Turkey joins Serbia in final match of 2011 CEV European Volleyball League Women
Hosts of the Final Round of the 2011 CEV European Volleyball League, Turkey, joined Serbia in the final encounter of the event. Playing against Bulgaria on Friday, July 15, the Turkish team exhibited a stellar performance and secured a spot in the final match. The emotional support of fans and familiar conditions benefitted the Turks and they finished with the final score of 3-0, 25-18, 25-21, and 25-18. The match was played at a fully packed Burhan Felek Competition Hall in Istanbul, Turkey.
With an effective serving strategy, the home squad made a good start in the game. Eda Erdem of Turkey came on strong by delivering accurate serves and powerful hits over the net. The girls around head coach Baltic Dragutin defended well and responded in the same tone. Bulgaria’s Strashimira was equally active on the court. She poked the ball in the Turkish half with skill and finesse. Bulgaria was only two points behind Turkey at the first technical timeout.
Coaches from both teams instructed their respective teams during the vital timeout. As play resumed, Bulgaria tried to come back from behind. However, Turks held their grip on the ball and refused to let the opponents score as they defended the same 2-point lead. The uproar of fans encouraged the local players to claim the first set with 25-17. The second set was also a win for Turkey as they dominated the game from start to finish. The power-lacking attack attempts hardly made an impression on the charged up Turkish players. Bulgaria failed to bring any change in the game in the third set, while Turkey closed play after winning all three sets. Turkey is now set to take on Serbia in the final match on Saturday, July 16.
Marco Aurelio Motta, the head coach of the Turkish team said, “We served very well; we played good at blocking and in the side-outs. This situation created problems in reception for our opponents and made them lose balance. When their reception does not work, they cannot play with Filipova and this is very problematic for them. Fortunately, we could take advantage of this situation and make it to the final”.
The top-scorer on Turkish team, Neslihan Darnel, expressed her views after the match. She commented, “We prepared the game better than them, and the result is so clear for this. In the final, it is just one game, anything can happen. We have prepared for this moment and we will do our best”.
Bulgarian Coach Dragutin Baltic regretted the loss of the semi-final match. He was not happy with many of the reception and serve errors from his side. He explained that the Bulgarian side was mostly composed of young players and there was a possibility that they could face such psychological difficulties, while playing against experienced teams like Turkey.
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