Rabita BAKU (AZE) vs. Bank BPS Fakro MUSZYNA (POL) 3:0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-19)
Azerbaijan’s Rabita BAKU claimed a ticket for the final four coming up next March 19-20 in Istanbul after edging out, for the second time in about 7 days, Bank BPS Fakro MUSZYNA of Poland, once again in straight sets. A rookie in the CEV Champions League, going into the return round of the Playoffs 6, Rabita could boost a very impressive record, having lost only one match since the beginning of the season. Rabita started the game with some great attacks of Sanja Starovic and local heroine Natalya Mammadova who were well supported by the blocks stamped by Natasa Krsmanovic and Mira Golubovic (25-20). Rabita opted for veteran setter Iryna Zhukova in set 2 and once again Golubovic and Starovic helped Mammadova set the pace of the game going rapidly for the final 25-19. Set 3 was a bit more nervous, especially as Rabita did not want to miss the ticket for the final four and could hardly wait for the celebrations. Bank BPS Fakro played well with Aleksandra Jagielo and Kinga Kasprzak but the block of Rabita worked perfectly to avoid any additional risk.
Natalya Mammadova said after the game: “We are very happy that we qualified to the final four directly from our first participation in this competition. It is a great result. I want to thank our fans for their great support. We will do our best to pay them back with some more wins”. Coach Dejan Brdjovic: “Our team was simply great today and showed an amazing performance. We are very happy”. “Rabita played a superb game and I want to congratulate our opponents. I wish them the best and to claim the trophy in the final four” commented the mentor of Bank BPS, Bogdan Serwinski.
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