Shirvan pulls off an upset on the opening day of the Superleague

The Azerbaijani Superleague kicked off on Monday afternoon in Baku.

In the opening match of the championship, Azerrail overpowered Baki 3:0 (25:19, 25:21, 25:16).

Azerrail won the first set 25:14 thanks to powerful spikes from Polina Rahimova.

In the second set, Baki was able to keep the pace, trailing only two points, 14:16, before Azerrail pulled away. Again it was Rahimova who made some crucial breakthroughs, ending the set 25:21.

In the third set, Azerrail reached the first technical timeout at 8:3 as Baki struggled defensively. By the time of the second technical break, Azerrail had a nine-point cushion at 16:7, and it was only a matter of time before victory was complete.

In the second match of the day, Rabita Baku pulled off a 3:0 (25:14, 29:27, 25:19) victory over Igtisadchi.

Igtisadchi did not perform well in the first set and failed to stop Rabita's onslaught, led by Natasa Krsmanovic and Natalya Mammadova, going down 25:14.

Igtisadchi pulled their game together to make amends in the second set. Trailing narrowly 16:15, Igtisadchi upped their poise to tie the set at 23. In the ensuing game that went back and forth, Rabita's stonewall defense proved to be a decisive factor, as the reigning champions took the thrilling battle 29:27.

Rabita continued their sparkling form in the third set as they roamed on their powerful attacks to win the set 25:19 and the match.

Shirvan's Odina Aliyeva and Tanya Sabkova became the heroes of the day as the duo played a pivotal role in orchestrating the first upset of the championship. After Shirvan went down 18:25 in the first and 26:28 in the third set against Lokomotiv, Aliyeva and Sabkova had a series of sensational spikes to help haul back two sets, 25:21 and 26:24. In the tiebreaker, Shirvan reeled off four of the last five points for the victory at 15:13.

Aliyeva and Sabkova finished the game with a combined total of 34 kills, while Aynur Karimova helped defensively, scoring 10 block points. Kremena Kamenova and Kristin Richards led Lokomotiv with 29 and 26 points, respectively.

Azerbaijani Superleague. I Round Statistics:

Azerrail - Baki 3:0 (25:19, 25:21, 25:16)
Rabita Baku - Igtisadchi 3:0 (25:14, 29:27, 25:19)
Lokomotiv - Shirvan 2:3 (25:18, 21:25, 28:26, 24:26, 13:15)

Azerbaijani Superleague starts tomorrow . All the matches are "LIVE by IDMAN AZERBAYCAN TV"

Azerbaijani Superleague starts tomorrow . All the matches are "LIVE by IDMAN
AZERBAYCAN TV"

15:00 Azerbaijani Superleague "Bakı" - "Azerrail". LIVE
16:30 Azerbaijani Superleague Opening Ceremony. LIVE
17:00 Azerbaijani Superleague. "Igtisadçı" – "Rabita". LIVE
19:00 Azerbaijani Superleague. "Şirvan" – "Lokomotiv". LIVE

"VC SHIRVAN" is getting ready for next season.

The debutant of the Azerbaijani Super league, "VC SHIRVAN" coached by Turkish Adnan Kistak,continues preparations of next volley season,which starts on 29th November,for the club with the match against strong Lokomotiv Baku.
"VC SHIRVAN" will add some players in next days to its roster.

Darya ZAMANOVA (AZE)
Lada MAKSIMOVA (AZE)
Shafag KARIMOVA (AZE)
Ayshan ABDULAZIMOVA (AZE)
Simona IVANOVA (BUL)
Tanya SABKOVA (BUL)
Jordana PRICE (USA)
Paulina GAJEWSKA (POL)
Carla BRADSTOCK (CAN)

Head COACH: Adnan KISTAK
COACH: Ziya RAJABOV
MANAGER: Zaur NAMAZOV

Oksana Parkhomenko`s Dinamo Moscow starts crushing ZOK Split from Croatia.

Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS) vs. ZOK SPLIT 1700 (CRO) 3:0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-16)

Dinamo MOSCOW enjoyed tonight a great start in the 2011 CEV Champions League easily outclassing rookie ZOK SPLIT 1700. Three foreign players - Simona Gioli, Carolina Costagrande and Oksana Parkhomenko - that are always very much followed by the local fans joined the starting six.
Ex-captain and veteran Elena Godina was once again a real added value to the roster and very active in attack. But soon the Italian duet Costagrande and Gioli started delighting the audience with their splendid actions in reception and sharp attacks. The Muscovites performed pretty well also in blocking, so Dinamo was the undisputed leader of the game. In spite of many substitutions in the second and third sets, Dinamo maintained a real rule, thus backing up the assumptions that this year’s roster is really complete and extremely solid. Best players were tonight Simona Gioli for Dinamo MOSCOW and Petra Madir for the guests of ZOK SPLIT 1700. After the match recently-added Carolina Costagrande said that she likes Moscow very much but she did not have a lot of time to visit the Russian metropolis so far. Soon she will do that accompanied by her friend and teammate Simona Gioli. On the other hand, in spite of their defeat, the young girls from Croatia were pretty glad and did enjoy their debut in Europe’s most elitist competition.

