Turkey forces Switzerland to stay winless in the third-leg of the CEV European League – Volleyball News
Turkish women’s national volleyball team took on Switzerland this past Saturday and held them off for 3-2 (25-19, 25-16, 14-25, 23-25, 20-18) victory.
Swiss City Fribourg provided the backdrop for the match, which turned out to be a gruelling battle of almost two hours. More than 1,000 spectators showed up at the arena to catch the live action of volleyball.
Victory allowed Turkey to move to 4-4 in Pool B of the 2012 CEV European Volleyball League. Switzerland, on the other hand, remained without any win after a series of eight matches.
Switzerland’s Laura SIRUCEK came into stride with Turkish counter parts and notched up match-high 18 points. Nevertheless, it proved to be a failing effort for Sirucek as the team dropped the decision. Her teammate SCHAUSS was equally active on net and contributed 14 points.
On Turkey’s side, Özge Nur YURTDAGÜLEN and AKMAN added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Both teams demonstrated good action in the opening set. Frequent attack attempts and quick rallies resulted in a close competition. Visiting team earned one-point lead at the first technical timeout (8-7). The game of hit ‘n’ run continued after the FTT and scoring remained tight. Swiss ladies came from different angles but lagged behind the Turks. At the second TTO, Turkey led the score 16-15 and further stretched out the gap of points, in order to finish second set at 25-16.
Hosts built an early lead in the following set and tried to cover the deficit. The scoreboard showed five-point lead of Switzerland at the first technical timeout (8-3). Meanwhile, the better attack and defence of Turks enabled them to go up on scoreboard. Swiss squad lost momentum and ended up with final score of 16 in the second set. Turks improved to 2-0 by winning two sets in row.
Guests scored the first point in set-3 and went on front with 1-0 lead. However, it was the first and only time in third set when Turks enjoyed better status. Thereafter, Switzerland picked up lead and kept the operations underhand until the set points. They posted 25-14 on board and won third set. Fourth set also came successful for hosts, which created a dead-lock of 2-2.
The game entered fifth decisive set, which put both teams to a test of temperament. Situation remained undecided until the match points. Eventually, Turkey claimed the final set 20-18 and announced match victory.
Swiss team could not achieve the desired results in the match, but the head coach Svetlana Ilic appreciated the effort of her players. She stated, “We played a great match and we did not give up and fought all the way through. We changed our attitude and the Swiss players are now seen by the others as a team with its own strengths”.
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