Volleyball
Saugella MONZA and Galatasaray complete #CEVCupW semi-final line-up
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Article Thu, Jan 28 2021
Luxembourg, January 27, 2021. On Wednesday, Saugella MONZA and Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL progressed to the semis of the women’s CEV Volleyball Cup 2021 to play Tent OBRENOVAC and BEZIERS Angels respectively in the next-to-last stage of the competition.
Even though they were the favourites of their home fixture, Saugella MONZA had to come from behind to pull out a 3-1 victory in their matchup with ŽOK UB of Serbia. The visitors caught a flying start to the match, with Saugella MONZA looking unable to respond swiftly to the challenge brought by the young Serbian team. Jelena Vulin and Ljubica Kecman were highly instrumental towards a 25-18 opening set win for ŽOK UB.
As they found more consistency in reception, Saugella MONZA improved their overall performance in the second set, especially through good spikes by Lise Van Hecke and Anna Danesi. Vulin and Sanja Trifunovic put up a fight for the Serbian team, but Saugella MONZA sailed comfortably (16-9, 21-16) towards a 25-19 win. The hosts looked absolutely dominant in the third set, which resulted in a landslide 25-14 win for MONZA, courtesy of three aces from Hanna Orthmann and three blocks and an impressive 71% success rate in attack for Van Hecke. The course of the game did not change in the fourth set either, where Van Hecke, Orthmann, Danesi and Edina Begic joined forces for a 25-18 win to seal their spot in the semis. Van Hecke and Orthmann top scored in the end with 25 and 18 points for the home side, respectively. Vulin registered 18 for the away team.
“We are happy with this victory, especially because the match did not start so well for us,” said middle blocker Danesi. “We were a bit tired from the previous match and we probably did underestimate our opponent as well, so they caught us by surprise in the first set before we found back to our game in the subsequent ones. They defended a lot and tried to use our block to their advantage, but we eventually found a way to secure our spot in the semis.”
“We do not have any regrets since we played against a great opponent. We had a good start to the match, but we are a very young team and we need more experience at this level. We will for sure grow and develop even further. Congratulations to MONZA on reaching the semis,” said Ljubica Kecman, outside hitter of ŽOK UB.
In the semis with another Serbian team, Tent OBRENOVAC, Saugella MONZA will be trying to reach their second European final, after claiming top honours from the 2019 edition of the Challenge Cup.
Ilkin Aydin was one of the top scorers for Galatasaray in their home victory over DRESDNER SC
In Istanbul, Galatasaray HDI needed four sets to edge Germany’s DRESDNER SC (25-22, 16-25, 25-23, 25-23) and progress to the semis as well. After a good start for the home side, DRESDNER SC responded by comfortably taking the second set. The third and fourth sets were close affairs, with the hosts eventually claiming 25-23 wins to continue their journey in the competition and reach the semis of the CEV Cup for the fifth time in their history. International Volleyball stars Tatiana Kosheleva and Olesia Rykhliuk top scored for Galatasaray with 18 points apiece, with Ilkin Aydin contributing another 15. Swiss standout Maja Storck of DRESDNER SC top scored in the match with a personal tally of 25 points.
After switching to a ‘bubble format’ for the 8th and quarterfinal matches, the competition will now continue with home and away matches for the semis and finals, with the semi-finals scheduled for early March.
Click here for further information.
Even though they were the favourites of their home fixture, Saugella MONZA had to come from behind to pull out a 3-1 victory in their matchup with ŽOK UB of Serbia. The visitors caught a flying start to the match, with Saugella MONZA looking unable to respond swiftly to the challenge brought by the young Serbian team. Jelena Vulin and Ljubica Kecman were highly instrumental towards a 25-18 opening set win for ŽOK UB.
As they found more consistency in reception, Saugella MONZA improved their overall performance in the second set, especially through good spikes by Lise Van Hecke and Anna Danesi. Vulin and Sanja Trifunovic put up a fight for the Serbian team, but Saugella MONZA sailed comfortably (16-9, 21-16) towards a 25-19 win. The hosts looked absolutely dominant in the third set, which resulted in a landslide 25-14 win for MONZA, courtesy of three aces from Hanna Orthmann and three blocks and an impressive 71% success rate in attack for Van Hecke. The course of the game did not change in the fourth set either, where Van Hecke, Orthmann, Danesi and Edina Begic joined forces for a 25-18 win to seal their spot in the semis. Van Hecke and Orthmann top scored in the end with 25 and 18 points for the home side, respectively. Vulin registered 18 for the away team.
“We are happy with this victory, especially because the match did not start so well for us,” said middle blocker Danesi. “We were a bit tired from the previous match and we probably did underestimate our opponent as well, so they caught us by surprise in the first set before we found back to our game in the subsequent ones. They defended a lot and tried to use our block to their advantage, but we eventually found a way to secure our spot in the semis.”
“We do not have any regrets since we played against a great opponent. We had a good start to the match, but we are a very young team and we need more experience at this level. We will for sure grow and develop even further. Congratulations to MONZA on reaching the semis,” said Ljubica Kecman, outside hitter of ŽOK UB.
In the semis with another Serbian team, Tent OBRENOVAC, Saugella MONZA will be trying to reach their second European final, after claiming top honours from the 2019 edition of the Challenge Cup.
Ilkin Aydin was one of the top scorers for Galatasaray in their home victory over DRESDNER SC
In Istanbul, Galatasaray HDI needed four sets to edge Germany’s DRESDNER SC (25-22, 16-25, 25-23, 25-23) and progress to the semis as well. After a good start for the home side, DRESDNER SC responded by comfortably taking the second set. The third and fourth sets were close affairs, with the hosts eventually claiming 25-23 wins to continue their journey in the competition and reach the semis of the CEV Cup for the fifth time in their history. International Volleyball stars Tatiana Kosheleva and Olesia Rykhliuk top scored for Galatasaray with 18 points apiece, with Ilkin Aydin contributing another 15. Swiss standout Maja Storck of DRESDNER SC top scored in the match with a personal tally of 25 points.
After switching to a ‘bubble format’ for the 8th and quarterfinal matches, the competition will now continue with home and away matches for the semis and finals, with the semi-finals scheduled for early March.
Click here for further information.