Turkey creates major sensation in last match of final round – 2011 CEV Girls Youth Championships
The final round of the 2011 CEV Girls’ Youth European Championship had an amazing run in Turkish Capital Ankara over the past week.
The influential round of the Youth Championship was kicked off on April 30 and it revealed the final ranking on Thursday, May 5. The host Turkey was placed in the Pool II along with teams from Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Poland and Czech Republic.
Each team played five matches in accordance with the format of the tournament. Turks finished the final round at the loss of one match. Poland defeated them in the second match. However, hosts profited the advantage of playing under familiar condition in
rest of the matches.
In the last match on Thursday, Turkey was put up with the powerhouse Serbia. Turks were one step behind as Serbs did not drop any match until the fifth match. It was the real test of stamina and determination of Serbs in the fifth match. Since the local
girls were going to be on the centre court, a large number of Turkish fans had shown up in the Baskent Sports Hall. The home girls were equipped with the stupendous support of their passionate fans.
Serbia was already confirmed for the semi-final spot due to their wonderful performance in the first four matches. They had no real pressure on them. On the other hand, Turkey was in dire need to win the match, in order to catch the second spot in ranking.
The action started off with Cagla Akin’s shooting serves. She supplied plenty of power to the ball and created a strong base for Turkish team. Serbian side seemed bit uneasy and suffered the damage on account of reception errors. Turks went up with a margin
of 6 points at the first technical timeout (FTT). Serbia had scored only two points, while Turkey was staying ahead with 8-point lead.
Turks further maintained the same energy and added consecutive points. Serbia appeared totally influenced by the home girls. They moved ahead at snail’s pace, while hosts quickly covered the length of first set. Turks secured the opening set by posting 25-10.
Following the humiliating 15-point defeat in first set, Serbia was back on track. They improved on reception and did not commit silly mistakes in second set. Serbs picked up a lead of two points at the first technical break. However, the charged-up Turkish
girls staged a great resistance. They hindered the performance of Serbian squad and managed to push them behind the attack line.
Turkey once against earned better status and led the score with three-point lead at the second technical timeout. Then it turned into a point-to-point battle. Both sides played best of their tactics and did not waste a single chance to score points. As a
result, score soared up with a narrow gap. Eventually, Turks hit the mark and closed off the second set by posting 27-25.
Third set started out with an exchange of swift serves from both side. Serbia managed to lead the score at the first technical timeout with a narrow margin of one point. The Serbs finally found their feet in the third set and maintained their lead until
the second mandatory stop. Serbia remained on the same winning route and finished the third set with a 25-20 victory.
Nonetheless, Turks bounced back in the game in following set and stormed Serbian half with groundbreaking shots. Turks fans raised huge noises and supported their team. The home girls touched the finish line in 25th minute of the fourth set and claimed match
victory. Turkey has successfully captured a slot in the semi-finals of 2011 CEV Girls’ Youth European Championship.
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