ANKARA ZEREN SPOR KULÜBÜ-ANTONIO CARRARO PROSECCO DOC CONEGLIANO 0-3
(21-25| 18-25| 17-25)
Ankara Zeren Spor Kulübü: Alkan, Karadas, Ercan ne, Akman ne, Lazareva 11, Aleksic 2, Mihajlovic, Arici 3, Gatina 3, Erkul, Onal, Uzelac 16, Sahin 8, Yilmaz ne, Malinov 2. Coach: Ljubicic
Antonio Carraro Prosecco DOC Conegliano: Gabi ne, Zhu 16, Scognamillo, Ewert ne, Lubian ne, De Gennaro, Haak 15, Wolosz 1, Adigwe ne, Daalderop, Chirichella 5, Fahr 8, Forte, Sillah 14. Coach Santarelli
Referees: Valentar (SVN) and Adler (HUN)
Attendance: 3802
Set length: 28′- 25′ – 23′
Notes: service errors An 2, Co 5; aces 2-3, blocks 2-10
MVP: Sillah
Sinfonia Pantere at the TVF Ziraat Bankkart Volleyball Hall: Antonio Carraro Prosecco DOC Conegliano wins 3-0 away against Ankara Zeren Spor in the first leg of the CEV Zeren Group Champions League quarter-finals. And the Turkish success is a record: with the twenty-ninth victory in a row, the Panthers mark a historic record in the top European competition. In 7 days the return to the Palaverde, the yellow-blues dressed in gala red for the Champions League will need 2 sets to secure qualification for the Final Four in Istanbul on 2-3 May. The Panthers break through in Turkey with 10 team blocks, Wolosz leads a balanced attack in which Neneh Sillah appears as MVP thanks to 14 points with 58% in attack.
Coach Daniele Santarelli has to give up Gabi in his sextet, still struggling with pain in his ribs. Captain Wolosz and Haak make up the diagonal, Zhu and Sillah are the spikers, Fahr and Chirichella the middles, De Gennaro is the libero. For the Turks, coach Ljubicic chooses Malinov, Uzelac, Lazareva, Sahin, Aleksic, Arici and libero Alkan.
Panthers of grit and defense at the start, the first set is very tense: Zhu plants the 2-4 wall, the same fundamental that leads to Chirichella’s break point (9-10). Uzelac restores the balance by placing the first ace (12-11), then Sillah lights up and breaks the ice with two points in a row that help the Panthers take off (15-19, 6 points with 75% in attack for the Slovenian). After diligent work in the second line by Daalderop, Zhu returns, Fahr enters the game with the block of 16-21, Scognamillo reinforces the second line to maintain the advantage: Uzelac creates the last headaches, Haak’s ace is the mortgage of 0-1, Zhu closes with the block (21-25, top scorer of the match with 16 points).
With Aleksic’s block, Zeren goes 3-0 up in the second set, Zhu puts the Panthers back on track (4-4). In a more chaotic set there is room for a hard-fought point in defense with Zhu’s lucky bagher (6-7), Malinov involves Arici and sets up on his own (12-10). And as in the first set, Antonio Carraro accelerates in the central part: 1-8 of partial opened by Haak and closed by di Fahr (15-21, 6 points with 3 blocks and 75% in attack, she will end up with 5 blocks). De Gennaro leads a second iron line, Conegliano proceeds at cruising speed and closes on 18-25.
Third set, Sillah roars and Fahr blocks, the Panthers pack the first break points of the third set (7-9). But it is a set that is far from written, even at 13-16 for coach Santarelli’s team after a winning serve by Wolosz: Daalderop closes the reception, Sillah stings again in attack (15-18), when discouragement prevails among the home ranks, the Panthers have no mercy and put the exclamation mark with Zhu (17-25).
The return leg at the Palaverde is played on Wednesday 18 March at 20.30, presale already active on Vivaticket.com. In between, the semi-finals of the Serie A1 Tigotà Scudetto play-offs begin, the Panthers host Igor Gorgonzola Novara at the Palaverde for Game 1, appointment on Sunday 15 March at 17.15: tickets already available online on Vivaticket.com.
PHOTOGALLERY AND POST-MATCH INTERVIEWS ON IMOCO VOLLEY’S SOCIAL PROFILES
(CEV photo)