A. Carraro Prosecco DOC Conegliano book Final Four spot in Istanbul despite five-set loss

A. Carraro Prosecco DOC Conegliano book Final Four spot in Istanbul despite five-set loss

(2023/24, 2024/25) aim to become the first club to win the women’s CEV Champions League Volley three times in a row. That ambition has been clear since the start of the competition and was confirmed this evening, as the team coached by Daniele Santarelli advanced to the Final Four in Istanbul.
Zeren Spor Kulübü Ankara defeated Conegliano 3-2 (21-25, 17-25, 25-19, 32-30, 15-13) in Villorba-Treviso in the second leg of the quarter-finals, but Conegliano – thanks to their straight-sets victory in Ankara – secured their place at the continent’s premier club volleyball event, joining Eczacıbaşı Dynavit Istanbul.
At the same time, Ankara ended Conegliano’s remarkable winning streak at 29 consecutive matches.

A. Carraro Prosecco DOC CONEGLIANO vs. ANKARA Zeren Spor Kulübü    2:3 (25-21, 25-17, 19-25, 30-32, 13-15)

Everything was practically decided after the first two sets, but Ankara confirmed they were the most pleasant surprise of this year’s competition. It is worth recalling that in their first encounter in Pool A, Ankara had already pushed Conegliano to five sets. They eventually conclude their campaign at the quarter-final stage, signing off with a victory against the reigning European club champions.
In the first match, played in Ankara, Conegliano had claimed a 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-18, 25-17).
After a balanced start, Ankara took a 5-3 lead, but Conegliano levelled at 6-6 and then moved ahead 9-7. Ankara equalised again at 9-9, before Conegliano went up 13-11. The visitors responded to make it 13-13, but the home side produced a 3-0 run for 16-13. Ankara answered in the same way to draw level at 16-16. The battle intensified, with Conegliano moving ahead 18-16 and 22-19 before closing the set 25-21.
Isabelle Haak scored 8 points for Conegliano (attack 12-8, 67%), while Aleksandra Uzelac contributed 5 points for Ankara (44% positive reception, 45% attack). Anna Lazareva, Svetlana Gatina and Beyza Arıcı added 4 points each.
Only one set was needed for Conegliano to secure a semi-final berth, making the second set in Villorba-Treviso crucial for both sides. Conegliano raced to a 6-2 lead, but Ankara responded to close the gap to 7-5. Backed by a loud home crowd and the sounds of Offenbach’s Cancan, the Italian side surged ahead 14-7, signalling their path to the Final Four. The score reached 20-13 before Conegliano sealed the set 25-17 and confirmed their ticket to Istanbul.
Ting Zhu (1 block, 67% positive reception) and Cristina Chirichella (3 blocks) scored 5 points each for Conegliano, while Haak added 4 (43% attack). Uzelac again led Ankara with 5 points (38% positive reception).
Conegliano’s level dropped at the start of the third set, which Ankara exploited to take a 6-1 lead. The visitors extended their advantage to 10-3, before Conegliano reduced it to 10-6, only for Ankara to respond and make it 13-6. Ankara continued to dominate (16-8, 19-12, 22-16) and won the set 25-19 to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
Uzelac led Ankara with 9 points in the third set (1 ace, 1 block, 43% positive reception, 70% attack), while Lazareva added 6 (1 ace, 1 block). Zhu was Conegliano’s top scorer with 5 points (63% attack), followed by Fatoumatta Sillah with 4 (80% attack).
Ankara led 4-3 in the fourth set, but Conegliano reacted quickly to move ahead 5-4. The visitors regained the lead at 8-6, before Conegliano levelled at 9-9. Ankara kept pushing, going up 13-11 and 17-13. Conegliano closed the gap to 18-17 and then equalised at 20-20.
The Italian side took a 22-21 lead – their first since 5-4 – and earned their first match point at 24-23. However, they failed to convert two match points, allowing Ankara to earn their first chance to level the match at 2-2 (26-25). Conegliano responded to claim a third match point at 27-26, but Aleksandra Uzelac delivered with a strong serve and spike to give Ankara another set point (28-27).
Hannah Fahr produced an ace for Conegliano’s fourth match point (29-28), yet Ankara once again turned the score around, moving ahead 31-30 before Lazareva sealed the set 32-30 with an ace to tie the match at 2-2.
Uzelac (1 block), Lazareva (1 ace) and Gatina (1 block, 75% positive reception, 46% attack) scored 7 points each for Ankara, while Zhu led Conegliano with 8 points (47% attack), followed by Merit Adigwe with 7 (1 ace).
Ankara opened the tie-break strongly, leading 2-0 and 4-1, before Conegliano reduced the gap to 4-3. The home side equalised at 6-6, but Ankara – largely thanks to Uzelac – went into the side switch with an 8-6 lead. They maintained control at 10-7, 12-9 and 14-11, eventually closing the set 15-13 to secure a 3-2 victory.
Ofelia Malinov was named MVP of the match, expertly directing Ankara’s play and adding 2 points (including 1 ace). Uzelac was the top scorer of both her team and the match with 28 points (3 blocks, 1 ace, 41% positive reception, 39% attack), while Lazareva contributed 22 points (2 aces, 1 block, 38% attack).
For Conegliano, Zhu scored 24 points (1 block, 50% attack).