Hosts Turkey win against Croatia in European Women Olympic Qualifiers – Volleyball news
The 2012 European Women’s Olympic Qualifiers are underway in Ankara, Turkey from May 1-6.
Taking full advantage of the opportunity, the host Turkish team added second victory to its count on Wednesday. The home squad was challenged by Croatian ladies, who dropped the decision in straight sets. The hosts remained remarkably consistent throughout
the match and seized 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-14) victory. Packed-up Baskent Sports Hall in TVF Complex provided the backdrop for the match.
Second win in row moved Turkey to 2-0 record in Pool I of the Qualification Tournament. Turks opened the tournament by defeating Bulgaria in the previous match on Tuesday and now they will put up against Germany in the next match on Thursday.
Speaking of the current match, the duo of Neslihan Darnel and Sonsirma Gözde played a vital role in Turkey’s success. They contributed 13 points, apiece. They were also credited for 5 and 8 spikes in the match, respectively. Jelena Alajbeg was once again
with top-scorer for Croatia with 11 on her tally.
Croatia had defeated Turkey in the last European Championship and Turkish team knew that it would not be an easy encounter. Therefore, the home team showed its thirst for victory with a strong opening in the match. They made nice combos and quickly jumped to
three-point lead at 8-5. Top gun of Turkey, Neslihan Darnel was on fire. She hit the ball from different angles and took the score to 16-10. Croatia struggled to catch up with hosts but constantly trailed behind. With the support of enthusiastic and very noisy
fans, Turkish team secured the first set by sending 25-19 on board.
The girls around captain Esra Gümüs carried the momentum into second frame and made even better opening. By the time Croatia scored three points, Turkey had reached the mark 8. After the first technical timeout, the ambitious Croatian team put up a valiant
effort and hit the equaliser at 15-all.
However, the Turks broke the tie and further stretched the gap of points. Eventually, the second set came successful for hosts as they posted 25-20.
Third set was fairly easy for Turkish team to finish with final score of 25-14. Turkey finished the match in consecutive sets and celebrated second straight win in the tournament.
“Our players fought for each ball with team spirit, which is satisfactory and very important for any coach. We will play more relaxed in the third match tomorrow. We want to win, but it is not very important. I am very happy with my team,” said the winning
coach Marco Aurelio Motta.
Croatian captain Biljana Gligorovic acknowledged the better status of Turkish team. In her post-match comments, she mentioned, “The Turkish team played well and won the match. I hope they qualify for the Olympic Games.”
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