Bulgarian international Iva Dudova scored one point in Eczacıbaşı's 1:3 (27:25, 25:27, 21:25, 22:25) loss to Fenerbahçe in the derby of the fifth round of the Turkish Sultans League. The match was played in front of 3650 spectators at the Burhan Felek Sports Hall in Istanbul.
The 20-year-old Bulgarian appeared as a substitute in the second, third, and fourth sets. Dudova scored her point on a block, and failed to score on her four attack attempts. In the third set, she was also used for a tactical task to strengthen the block, replacing setter Dilay Özdemir. Eczacıbaşı managed to equalize from 16:20 to 20:20, but the hosts won the next three rallies and prevented a comeback.
The visitors started the match better and took a 15:11 lead in the first set. Fenerbahçe gradually erased the deficit and even had opportunities to close the set, but Eczacıbaşı prevailed with 27:25. The second set was also decided after a hard-fought battle, with the hosts winning 27:25 this time after strong performances by Arina Fedorovtseva.
In the next two sets, Fenerbahçe made better use of their attacking opportunities. In the fourth set, Eczacıbaşı led 4:1, but the hosts quickly restored equality, and after 16:16, they made a decisive run and achieved the final success.
Ekaterina Antropova was the top scorer in the match with 24 points for Eczacıbaşı, including two blocks and one ace. Ebrar Karakurt added 15 points, and Dana Rettke finished with 8, of which 5 were on blocks.
For the winners, Ana Cristina scored 22 points, Melissa Vargas added 21, Arina Fedorovtseva finished with 17, and captain Eda Erdem distinguished herself with 14.
Interestingly, Eczacıbaşı had a significant advantage in blocking - 12:7, but lagged considerably in attack, where Fenerbahçe scored 74 points against 53 for their opponent.
This is the second consecutive loss for Dudova and her teammates after the dramatic comeback conceded against Vakıfbank from 2:0 to 2:3 in the previous round. Eczacıbaşı remains with three wins, two losses, and 9 points, while Fenerbahçe continues undefeated - four wins and 11 points from four played matches.
On November 1, Eczacıbaşı hosts Manisa, and Fenerbahçe visits Galatasaray in another Istanbul derby.