Natalya Mammadova: I have enough "Best Scorer" titles,now for me the most important is the team title,and I will fight for that.

Yesterday, on November 24 in the first round of Pool E,of Azerbaijani "Rabita Baku" won the Romanian Dinamo - 3:0 (25:18, 25:22, 25:20) in the away match. The captain of "Rabita Baku" Natalya Mammadova shared with SBvolley.ru the first impressions of the club's debut in the Champions League.

- I really missed the Champions League - smiled Natalya Mammadova. - Not only me, the whole of Azerbaijan waited the return of their team in the main event of European club tournaments .The whole country supports,lives with Rabita. It is a great honor, but also very big responsibility.

- According to the score, the match was not the most difficult?

- The game turned out a little bit nervous. At least - it's the first official match for Rabita, in the new season, the championship of Azerbaijan begins later. In the pre-season, we played a lot of friendly matches with strong teams, but the level of stress in the official matches are always higher. Even at full strength we have gathered on the eve of departure to Romania. Most of the preparations for the new season of "Rabita" conducted without the players teams from different countries. American Kimberly Glass joined on the eve of the World Cup. Serbian Natasha Krsmanovich and Sylvia Popovic, Croatian Mirella Delic arrived after the end of the world championship. So, we still have time to play better.

- What is the reason for a failure of Rabita`s performance at the beginning of the second set?
- The opponent was determined to give battle, but these difficulties, I would first of all explain as our misunderstanding. Sometimes the players just could not decide who should bring a simple ball and the ball fell between them. Removal of such embarrassing mistake - this is also a matter of time. But in the game against Dynamo team nature of the "Rabita" has successfully passed the test of strength, because we won the second set after 2:8 at the beginning.

- In the second game you replaced - the coach had a claim on the game?

- Actually great that "Rabita" has a long bench of players who can strengthen the team play during the match (smiling). Irina Zhukova, Olga Attivi replaced us and helped to change the result of the second set. In addition coaches are still looking for the best game understandings . For example, I was replaced by Olga Attivi, and in the third game I came back into the game,this time to replace Sanya Starovic who playes as an opposite hitter. Everyone needs to be toned in the game and each of us will surely add to shape.

- But you can stay without the title of top scorer in Champions League
- I have enough "Best Scorer" titles,now for me the most important the team title,and I will fight for that.

Shukran: Rabita Baku enters Champions League in style

Azerbaijani champions Rabita Baku defeated Romanian Dinamo Romprest, 3-0, in the opening match of the CEV Champions League on Wednesday afternoon.

In the first set, Rabita trailed early, but went on a 9-2 run to build a 16:10 advantage. Dinamo tried to climb back, but the guest team stayed ahead and maintained the lead to finish the set 25:18.

In the second set, Romanians went up 8:2, and were up 16:11 by the time of the second technical timeout. From that point onward, however, it was Rabita only. Azerbaijani team led by Glass and Ativi duo steadily closed the gap and eventually took the set 25:22.

Dinamo again started the third set aggressively and were up for the most part of it, and yet again couldn't hold on to the lead and Rabita ended the match with a 25:20 victory.

Kimberly Glass paced Rabita's offense with a team-best 10 kills to go along with 3 aces and 2 block points. Natalya Mammadova connected for nine kills, while middle blocker Natasa Krsmanovic chipped in five kills and three blocks.

Alida Marcovici, Dinamo captain

"It was a very hard game for us, we had a good chance in the second set but our opponents were better than us in the key moments. They deserved the victory."

Atanas Petrov, Dinamo head coach

"We had a good start in every set, but our reception was shaky, maybe in the next match there will be more chances for us."

In the second match in the group, Italian Scavolini Pesaro defeated Polish Aluprof Bielsko-Biala 3:2 (23:25, 25:22, 25:20, 19:25, 15:12).

