VakifBank Istanbul has once again shown their dominance on the volleyball court by sweeping Volero Zurich for a spot in the 2018 Women’s Champions League Final Four.
The Turkish club downed the Swiss side 3-0, (25-12, 25-14, 25-17) in a strong showing to move on to the next phase of the competition. VakifBank is one of the most highly regarded clubs in the world, being the reigning champions of the Champions League as well as the 2017 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship gold medalists.
The team’s dominant performance was backed by none other than their star player, Zhu Ting, who produced 21 points in the team’s win. Also recording double-digit points was Lonneke Sloetjes with 14 while Milena Rasic added 9.
VakifBank cruised through the Champions League to the Playoffs 6, winning all 8 of their matches and dropping just 5 sets along the way. They started off the Playoffs 6 with a 3-0, (25-17, 25-22, 25-21) win over Volero Zurich on the road.
The Turkish team will now take on Imoco Volley Conegliano in the Final Four after they won the series over Dinamo Kazan by a margin of sets. The Italian team took down the Russian side 3-0 in their first match but fell 3-2 in the second, which gave them the overall sets advantage to move on. The Final Four match between VakifBank and Imoco will be played on May 5.
Head coach Giovanni Guidetti was extremely gracious after the match, thanking the club and his strong team for fighting their way to the Final Four.
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