Polish Bank BPS Fakro makes its way to the Playoffs 12 – Women’s Volleyball
After giving a stellar performance in their last match of the league round, the Bank BPS Fakro Muszyna of Poland qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2012 CEV Champions League as third-ranked team from Pool E.
Crvena Zvezda Beograd of Serbia played its last match of the prelims against Bank BPS Fakro on Tuesday night, while the “Sumice” sports hall in Serbia’s capital city Beograd provided backdrop for the match. The hosts fought bravely but ended up with the
final scores of 1-3 (15-25, 15-25, 26-24, 17-25). It was the last chance for Serbian team to prove their endeavours at the European League but the team constantly remained in the cold waters and dropped its sixth match in row.
Serbia also lost the chance to play in the next round of European Champions League. However, the team will now try its luck at the challenge round of the CEV Cup.
“This was a difficult game for us because last week we had played with many ups and downs. We must be satisfied with this win because we beat Crvena Zvezda at their home. These young girls provided strong resistance,” said former Serbian national team player
Vesna Citakovic-Djurisic.
The opening phase of the match featured a balanced action from both sides. The players of both teams played with great energy and showcased their skills on the net. Home team dropped a few shots and created an opportunity for the Polish ladies to build the
lead.
Poland’s Anna Werblinska staged an eye-catching action and contributed quick points. Serbian middle blockers put their hands in air to stop the sharp spikes but most of their attempts went futile. Poland influenced Serbia with strong offence and at the same
time restricted them to a low score with display of solid defence. Serbian side could only score 15 points in the first set, which was not enough to save them from the regret of losing first frame at 15-25.
Following the loss of first set, Serbia threw everything in attack in the second frame. They regrouped, formed new combinations and jumped on every little opportunity to score points. As a result of their utmost efforts, the scoreboard showed their better
status.
However, the pumped-up Poles also remained hand-in-hand with the hosts and managed to take lead at 7-8. From that point onward, Poland firmly held the lead in hand and did not allow Serbia to come up. Second set also ended with the identical score of 15-25,
while Poland added second-set win to their count.
Beograd’s Ana Bjelica came into stride with the Polish hitters in the third set. After a tough competition, Serbia managed to win third set of the match with narrow margin of two points, 26-24.
The happiness of the Serbian fans was short-lived as Muszyna bounced back in the fourth set and pulled off success in the match by winning the final set with eight points. Beograd lost fourth set 17-25 and accepted defeat.
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