In a Champions League match that came down to the wire, Rabita Baku suffered a 2:3 (25:20, 21:25, 19:25, 25:23, 6:15) setback to Italian champions Scavolini Pesaro.
Natalya Mammadova was the best scorer of the match with 26 points and Sanja Starovic added 21 points of her own. Destinee Hooker and Manon Flier duo of Scavolini scored 20 points each.
In the first set, Rabita jumped to a quick 5:2 edge and pushed its lead to seven at the 14:7 mark. Scavolini battled back behind an 8:1 run to tie the set at 15, but Azerbaijani champions answered quickly with a 6:1 counter-rally capped by a double-block that put Rabita in front, 21:16. Two powerful spikes from Hooker and Ferretti cut Rabita's lead to three, but Natalya Mammadova clinched the set for Rabita, 25:20.
Rabita started the second set slow as the host team, paced by a pair of quick kills from Hooker and Manzano took a slim 8:6 advantage. Scavolini then went on to widen the margin to 13:6 midway through the set. Rabita desperately tried to close the gap, but Italians kept a firm grip on the lead, finishing the set 25:21.
Sanja Starovic kept Rabita alive early in the third set, scoring four of the first five Rabita points. With the set tied at seven, Scavolini managed a 7:2 run, forcing Rabita into a timeout, down 14:9. The Azerbaijani team fought back, leveling the score at 16, but Scavolini promptly answered with a set-closing 9:3 run that lifted Scavolini to a 25:19 set victory.
Facing the risk of returning to Baku empty handed, Rabita came out aggressive in the fourth set, but Scavolini responded with a resilient offensive effort, keeping the score close - 8:8, 10:10, 16:15, 20:20. A kill from Starovic and a block from Krsmanovic got Rabita back up 22:20, forcing Scavolini timeout. The sides went on to exchange points, with Rabita emerging on top, 25:23.
Scavolini jumped ahead early in the fifth set, 3:1, but Rabita quickly evened the set at four. Unfortunately, this was it for Rabita for today, as the team scored only two more points in the remaining minutes of the match, allowing Italians to take the set and the match, 15:6.
Despite the loss, Rabita maintained the lead at the top of Pool E, and barring unexpected result next week against Romanian Dinamo Romprest, Azerbaijani champions are poised to finish first in the group.
Scavolini Pesaro: Usic Jogunica 18, Olivotto, De Gennaro (L), Manzano 9, Ferretti 2, Flier 20, Guiggi 14, Hooker, 20
Rabita Baku: Nenova 1, Doganjic 2, Krsmanovic 10, Popovic (L), Mammadova 26, Glass 11, Golubovic 10, Starovic 21, Zhukova
Notes: Set duration: 25min, 24min, 23min, 26min, 11min (total: 109min).
Service errors: Rabita Baku 11, Scavolini 7
Aces: Scavolini 7, Rabita Baku 4
