Italian Eleonora Lo Bianco and Antonella del Core come to Russian Fakel

Italian Setter Eleonora Lo Bianco and Attacker Antonella Del Core in May can sign contracts with Russian clubs. Two stars of the National Team Italy won in composition in two European Championships, World Cup champion, and with Foppapedretti from Bergamo, two Champions League (2009/10 and 2006/07) are in talks with two clubs of Super League.

At Del Core, according to the SE, claiming Dinamo Kazan and Fakel. In the New Urengoy want to create an Italian couple, signed best receiving League Champion-2009/10 and best setter League champion-2009/10 and 2006/07, Euro 2009 and 2005, Grand Prix -2006. Lo Bianco is a key player in one of the Italian team.

Del Core this season playing in Turkey, becoming the owner of the Cup of the country with Eczachibashi, and in Italy until her departure in Istanbul acted for the best clubs Series A – Foppapedretti, Scavolini and Perugia.

Fakel not included in this year’s playoffs, wants to get a place in European competition, replacing the Challenge Cup, Zarechie Odintsovo, won the right to sports principles. In the New Urengoy retained the leader Daria Pisarenko to renew the contract with the club. Fakel in the new season going to fight for the medals and the sponsor are willing to expand the budget. Team in the summer should move from Moscow, where she lived during the season, in Moscow, while making its training base CSKA.

Source: russiavolley.com and vertexvolley.com

Schedule of the last Final Four in Baku.

The last Final Four round of the Azerbaijani Super league 2010/11 season takes place in Baku Sport Palace in 5-7 May.

After two played Final Four tournaments in Mingachevir and Masally cities Rabita leads the ranking with 11 points. Azerrail has 9 points while Igtisadchi and Lokomotiv sharing the third and fourth places with 8 points. Rabita is very close to the third Champion title in a row, but any of these teams can change the final raking and will fight till the last breath to win as high colibre of medal as possible. After this tournament everything can change,so there will be very interesting matches in Baku.

The matches will be broadcatsed by "Idman Azerbaycan TV" LIVE as always.

The link to watch all the matches online: http://www.yildiz.tv/?act=dvr&chan=idmanaz

5 may

16.00. “Rabitə” – “Lokomotiv”

18.30. “İqtisadçı” – “Azərreyl”

6 may

16.00. “Lokomotiv” – “Azərreyl”

18.30. “Rabitə” – “İqtisadçı”

7 may

14.00. “İqtisadçı” – “Lokomotiv”

16.30. “Azərreyl” – “Rabitə”

Rabitə	6	5	1	17-9	11
Azərreyl	6	3	3	13-11	9
İqtisadçı	6	2	4	12-14	8
Lokomotiv	6	2	4	8-16	8

Young President governs Turkish Federation in combination with Children Festival

27.04.2011

Ankara, Turkey, April 27, 2011. As the week of “national sovereignty” is being celebrated in Turkey, this festivity is being accompanied by the so-called Children Festival whereby all public authorities are “ceding” their seats to some young kids also to openly demonstrate their hope for a bright future of this country. Mr. Erol Ünal Karabiyik, President of the Turkish Volleyball Federation, was also briefly “replaced” by a 5-year young pupil, Baris Eskigülek, who has been totally fond of Volleyball already since a couple of years.

This young boy stunned all officials with his deep knowledge of the sport. He said: “Your facilities are cool” after being briefed by Mr. Karabiyik about the current state and the plans for the future. Baris added that sports lessons are his favorite classes and he personally asked Mr. Karabiyik to help for the inclusion of Volleyball in his educational program.
The young “President” also submitted his demand to work out a special website specifically conceived for young kids interested in Volleyball where a cartoon shall be placed to make them familiar with the sport. “In the sports hall there should be a separate tribune for families that are coming to watch the games along with their children. Kids shall get some presents and bad words are to be completely prohibited in all Volleyball competitions” he stressed. Baris asked Mr. Karabiyik to send as often as possible the members of the national teams to the primary schools, in order to attract many pupils to Volleyball. His last, but not least, request was the provision of Volleyball equipment for the handicapped children attending the “Atasehir” Lions School.

