Turkish team Vakifbank became the first finalist of this year's Champions League. In the semi-finals, the Turkish team defeated the Italian team Conegliano.
The first semi-final match pitted the winners of the last two Champions League draws, Conegliano, against the Turkish team, Vakifbank.
Suspilne Sport is the official broadcaster of the Volleyball Champions League in Ukraine. Watch the matches live on the Suspilne Sport platforms and local Suspilne channels.
How was the match?
- The first set was tied at 21:21. After that, the defending champions scored four points in the next five games and finished the game with a 25:22 victory.
- In the second set, Vakifbank failed to impose a fight on the Italian team, and the game ended in a victory with a score of 25:18. Thanks to this, the reigning champions were one step away from reaching the third consecutive Champions League final.
- However, the Italians failed to complete the match in three sets. With the score tied at 25:25, the game went into a more-less series, where Vakifbank won with a score of 29:27.
- The Turkish team was able to seize the initiative in the fourth set: they first increased their lead to +7, but eventually pulled out a close victory 25:23. The decisive set was the fifth set, in which Vakifbank completed its comeback and secured a place in the Champions League final.
Champions League. Semi-final (Women)
“Vakifbank” (Turkey) — “Conegliano” (Italy) 3:2 (22:25, 18:25, 29:27, 25:23, 15:11)
Vakifbank's opponent in the final will be determined in the confrontation between Eczacıbashi from Turkey and another Italian team Scandicci. The final of the Women's Volleyball Champions League will take place on Sunday, May 3, at 8:00 p.m.