To watch the full match:
http://www.laola1.tv/en/rs/volleyball/cev/dinamo-romprest-bucharest-rabita-baku/video/242-1351-38074.html

Ya ALLAH: Dinamo Romprest BUCHAREST (ROU) vs. Rabita BAKU (AZE)

A tough game expects Romania’s Dinamo Romprest BUCHAREST for its debut in the 2011 CEV Champions League. The team coached by Bulgarian mentor Atanas Petrov is nevertheless prepared to test the likes of a strong Azerbaijani side, Rabita BAKU.
The girls of Dinamo know very well the impressive results of Azerbaijan’s national team and they are also conscious that with a large budget Rabita could recruit and sign some international stars. Still the expectations for a good result are high, especially after setter Daniela Minca – who got injured in the first game of the national league against the team from Piatra Neamt – did recover in time for the home match against BAKU. The match will be held in Romania’s largest hall, i.e. the Sala Polivalenta.
Ahead of this match Dinamo Romprest organized a press conference attended by General Manager Marian Stefan, coach Atanas Petrov, captain Alida Marcovici and Serbian player Jovana Vesovic.
Mr. Stefan stated: “I am fully aware that we will play against a very strong team, most likely one of the richest clubs, financially speaking, joining the competition. The difference in terms of value appears to be consistent, especially in terms of finance, but we devoted major efforts as we want to display a solid performance in the coming matches. After all, it is not the money that counts on the playground, but the players, so this is why I hope for a series of good results from our side. A win would be the most pleasant surprise for us, but Volleyball is that attractive and appealing especially since many unexpected results may come up”. Coach Petrov added: "It is going to be a very harsh game, our opponents are very good players, but I trust my squad and if we stay calm, coherent and focused we have our chances against the girls from BAKU”.
On the other hand, captain Marcovici said: “We have been drawn into a very difficult group, but there are no easy games in this competition. The truth is that it is the kind of game that offers you enormous satisfaction if you win it, so we will do our best to score the first victory against a prestigious opponent”.

Three players for "VC Shirvan"

The debutant of the Azeri Super league "VC Shirvan" continues strength the team transferring players from different countries.
After Canadian National team setter Carla Bradstock and Bulgarian spiker Tanya Sabkova,the debutant of the competition signed with three more players.
Libero Paulina Gajewska (Poland), setter Simona Ivanova (Bulgaria) and middle-blocker Jordana Price (USA) will play for "VC Shirvan" for one year.

Jordana Price great video:

Vladimir Kuzyutkin: Most of the players prefer to play in Azerbaijan.

The Russian National team head-coach Vladimir Kuzyutkin who made his team the World Championship winner,shared his thoughts about Russian Super league and told some nice words about Azeri Super league.

"We must admit with great regret that there will not be very interesting league in Russia this year. The whole struggle is reduced to the rivalry between two teams. Many top class foreigners trying to overtake our country for various reasons. For example, many people prefer for the same money to play in Azerbaijan - fewer crossings, flights across the country "- he said in an interview to RIA Novosti, reports azerisport.com.

Canadian National team setter Carla Bradstock joins Shirvan-Guba.

Azerbaijani Super League continues strength its authority transferring many top calls players of their National teams from different countries.
VC "Shirvan-Guba" of the Turkish coach Adnan Kistak transferred the Canadian National team player, setter Carla Bradstock who played in the last World Championship in Japan.
Carla Bradstock (178 cm, 1985) will be the second Canadian player in this season in Azeri Super League. Before her, "VC BAKI" signed a contract with the star player of this country Stacey Gordon.
Last season there were two players from the country of the North America. The National team captain Tammy Mahon (she will play in Greece this season) and another NT member Tasha (Sherline) Hollness played for Igtisadchi Baku. Another setter of Canadian NT Larissa Cundy came to Azerbaijan,but could not play because of the injury.

Oksana Parkhomenko scores 4 points, Dinamo Moscow crushes the opponenets!

In the first league match Dinamo Moscow faced the debutant of the Super League Proton-Balokovo.
Dinamo defeated Proton in three straight sets. 3-0 (25-10: 25-7: 25-8) Azerbaijani setter of Dinamo Oksana Parkhomenko scored 4 points.

Statistics: Click here

Short video about the first round of the Russian Superleague: http://news.sportbox.ru/Vidy_sporta/Volejbol/Chempionat_Rossii/Zhenskij/spbvideo_Zarechie-Odincovo-nachalo-zaschitu-titula-s

Rabita Baku defeated Igtisadchi twice in friendly matches.

