Rabita advances to the Playoff 6 round of the Champions League

In the return leg of the of the Champions League Playoff 12 round, Rabita Baku defeated Czech champions Modranska Prostejov 3:0 (25:21, 25:23, 25:19) in regulation and then snatched a 15:11 victory in the golden set to earn the ticket to the next round of the Champions League.

The first set started out with neither team able to develop any momentum and take a convincing lead, until a block by Ssuschke put Modranska up by three, 16:13. Coming from a technical timeout, Rabita responded with a 9:1 run, courtesy of Mammadova, Glass and Golubovic, for a 22:17 lead. Two back-to-back kills by Natasa Krsmanovic put Rabita in set-point position, 24:18. Modranska held off three set-points, but eventually Rabita prevailed 25:21.

Set two was much like the first, with neither team taking control early. With the score tied at 13:13, a series of well put blocks put visiting team up by three, 17:14. Two kills by Mammadova cut Modranska's lead to one, 17:16. Moments later, a block by Kim Glass tied the set at 18. American outside hitter will prove to be the decisive factor in the last minutes of the set. Three kills and a block from Glass (who spent last season at Modranska!) down the stretch helped to wrap up the set 25:23.

Czech champions kept the score tight to start the third set, until Sanja Starovic and Natasa Krsmanovic fueled a 5:1 rally to give Rabita a 13:8 advantage. Modranska battled back to narrow the margin to 15:12, but two kills by Starovic pushed Rabita up again by five points, 20:15. A 4:1 Modranska rally narrowed the gap to two late in the set, 21:19 forcing Dejan Brdjovic call a timeout. Following the timeout, Starovic and Golubovic secured a 25:19 third set win and send the game into the "golden set".

With a spot in Playoff 6 on the line, Rabita started the golden set aggressively and took an early 3:1 lead. But relentless Czech team responded with a quick 4:0 run to erase the deficit and put Modranska in front, 5:3. Two kills and an ace from team captain Natalya Mammadova tied the game at six and then a double-block gave the host team the 7:6 lead. The teams exchanged points twice before a solo block from Glass gave Rabita a two point lead, 10:8. A timeout taken by Modranska's head coach couldn't stop Rabita and Azerbaijani champions finished the golden set strong, 15:11, taking the team one step closer to the Final Four.

Rabita will take on Polish Bank BPS Fakro in the next round of the Champions League.

Rabita Baku - Modranska Prostejov 3:0 (25:21, 25:23, 25:19)

Rabita Baku: Doganjic, Krsmanovic 11, Popovic (L), Mammadova 13, Glass 11, Golubovic 10, Starovic 14, Zhukova 3

Modranska Prostejov: Velikiy 9, Kubinova 2, Novakova 2, Chlumska (L), Tomasekova 5, Ssuschke 13, Soares 4, Lipicer 11, Bramborova, Artemenko 11 Notes: Set duration: 24min, 26min, 24min (total: 74min) Service errors: Modranska Prostejov 9, Rabita Baku 0 Aces: Rabita Baku 8, Modranska Prostejov 3

Golden Set 15:11