Trieste, Italy, September 25, 2014 - After a tight 2:08 hour match Bulgaria defeated Turkey 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-27, 15-12) in Thursday’s last Pool B match of the 2014 FIVB Women’s World Championship at PalaTrieste.
Key Facts
- Bulgaria has now three points, having lost to Brazil 3-0 and to Serbia 3-2. Turkey has 4 points, having lost to Serbia 3-1 and won over Cameroon 3-0.
- After having lost 2-3 to Serbia on Wednesday, this was the second five-setter in a row for Bulgaria.
- This was the first meeting for Turkey and Bulgaria in a Women’s World Championship. Turkey won the last European Championship meeting, a four-set win in 2005.
- Top scorer was Bulgaria’s Elitsa Vasileva with 26 points, followed by Dobriana Rabadzhieva with 23. Best scorer in the Turkish team was Neriman Ozsoy with 20 points, followed by Gozde Sonsirma and Kubra Akman both registering 17 points.
- Kubra Akman scored a new tournament record with ten block kills
An ace right at the start by Emiliya Nikolova set the tempo for Bulgaria in the first set. Turkey achieved parity only at 5-all with a powerful spike from Kubra Akman, but then built an advantage 8-6 and kept it all the way to 17-14. Some of the Turkish blocking bordered on the gravity defying, a commentator said. Bulgaria pulled level at 17-all, but found it hard to outplay Gozde Sonsirma’s excellent digs and Neriman Ozsoy’s vicious kills. Turkey sealed the set at 25-20.
A point-by-point drama was played in the second set, until Turkey excellent blocking built a lead 8-5. The gap was closed only at 15-all, and then Bulgarian Rabadzhieva chartered the advantage 16-15. It was a turning point, with Turkey chasing now but to no effect. Strashimira Filipova earned set point 25-23.
The third set started in a very balanced way, with Elitsa Vasileva scoring precious points for Bulgaria and Kubra Akman working hard to tame her. Still, Bulgaria brought the lead to 11-6 and then kept it all the way to 21-16. Turkey could not pierce Bulgaria triple blocks and court-splitting spikes. Strashimira Filipova achieved the match-point for Bulgaria that clinched the set 25-18.
Turkey built a lead 8-6 in the fourth set, seemingly determined to make it to the fifth. A mid court collision left their libero Karadayi in a heap, but she stayed in the game and Turkey continued leading up to 18-14. Then the momentum swung to Bulgaria that pulled level. Turkey were not to be put down and fought bitterly. Akman’s powerful shot equalized the score at 23. Then it was 24-all, 25-all. Turkey earned the fifth set at 27-25.
It was a very tight set again. Turkey captain Sonsirma registered a two-point lead at 8-6, but then it was 9-all again. Ozsoy on one side, Vasileva on the other: the two teams battled it out until the end. Nikolova put Bulgaria at an advantage at 11-9. The first match point was for her team. Strashimira Nikolova scored and Bulgaria won the set and the match 15-12.