Former T&T international volleyballer, Sinead Kisal-Jackof Eczacibasi Dynavit made a return after missing the last two matches with an ankle sprain, but it wasn’t enough to spark her team past Italians A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano in the second-leg semifinal of the CEV Women’s Champions League Wednesday.
The Italians who rallied from 0-2 down in the best-of-five sets first-leg at home last week 26-28, 20-25, 25-14, 25-22, 18-16 secured their spot in the final against fellow Italian outfit Allianz Vero Volley Milano after easing past Jack-Kisal and her teammates, the reigning FIVB World Club champions 25-17, 25-15, 24-26, 25-16 to silence the Burhan Felek Volleyball Hall crowd in Istanbul.
Just as in the first-leg, Sweden’s Isabelle Haak was unstoppable for Conegliano with a match-high 29 points while Kathryn Plummer had 12, Kelsey-Marie Robinson-Cook 11, and the duo of Robin De Kruij and Sarah Luisa Fahr, nine points each in the win to extend their win streak on the season to 39 matches en-route to their fifth CEV Champions League Women final in the last seven seasons.
For Eczacıbaşı Dynavit, who are second in the Turkish League with a 23-2 record and 67 points, four behind defending champions Fenerbache Opet who have a similar 23-2 record, but with 71 points, Serbian Tijana Boskovic top scored for her team with 26 points with Hande Baladin, the only other player in double figures with 12 points while Jack-Kisal who suffered the ankle injury back on March 10, in a domestic league clash with Vakifbank, in which her club was swept 3-0 had six points.
On Tuesday, Allianz Vero Volley Milano secured the first spot in Europe’s most prestigious club competition final to be played on May 5 after they prevailed over Fenerbahce Opet Istanbul in the ‘Golden Set’ to reach the Super Finals for the first time in the club’s history.
Their leader Paola Egonu, contributed with 35 points and will play in her fifth Super Final after they beat Fenerbahce 15-11 in the Golden Set following the host 25-15, 26-28, 25-22, 25-23 win. A week ago, Allianz Vero Volley Milano won 25-21, 27-25, 25-22 in the first-leg.