Interview with Logan Tom

Do you have any goals that you want to accomplish still? Like the Olympic gold medal?
Tom: No. I’m happy with where I am and what I am doing right now. Obviously, it would be nice to have it (the Olympic gold medal). But I don’t know what I will do with the national team right now. Everything is up in the air.

Have you lost some of your passion for the game after playing for so many years?
Tom: Everyone has different stages of passion. You cannot maintain that early feeling after doing it for a long time. When you get older, you change with time.

You are determined and even aggressive on the court. But off the court you hang around to shake hands with your opponents and have pictures taken with fans for as long as they want. There seems to be a contrast there?
Tom: The players are worth a lot of respect. When you are on the court, you try as hard as you can to win. But when it’s finished, it’s finished. I just think it’s a good ending that way. For the fans, they support me a lot. They cheer for me and they cheer for my team. That’s the best I can do. People just judge the players by how they react on the court. Of course, during the match I always try my best, I don’t like losing and that’s why I may appear aggressive.

Your grandfather was from China and you won the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics, fans here like you very much. How do you like the connection to China?
Tom: I have to say that before the Beijing Olympics we hadn’t spent much time in China. We had Chinese food growing up. I’ve been here pretty much for volleyball and, like I said, I enjoy staying here. It is a very fast-growing country. People work very hard here. It’s an upcoming country.

What do you do in your leisure time?
Tom: Play cards, lots of reading. I bought a guitar but have never really played it. When I am home I like to go on road trips.

Source: vertexvolley.com

Polina Rahimova: One-legged attack from back-row

Conductor Zhukova`s Rabita walks over Azerrail. Lokomotiv wins the thriller

The second Final Four Round took place in Masally city came to its end with a couple of very interesting matches.

The first match of the day could make Lokomotiv as a real outsider in the case they lose, so the team of Dragutin Baltic was ready to any scenario in the match against Igtisadchi of Jan de Brandt.

Amazing Nancy Metcalf and Nicole Davis`s Lokomotiv showed example of braveness winning this thriller in 5 sets. Finnish star Riikka Lehtonen and Japanese "A-Bomb" Yuko Sano did great job their team to win but Lokomotiv girls were very ambitious for result of this match.

The second match of the day and the last of this mini-tournament in Masally made Rabita closer to the title as the last two years` champions were leading the ranking and this victory strengthened their advantage on the Championship way.

Legendary setter Iryna Zhukova made her team play like an orchestra. Serbian "Azeri" beauty Sanja Starovic and outside hitters Mammadova ws Glass were supported by super middle-blockers Golubovic and Krsmanovic, and incredible libero Popovic to close the tournament on major notes.Azerrail had enough hard moments at reception as the main libero of the squad Valeriya Korotenko has got an injury and will not be able to play for three months.

29 April

14.00. “Lokomotiv” - “İqtisadçı” - 3:2 (25:16, 23:25, 25:19; 16:25, 15:13)

Final round results

“İqtisadçı” – “Lokomotiv”- 3:1 (20:25, 25:15, 27:25, 25:23)

Regular season results

“Lokomotiv” – “İqtisadçı” – 0:3 (23:25, 18:25, 23:25)

“İqtisadçı” - “Lokomotiv” – 3:0 (25:23, 25:17, 25:18)

MVP: Nancy Metcalf

Statistics: http://sbvolley.ru/files/docs/2011/2011-aze-final-06-02.pdf

• 

16.00. “Rabitə” - “Azərreyl” - 3:1 (23:25, 25:14, 25:12, 25:10)

Final round results

“Azərreyl” – “Rabitə” - 2:3 (17:25, 16:25, 25:22, 25:20; 14:16)

Regular season results

“Azərreyl” – “Rabitə” – 1:3 (25:22, 19:25, 22:25, 22:25)

