Guaguas LAS PALMAS - Ziraat Bank ANKARA

• It was a high-quality match in the first leg of the Volleyball Champions League quarterfinals, featuring CV Guaguas, who had eliminated the mighty Lvl Praha, and the current Turkish champion, Ziraat Bank ANKARA, who had won all their group stage matches and qualified directly for these quarterfinals.
• The match began with a display of dominance in yellow, as CV Guaguas' solid defense made itself known. They also managed to secure 4 consecutive points early on which gave them the confidence to further consolidate the first lead on the scoreboard after a great spike by Paolo Zonca (10-6). The match continued, with the island team dominating all phases of the game, from defense to an attack that could never be halted by the Turks, which is why the lead kept growing to a maximum of 11 points (19-8). The set was practically sealed, and the islanders finished it off with a strong attack by Graham Vigrass (25-17).
• In the second set, despite the Turks seeming to wake up from a bad first set, the Guaguas continued their secure play, with error-free services, strong attacks, and solid defenses, leading to an early set advantage (8-4). Mustafa Kavaz called the first timeout of the set attempting to change his team's momentum, which they did as the defense of Ankara significantly improved and began to even out the points. After a visiting run of 9-13, they managed to tie the score (17-17). Sergio Camarero called for time after three consecutive points from the visitors, and the yellow team stepped up their level again, leading to the best points of the match on both sides, reaching a 23-23 tie that set up a very equal set finale, with two consecutive blocks by the Turks tying the match (23-25).
• The third set began with 5 consecutive points for Ankara, suggesting that the set could quickly tilt in favor of the visitors. However, the Guaguas, with a lot of work primarily from defense, managed to narrow the gap (8-10). This turned out to be a mirage, as despite the Guaguas' attempts in all possible ways, the tough Turkish defense overpowered the attack of CV Guaguas. Following a spike by Bedirhan Bülbül, the deficit increased again to 5 points (15-20). Although the locals would push back and manage to come within two points (20-22), the set ultimately went to the visitors after a service error, ending with a score of 21-25.
• The fourth set began differently from the previous ones, with the Canary team improving their service and attack levels. The Turks, as in the first set, could not control this, and the Guaguas again got a small early lead (10-8). The set continued, and visitor player number 2, Wouter Ter Maat, became prominent with his service, equaling the match at 13 with two good serves. Again, as in the second set, the points went back and forth until the middle of the set was tied at 20. The end of the set would be breathtaking, but once again, the defense of Ankara would prevail, being key to taking the match, which ended after a block that went out from the Guaguas (23-25).
• It was a match where CV Guaguas tried everything, but in crucial moments, Ziraat Bank Ankara showed their experience and know-how, taking the match from defense. Nevertheless, the Guaguas will travel next week to Turkey to try to overturn the tie and secure a place in the semifinals.