Eczacibasi’s Path to the SuperFinals Turin 2023
Preview
It has been eight years since Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul was crowned as the Champions of Europe for the first time in their history, and since then they have been on the chase for another chance at the trophy, eluding them until now.
The Turkish side lead from the sidelines by the young coach Ferhat Akbas has been having an incredible season both domestically and in the CEV Champions League. They cruised through the Pool E of the competitionas one of only two teams that managed to get the maximum amount of points and only dropping two sets along the way. The only other team to do that was former champions, Imoco Volley Conegliano from Italy.
Winning the pool meant that Eczacibasi qualified directly into the quarterfinals, where they met Developres Rzeszow from Poland, the winner of the PlayOff round against Volero Le Cannet. It was not as easy for Tijana Boskovic, the competition’s leading scorer and her team, but they got the job done, winning both matches in a confident manner.
Now in the semifinals, Eczacibasi was hoping to continue its unbeaten season but Igor Gorgonzola Novara pushed them all the way causing a first defeat of the season for the Turkish side in five sets. The return match however was all about the side from Istanbul, whose dominant performance resulted in a straight sets win and a place in the Superfinals.
On 20 May, in Turin, Italy, Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul will face the most successful team in Champions League history, Vakifbank Istanbul, trying to get back their crown and a first trophy for their star player, Tijana Boskovic.