Former T&T international women’s volleyballer Sinead Jack-Kisal and Eczacıbaşı Dynavit secured a much-needed straight-sets win over Besiktas 25-11, 25-18, 25-20 to stay in the hunt to reach the Turkish Vodafone Sultan Women’s Volleyball League semifinals at the Eczacıbaşı Sports Hall on Saturday.
Ebrar Karakurt was the main scorer for Eczacıbaşı Dynavit with 16 points, and she was well supported by Turkey international Jack-Kisal with nine points, inclusive of three blocks, while Yaprak Erkek added eight and Dana Lynn Rettke seven in the win to cancel out a game-high 16 points from Besiktas’ Julia Szczurowska.
The win, which comes after a 2-3 loss to third-placed Zeren Spor, kept Eczacıbaşı Dynavit in the fourth spot on the 14-club standings with a 17-6 record and 51 points, just adrift of third-placed Zeren Spor (18-5), while Vakifbank leads the table with a 22-1 record and 65 points, six clear of Fenerbahçe Medicana (19-4).
Next up for Eczacıbaşı Dynavit is a home encounter against 11th-placed Göztepe on Saturday, February 28, ahead of both their meetings in the Cup quarterfinal on March 2 and then Galatasaray.
On the international stage, Eczacıbaşı Dynavit entertains Poland’s Developres Rzeszow on March 10 in the CEV Women’s Champions League Volley quarterfinals.
This after, Eczacıbaşı Dynavit topped Group C of their four-team round-robin series with a 5-1 record and 14 points, the same as Italy’s Numia Vero Volley Milano, who ended with a 4-2 mark, while Olympiacos (3-3) was third with eight points, and Železničar Lajkovac.
Last month, in their group decider in Milan, Eczacibasi Dynavit won 20-25, 25-18, 25-16, 21-25, and 15-13 over Milano to add to their first-round win of 25-21, 20-25, 22-25, 25-22, and 15-13 in Turkey.
The win ensured the 32-year-old Jack Kisal and Eczacibasi advanced straight to the quarterfinals, while Numidia Vero Volley Milano will continue their campaign in the playoffs.
In the other match in Group C, Olympiacos Piraeus ended in the third spot after they swept past OK Železničar Lajkovac 15-25, 25-17, 25-22, 28-26 in straight sets to secure their place in the play-offs.
The trio of Fenerbahçe Medicana, VakıfBank and A. Carraro P. Doc Conegliano also advanced to the quarterfinals as winners of their respective groups and were joined by Zeren Ankara, who dumped Germany’s SSC Palmberg Schwerin 25-16, 25-18, 25-14 yesterday in their round-of-16 return-leg match to follow up on their 25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 25-14 first-leg win.
They will be joined by the winners of the remaining series between Numia Vero Volley Milano/Olympiacos Piraeus and Igor Gorgonzola Novara/Savino Del Bene Scandicci, which take place today.
In their first-leg matches last week, Numia Vero Volley Milano defeated Olympiacos Piraeus 25-21, 25-21, 25-17, and Igor Gorgonzola Novara overcame Savino Del Bene Scandicci 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23.
