Trento snatched a dramatic 3:2 victory against Ziraat Bank Ankara in the first semifinal of the CEV Cup, played in Italy, after being down 0:2. The Turkish team won the first two sets after extra points, but the hosts showed character and triumphed in the tie-break.
Top scorers:Michieletto - 27 points (55% attack, 3 blocks, 3 aces), Rychlicki - 19, Lavia - 18, Flavio - 15 (73% success rate).
Match development:
First set:A contested start, with Trento missing three set points and losing 26-28 after an ace from Anderson.
Second set:Domination by the visitors, who took a prolonged set 29-27 after an ace from Yenipazar.
Third set:Turnaround for Trento, led by Michieletto, who scored crucial points (25-21).
Fourth set:Solli's timeouts had an effect, and Barta and Rychlicki secured 25-23.
Fifth set:Trento took control from the start (7-3), and two aces from Michieletto closed out the match (15-8).
Line-ups:
Trento:Sbertoli (1), Rychlicki (19), Michieletto (27), Lavia (18), Flavio (15), Kozamernik (5), Laurenzano (L). Barta (1) and Garcia Fernandez (1) also played.
Ziraat Bank:Yenipazar (5), Ter Maat (16), Anderson (21), Clevenot (11), Bulbul (10), Savas (12), Bayraktar (L). Stern (1) with an important ace.
In the othersemifinalAsseco Resovia also won 3:2 against Tours VB.