Rabita and Igtisadchi teams which continue preraring for next season played two friendly matches in Ganjlik Olympic Center on 19-20 November. Azerivolley family also visited these matches.
In the first match Rabita played with full squad and won 4-0. Igtisadchi`s players which participated in the World Championship have not joined the team,except Japanese libero Yuko Sano who did not also take part in the first match. Kathleen Weiss and Alice Blom will join the team in next days.

Statistics for the first match by Artem Borisenko (Rabita Baku)

In the second match which was played today,Yuko Sano played as a starting libero and made the difference as in the quality of the team game, so in the result of the match. Rabita won this match in five sets. 3-2

Statistics for the second match by Artem Borisenko (Rabita Baku)

Rabita will play its first official match on the 24th November against Romanian runner-up Dinamo Bucharest in the first Champions League match.

Ivana Milos joined Igtisadchi Baku

Croatian National team member,Ivana Milos joined Igtisadchi Baku after the World Championship held in Japan.
Ivana Milos plays in the position of middle-blocker. Her height is 187 cm. She was born in 1986. She played in Croatian Zok Split last season.
She also took part in the friendly matches Rabita-Igtisadchi. In the first match she played last set and scored 5 points ( 4 attacks and 1 block).

Desde España con Amor

Born María Isabel Fernández in the tiny city of Fuentes de Andalucía, Marisa Fernandez stands tall, not only literally, but also metaphorically, as one of the most skillful players Spanish volleyball ever produced. So when we got a chance to talk to her, we jumped in it.

What were your first impressions of Baku and what were your expectations before you came?

I was here five years ago, when Spanish national team played against Azerbaijan at the World Cup Qualification stage in Baku. The city has grown a lot since then; it is a big, new, modern and very cosmopolitan city and I like it!

Spanish tourists who visited Baku have compared the city to Andalusia for its mixture of European and Middle Eastern styles. Do you think this comparison is accurate?

Actually, it is accurate! In Andalusia, where I am from, we have a great mix of cultures that has enriched us, our music, art, architecture. There has been a big Arabic influence in Andalusia.

Spain has a strong volleyball league, but somehow Spanish national team has struggled internationally. What do you think is the problem here?

I won't call it a problem, but Spanish volleyball is still growing and we need some time to adapt and to adjust. Also, Europe is a continent with a great volleyball culture, with a lot of strong teams and to qualify for the World championship is a very difficult task.

You played volleyball in Spain, Greece and Italy. How would you compare these leagues?

The level of the Italian league is higher than Greek or Spanish leagues and Greek league is stronger than Spanish Superliga. But my Greek team Panathinaikos was also very well organized in terms of club structure and facilities. When it comes to organizing sport events, providing great entertainment and attracting masses, I think, Greece and Italy are well ahead of Spain.

How popular is volleyball in Spain anyway? Would people recognize you if you walked down the street in, let's say, Madrid or Valencia?

Even though there are a lot of volleyball fans in Spain, this is not the most popular sport in the country. If I walked down the street in a big city like Madrid or Valencia, probably only few people would recognize me, but if I walked somewhere in Andalusia more people would know who I am.

Are you a football fan? Do you have a favorite team or player?

I am not a football fanatic. I like the sport, but I'm not a fanatic. I like FC Barcelona, because they have very good players and they play great as a team.

Where were you when Spain won the World Cup this summer?

When it happened, I was with my national team, playing in the European League.

What is your fondest volleyball memory?

My first year away from home, the year when I joined Greek Panathinaikos. To be part of such a big club was a wonderful experience. Greek fans were amazing - having 3,000 people chant your name is the most rewarding experience for an athlete. And, of course, my on-court success is also very memorable - Greek championship, Greek national cup, second place in the Challenge Cup, Greek All-Star game, my Greek "MVP" awards and my "Best Attacker" award in the Challenge Cup.

In Igtisadchi you play alongside Venezuelan Aleoscar Iriarte and Argentinian Yael Castiglione. Does it help to have other Spanish speaking players around?

Not really. I like having people who speak Spanish around, but our team is predominantly English speaking, and I like talking with everyone, not just people who speak my language.

Do you have any favorite place in Baku? Where do you hang out?

In my time free I like to walk around with my husband and our Spanish friends. We visit Fakhri Khiyaban ["The Alley of Honor" is the national memorial complex and cemetery - Azerivolley.com] - a beautiful place that I like a lot for its serenity and quiet dignity. But my most favorite place is in my house with my husband. When I am home I forget about everything, and I can just enjoy the tranquility and peace of mind with the man I love.

Can you dance Flamenco?

Unfortunately, I can not dance flamenco, but I love listening to flamenco music, and I love watching professionals dance.

