Czech Republic beats Turkey in opening match of Champions League – Volleyball news
The volleyball action in the Pool B of 2012 CEV Men’s Champions League kicked off on Friday, May 25.
In the opening match, Czech Republic and Turkey staged a great volleyball scrimmage. The match covered its length in three sets but it was a thrilling encounter that featured a lot of action. Republicans overcame the Turks in 71 minutes and claimed 3-0 (25-17,
25-16, and 25-21) victory. The Sala Polivalenta PIATRA-NEAMT sports stadium provided the backdrop for the match.
In the first set of the match, both teams stayed hand-in-hand for quite some time. Turks served with power but Czech defenders were in perfect position to deal with the cruising serves. They returned the ball in Turkish court and also scored points on successful
attack attempts. Turkish team trailed behind at the first technical timeout but the margin of points was minimal (7-8).
However, Czech Republic paced things with strong offence and widened the gap of points. They moved to 16-12 at the second technical timeout and remained consistent in both attack and defence. Turkey had some trouble in the block, which allowed Czech Republic
to seize first-set win at 25-17.
The second set of the match had a sort of symmetry with the previous set. The score shifted up in the similar fashion and Czech Republic enjoyed one-point lead at the FTT. Turks, therefore, tried to break the rhythm of rivals and used different tactics.
The duo of Batur and Burutay Subasi formed a good combination and helped Turkey with good points.
Nonetheless, the Czech refused to accept the better position of Turks. They stopped the Turkish attackers right away and locked the opponent at the score of 16. Czech Republic extended its lead to 2-0 by winning second set 25-16.
Following the loss of two sets in row, Turks hit back aggressively in third set. They regrouped and followed a different strategy to overcome the pumped-up Czechs. In the first few minutes of third set, Turkey scored well and built a lead of two points at
the FTT (8-6).
Czech team spent some time and then grasped the game plan of opponents. They formulised a better line of attack and pushed Turkey behind at the next technical timeout. Once Czech Republic went up on the scoreboard, the Turks had no chance to catch up.
With fine display of tactful game, Czech Republic managed to achieve the match points at the end of third set. They posted 25-21 and announced match victory in the first match of 2012 CEV Champions League.
In the next run, Czech Republic is scheduled to take on Romania on Saturday. Likewise, Turks will play their next match against the Netherlands.
Tags: