"Nothing to lose": Tent aim for big comeback against Łódź

The business end of the CEV Champions League Women is just around the corner and now the first team which will secure their quarter-finals berths from the playoffs will be known.

PGE Grot Budowlani Łódź will host Tent Obrenovac on Tuesday, 18 February, from 18:00 CET, in the away leg of the doubleheader, after the Polish side delivered a 3:0 win in the first leg, 25:23; 25:16; 25:23, dominating the match and getting closer to their maiden quarter-finals berth.

The Polish side had four players score at least 10 points, with Pailina Damaske and Terry Ruth Nkemdilim Enweonwu dominating at the net in the first match, both scoring 15 points and being unstoppable. While their production dropped in the third set, when they only had a 38% efficiency, PGE Grot Budowlani Łódź had a 52% efficiency in the first set and a 46% efficiency in the second set.

“I think Tent will come here with the attitude that they have nothing to lose. They will come out at us aggressively and without complexes. We have to impose our style of play from the beginning, stay focused and not calculate. We want to win this match and enjoy the promotion to the next round of the Champions League,” said PGE Grot Budowlani Łódź’s setter, Alicja Grabka.

For a team which started their journey this season in the Qualification Phase, eliminating OK Herceg Novi, after a 3:1 and a 3:0 win, the Polish side delivered an excellent performance, dropping only two matches, both against Fenerbahçe Medicana Istanbul in the 4th round.

Now, PGE Grot Budowlani Łódź will be slotted to face Savino Del Bene Scandicci, the top team in the 4th round, provided they secure a place in the quarter-finals, a tough propositing for any team in the European premium competition.

“It is definitely a great motivation, because every player wants to win and fight for the highest goals. When it comes to club competitions, I think there is no more prestigious place than the Champions League. We will do everything to play in the quarter-finals and aim even higher. That is the beauty of sport, that everything is possible,” added Grabka.

On the other hand, Tent Obrenovac also secured their place in the competition via the Qualification phase, where they eliminated Belgian side Asterix Avo Beveren with two wins, 3:1 and 3:0. They are also for the first time in the knockout phase of the competition and could secure their maiden quarter-finals berth.

They have secured only one away win this season, 3:2 against Levallois Paris Saint Cloud, losing the other matches against SSC Palmberg Schwerin and Eczacıbaşı Dynavit Istanbul in straight sets.

Tent also lost their last match in the Serbian league, 0:3, against Jedinstvo Stara Pazova, therefore will need to find new motivation to secure a win here, but only a 3:0 or a 3:1 win would push the match into the golden set, which would decide the qualified team into the quarter-finals.