The team defeats Kuzeyboru in the first match of the Turkish Cup group stage.
On our first day at the AXA Sigorta Kupa Voley Group B which takes place in Bursa we have made a good start to the season with a 3-0 win against Kuzeyboru.
In the first set, the team was led by Jordan Thompson who scored 9 pts. Young setter Elif Şahin did a good job as she showed a balanced performance with her attackers and scored 2 points in the first set of her first official match as a Tiger. Despite Kuzeyboru’s comeback to a 15-16 leadance, Tigers quickly stopped their opponent’s run and won the set by 25-22.
Captain Boskovic was a on a good rise at the second set, leading the team with 7 pts. The second set ended in our favor by 25-18.
Middle blockers contributed well in the third set . Their performance had a share in the final block stats as we did a total of 10 team blocks today. Also, setter Mirkovic and Jordan Thompson showed a nice collaboration in attack at the third set.
Today’s best scorer was Jordan Thompson with 18 pts and her performance was followed by captain Tijana Boskovic who scored 15 pts.
At our second match in Group B, we will play against Karayolları at 17.30 tomorrow (Sep. 5). Tomorrow’s game will be played behind closed doors in accordance with the measures taken against coronavirus pandemic.
Post-game Interviews
Team Manager Nalan Ural: “We started the season in a safe and healthy manner. Before today’s match there were some questions about our player Hande Baladın’s absence. Hande has tested negative for her Covid-19 test at the beginning of the week. However there has been some positive cases around her. That’s why she has been tested one more time which has also resulted negative. With regards to the serious measures we have been taking, Hande will be tested one more time and she will only be able to start training with the team according to that result. We expect other teams to take such precautions as well.”
Head Coach Marco Motta: “After a long while we played our first official match today. We have done some good things in the match but we need to keep doing them in a sustainable way. I am sure we will do better things by playing more games.”
Tijana Boskovic: “Starting the season with a win makes me very satisfied. This match has a very special place for me. I have played against my sister Dajana for the first time. It has been a very exciting game for me and I felt very proud.”
Beyza Arıcı: “This was the first match that we played after the lockdown. We played without spectators but the support of our fans on social media motivates us a lot. After a long break without volleyball, we felt very excited today. We want to improve our game in the next two matches."
Eczacıbaşı VitrA – Kuzeyboru: 3-0
Venue: Bursa – Cengiz Göllü Volleyball Hall
Referees: Yasin Okumuş, Serap Kuka
Eczacıbaşı VitrA: Boskovic, Fatma, Beyza, Elif, Thompson, Ogbogu, Simge (L), Mirkovic, Yasemin.
Kuzeyboru: Ikic, Ceren, Boskovic, Mitchem, Sabriye, Arelya, Dilek (L), Dilara, Arzum, Victoria, Gizem, Hümay.
Set Results: 3-0 (25-22,25-18,25-21)
Duration: 85 minutes (29,27,29)
Go to Photo Gallery