Is there anything you wanted to say to the readers of Azerivolley.com?

I wanted to thank them for their hospitality! Azerbaijani people are very nice and hospitable, and when you are a foreigner living in another country to have people there support you is very important!

Desde España con Amor - From Spain with love.

All the champions league matches on Laola1.tv

www.laola1.tv will broadcast all the matches of the Champions league 2010/11 season Live

2011 CEV CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - WOMEN - Main Phase

Pool E - Match L-350

Date / Time	Competition Hall	Venue of Arrival & Departure
2010-11-24 / 17:00	Sala Polivalenta BUCHAREST Nr. 10 Calea Piscului RO- BUCHAREST
1st Referee	2nd Referee	CEV Official
ZDRAVESKI, Zdravko (MKD)	GEORGOULEAS, Georgios (GRE)	DELOUTRE, Valérie (CEV Supervisor)
Team Information		Match Information
Home Team	Visiting Team	Result
Dinamo Romprest BUCHAREST vs Rabita BAKU		0 : 0
Players Home Team Officials	Players Visiting Team Officials	Set 1: -:- Set 2: -:- Set 3: -:- Set 4: -:- Set 5: -:- Further information:

Rabita will play against Igtisadchi twice in friendly matches.

Rabita Baku, which continues its preparation for the first match of the CEV Champions League, will face Igtisadchi Baku twice on the 19-20th November in Baku, Ganjlik Olympic Center.
It will be the first matches for both teams with full squads, as the players of these teams participated in World Championship in Japan, will join the teams till that time.

16.11.2010

Rookie Rabita BAKU has set high goals for Champions League premiere

Baku, Azerbaijan, November 16, 2010. Last year’s CEV Cup bronze medalist and Azerbaijani champion Rabita Baku will make its debut in the 2011 CEV Champions League in about ten days. The Azerbaijani champions were assigned to Pool E after the Drawing of Lots held this past June in Vienna, together with Italian national champion Scavolini PESARO, Poland’s Aluprof BIELSKO-BIALA and another rookie of the league, i.e. Dinamo Romprest BUCHAREST of Romania.
At the press conference organized yesterday by Rabita in Baku, the officials of the team shared their thoughts and talked about the plans and goals of the team for the next European season which will start with the match against the Romanians next November 24 in Bucharest.
The club’s Organization Director Nasimi Musayev said: “Rabita always puts the highest goals in front of the team and does its best to achieve the wished results. This year our team will make its debut in the best European club competition, the CEV Champions league. Everyone knows that there are no weak opponents in this tournament, so we respect any of our competitors. The favorite of our group of course are the Italians of Scavolini PESARO. All remaining three teams will fight for the second place. The first aim is to qualify to the Playoffs, and then we will see. We know it will be very hard, but I think we are on the right way”.
Serbian head coach Dejan Brdjovic commented: “Some of our players played in the World Championship and will join the team in the next few days. We have many high-level and ambitious players, but we need time to have good connection between the players and to show real team game. We embarked on a long and very hard marathon, both in the local and European arena we will face very strong opponents. Our first game will be in Romania, against a serious team. I hope we will be satisfied with the result at the end.”
The assistant coach Eldar Yusubov added: “All the teams in our group as in the other groups are very strong. Scavolini PESARO and Aluprof BIELSKO-BIALA are the champions of their countries and have many high-level players in their squads. Dinamo Romprest BUCHAREST is the runner-up of the last Romanian championship. It means that there will not be easy matches for us. We are ready for that”.
The captain of the team, three-time Best Scorer of the CEV Champions League, Natalya Mammadova, also answered to the questions of the journalists: “As you know only one player cannot take the team to the wished aims. I know my fans are waiting for the “Best Scorer” title once again from me, but Volleyball is a team game, and I will do my best to be useful for my team. We will face quite strong teams with different international stars, but I think we will be ready to show our real potential”.

Puerto Rican trio on their way to Azerbaijan

Three members of Puerto Rican national team may soon join Azerbaijani Superleague club- "VC BAKI".

Mojica Vilmarie -- Sarai Alvarez -- Alexandra Oquendo

Setter Vilmarie Mojica, outside hitter Sarai Alvarez and middle blocker Alexandra Oquendo are reportedly in negotiations with an Azerbaijani club and according to Humberto Pagan, the Director of International Relations of the Puerto Rican Volleyball Federation, the talks are nearing an end.

The trio was part of the Puerto Rican national team at the recent World Cup in Japan. Moreover, Mojica (left) is also a long-time national team captain.

These three players will join the team camp in Turkey.