Italian trio and magnific VakifBank secure Final Four tickets in the #CLVolleyW

All three Italian sides which have started the season in the CEV Champions League Women have qualified for the Final Four in Istanbul, after sweeping their opponents without dropping a single set in the quarter-finals. The fourth qualified team is VakifBank Istanbul, which pulled off a miraculous comeback against domestic rivals Fenerbahçe Medicana Istanbul, clinching a win in the golden set, 15:11.

Undoubtedly, the closest quarter-final was the Turkish derby between Fenerbahçe Medicana Istanbul and VakifBank Istanbul, which ensured that a Turkish side will be on display in the Final Four in Istanbul on 3 and 4 May.

After conceding the first leg of the quarter-finals, 0:3, against Fenerbahçe, VakifBank had a mountain to climb, especially as their opponents were aiming to extend a three-season streak of qualifying in the semi-finals.

And when Fenerbahçe took the first set, 25:19, it looked like their hoodoo against VakifBank was close to being over, as Fenerbahçe had lost the previous five knockout matches against their Istanbul rivals.

But somehow, VakifBank managed to mount an incredible, almost otherworldly comeback. Kiera van Ryk had 21 points, but the real star for VakifBank was Marina Markova, who eclipsed everyone on the court with 31 points, helping her side push the match into the golden set.

VakifBank had no exit other than winning every played set from that moment on and they took the second one, 25:23, the third one, 25:20, while the fourth one was nip and tuck until the end, when Fenerbahçe lead 16:12, but VakifBank came back and pushed the match into a golden set, with a 26:24 win.

While Melissa Vargas had 24 points and Arina Fedorovtseva added 18 points, it was not enough, with VakifBank mounting another comeback after Fenerbahçe started with a 5:2 lead. In the end, Fenerbahçe won only six more points, with VakifBank ensuring qualification with a 15:11 win.

“To win three sets like this and then the golden set, in such an atmosphere, don’t ask me how we did it, because I did not know. We sacrificed a lot, but it was an amazing match and we are in the Final Four,” said VakifBank’s coach, Giovanni Guidetti.

Reigning champions A.Carraro Imoco Conegliano extended their winning streak in the CEV Champions League Women to 19 matches, after taking their fourth win of the season against Polish side Developres Rzeszów, again in straight sets.

So far, Conegliano, the title holders, which are eyeing their third crown in the European premium competition, have lost a single set, and thoroughly outplayed their opponents in straight sets, never leaving a doubt about who the winner was going to be in the second leg of the quarter-finals.

Conegliano’s top scorer of the season, Isabelle Haak, had 22 points, Sarah Fahr added 13 points and Zhu Ting scored 10 points, as Conegliano provided a 51% attacking efficiency to seal a 25:18; 25:19 and 25:22 win in only 76 minutes.

“I am super happy about the win. These type of matches have so much at stake, they are always difficult, I am happy about winning in three sets and looking forward to the Final Four,” said Haak after the win.

For the first time in history, Savino Del Bene Scandicci are in the semi-finals of the CEV Champions League Women, and they secured that performance in fantastic fashion, never dropping a set in the eight matches played, with eight wins and 24 sets won.

The second leg against Polish side PGE Grot Budowlani Łódź had no history, as Scandicci rotated their squad and needed only 68 minutes to secure the win, never dropping more than 17 points in any of the sets.

Ekaterina Antropova had 11 points Emma Graziani added 13 points, while Lindsey Ruddins scored 12 points in Scandicci’s 25:17; 25:17; 25:16 win, as the Italian side made it through without any shadow of a doubt, finishing the match with a fantastic 62% attacking efficiency.

“When I arrived in October, the club gave me a goal to which we then added another, which was to reach a very important step, never banal or predictable, like playing in a Final Four or a Champions League semifinal. The Final Four has an incredible allure and to win it we knew we would have to do something important, because continuity is always the problem for volleyball teams,” said Scandicci’s coach, Marco Gaspari.

The Italian trio was completed by Numia Vero Volley Milano, which doubled down on their 3:0 win against Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul from the first leg, taking over the second leg in dominating fashion.

While Eczacibasi did their best to return to the semi-finals and feature in Istanbul in the Final Four, their fate was sealed after the first two sets, in which they led both times, 16:14 and 21:19, only to concede both, 24:26. Milano also clinched the third set, 25:21, to confirm their excellent performance.

Myriam Sylla (15 points), Hena Kurtagic (13 points), Paola Egonu (11 points) and Nika Daalderop (10 points) carried the load for Milano, eventually stopping star Tijana Boskovic, who finished with 16 points for Eczacibasi.

In the semi-finals of the Final Four in Istanbul, Conegliano and Milano will face of in a rematch of last season’s Super Finals, while Scandicci take on VakifBank in yet another classic.