Warszawa and Novara Get Big Wins in Challenge Cup Finals First Leg
News
Hosts of the first leg of the CEV Challenge Cup Finals for both men and women, Poland’s Projekt Warszawa and Italy’s Igor Gorgonzola Novara respectively, have secured convincing wins yesterday evening. Their opponents, Mint Vero Volley and Neptunes Nantes need to regroup fast before next week’s return legs as they still maintain hopes of lifting the trophy.
It was a straight sets win for Novara against the French from Nantes, however it was maybe not as dominant as the score might suggest. Nantes was very much present in the game, crossing the 20 points mark in every set. Their performance should give them enough confidence that they have what it takes to turn things around next week.
Recent acquisition, Marina Markova was the top scorer for Novara, managing an impressive 17 points. Nantes’ Taylor Mims was only 2 behind, leading her team’s attack.
In the Polish capital, Projekt Warszawa could feel the boost given by the home crowd and started off strong, winning the first set quite comfortably. The Italians hit back in the second set however, temporarily silencing the Polish crowd. It was not enough though, Warszawa rallying the troops and securing a win in four sets and ensuring a much needed win before heading to Italy for the trophy match.
No less than four players managed to score double digits for the hosts, showing it was very much a well-drilled team effort that brought them the win. Frenchman Kevin Tillie lead on that front with 16 points, but the oint top scorers of the match came from Monza, with Arthur Szwarc and Eric Loeppky each managing 21 points. Superstar Ran Takahashi was barely used by Monza but will surely be looking at the return leg hungry to get in the game.