“Rabitə” - “Azərreyl” – 3:0 (25:23, 25:20, 25:14)

MVP: Iryna Zhukova

Statistics:

http://sbvolley.ru/files/docs/2011/2011-aze-final-06-011.pdf

Rabitə	6	5	1	17-9	11
Azərreyl	6	3	3	13-11	9
İqtisadçı	6	2	4	12-14	8
Lokomotiv	6	2	4	8-16	8

Mammadova against Marisa Fernandez show. Azerrail destroys Lokomotiv

The second day of the Azeri Superleague Final Four in Masally city ended with a great match between Rabita and Igtisadchi that clearified who would be the leader of the ranking.

The first match played between Lokomotiv and Azerrail ended with a quite easy victory by Azerrail in three sets. Young Azeri libero, 18 years old Oksana Kiselyova replaced Valeriya Korotenko who has healthy problems on a high level showing amazing performance both at defence and reception. Another rising star of Azeri volleyball 20 years old Polina Rahimova scored 28 points (67 %) in three sets and once again became the MVP of the match.

The central match of the day played after this match would clearify the leader of the ranking, as Rabita`s defeat could make all the three teams have the same points.

Rabita started match quite well scoring 4 points in a row (4-0) but Igtisadchi overcame the opponents till the first technical time-out (6-8). Spansih middle-blocker Marisa Fernandez (21 points, 67%) scored points as a main attacker and blocker of Igtisadchi showing hardly the best game of her career. Rabita did great come back losing 20-24. Natalya Mammadova with two aces and attack points equalled the score and Kimberly Glass that replaced Olga Ativi at the end and closed the set. 26-24.

The following two sets also began with the same scenario but amazing Marisa Fernandez and Yuko Sano did great job for their team to lead in set score 2-1.

The fourth set could be the last for Rabita. Igtisadchi was leading 21-18 at the end of the set and was very close to finish the match on a major note,but Rabita`s Mammadova and Kimberly Glass who replaced Sanja Starovic won the set fro Rabita. Serbian middle blocker Natasa Krsmanovic was the best blocker of the court competing against incredible Marisa Fernandez.

The tie-break was the only set that began by Igtisadchi`s three points advantage,but Rabita was not going to give up as this loss could make their situation worse than they excepted,so incredible Natalya Mammadova and powerful Olga Ativi came back after 8-11 and equalled the score. But Igtisadchi Baku did not give up till the end either cancelling two match points of the rivals 14-14. The match was very interesting and the people of Masally enjoyed this match but everyone was wondering when the match would be ended. At last Kimberly Glass scored a point from attack and earned another match point for her team. Natalya Mammadova closed the match spiking from the 4th zone.

29 April

“Lokomotiv” – “Azərreyl” - 0:3 (16:25; 22:25; 20:25)
Final round results
“Lokomotiv” – “Azərreyl” - 1:3 (25:18, 19:25, 21:25; 15:25)

Regular season results

“Azərreyl” – “Lokomotiv” – 3:0 (28:26, 25:13, 27:25)
“Lokomotiv” - “Azərreyl” - 0:3 (13:25, 12:25, 22:25)

MVP: Polina Rahimova


Statistics:

18.30. “Rabitə” – “İqtisadçı” - 3:2 (27:25, 18:25, 20:25, 25:22, 18:16)

Final round results

“Rabitə” – “İqtisadçı” - 3:1 (25:19, 25:16, 22:25, 25:18)

Regular season results

“İqtisadçı” – “Rabitə” - 0:3 (14:25, 27:29, 19:25)
“Rabitə” - “İqtisadçı” - 0:3 (24:26, 23:25, 22:25)

MVP: Natalya Mammadova


Statistics:


Thanks to Artem Borisenko for statistics of the matches.

Ranking:

Rabitə	5	4	1	14-8	9
Azərreyl	5	3	2	12-8	8
İqtisadçı	5	2	3	10-11	7
Lokomotiv	5	1	4	5-14	6

Super volley rally: Azerrail - Igtisadchi