey, extraordinary five-set clashes were played in the fourth matches of the final series: Imoco defend their title in Italy, and VakıfBank extended the series to the one last battle with an outstanding comeback.

Photo: imocovolley.it

The reigning CEV Champions League Volley champion and SuperFinalist of this year, A. Carraro Imoco Volley Conegliano took the court against the CEV Champions League Volley quarterfinalist Vero Volley Monza for the fourth battle of the Italian Serie A1 finals.

 

Imoco started to match very well and took the first set without any difficulties. Also, they were leading 21-13 in the second set; however, Monza made an impressive comeback afterward and took the second set. With mutual set victories, the match went to the tie-break.

Photo: legavolleyfemminile.it

Italian expert Daniele Santarelli’s squad showed all their power in the tie-break set and once again became the champions of the Serie A1, winning the match by 3-2 (25-20, 23-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-8) and the series by 3-1.

 

Imoco’s superstar Paola Egonu was selected as the MVP of the match and the playoff finals: The Italian opposite scored 37 points with 57% attack percentage and two blocks. American outside hitter Jordan Larson was the most productive player of the Monza with 16.

Photo: vakifbanksporkulubu.com

In the fourth round of the final stage in the Turkish Sultanlar League, the SuperFinalist VakifBank Istanbul visited the CEV Champions League Volley semifinalist Fenerbahce Opet Istanbul.

 

The host squad started the match on fire and took the first sets. They also led the third set with 17-13 and were only 8 points far from the title. However, primarily thanks to an extraordinary performance from Turkish outside hitter Tugba Senoglu, VakifBank came back in the third set, and with a comfortable fourth, they prolonged the match to the fifth.

 

In front of their more than 5500 fans, Fenerbahce did their best on the court to take the trophy, but with a more calm and powerful game, VakifBank managed to win the tie-break as well and became victorious in the match with a score of 3-2 (23-25, 19-25, 25-19, 25-14, 16-14).

Photo: fenerbahce.org

Therefore, the final series was tied in 2-2, and the champions of the Turkish league will be determined in the fifth match, which will be held in VakifBank’s home.

 

While Swedish opposite Isabelle Haak became the top scorer of VakifBank with 22 points, Tugba Senoglu stood out with her performance: Including three blocks and two aces, the Turkish outside hitter, who came from the bench in the third set, scored 14 points with a 64% attack ratio. Turkish opposite Melissa Vargas’s 32 points (three blocks and four aces) were not enough for the victory on the Fenerbahce’s side.

 

In the fourth battles of the final series in Italy and Turkey, the winning sides became clear with the tie-breaks: Imoco won the clash and the title in Italy against Monza, and VakifBank kept their championship hopes alive after a comeback against Fenerbahce from 0-2 to 3-2.

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