Bulgarian international Maria Krivoshiyska distinguished herself with four successful blocks in Olympiacos' dramatic 3:2 (16:25, 23:25, 25:15, 25:22, 15:10) victory over Portuguese Benfica in the first leg of the 1/32 finals of the Challenger Cup tournament.
The match in the "Melina Mercouri" hall near Piraeus lasted 141 minutes, and the hosts had to overcome a two-set deficit against the leader in the Portuguese championship.
Krivoshiyska started as a regular in the squad of Serbian specialist Branko Kovacevic and finished with 8 points. The Bulgarian middle blocker made 4 blocks, one ace, and 3 points from attack from 13 attempts. Thus, half of her points came from play at the net.
Olympiacos experienced serious difficulties at the beginning. Benfica convincingly won the first set with 25:16, and in the second, they withstood the hosts' resistance and closed the set with 25:23.
At 0:2, the Greek team found a way to change the course of the match. Olympiacos reduced the deficit after 25:15 in the third set, and in the fourth, they managed to maintain their lead and reach 25:22.
In the tie-break, the visitors led 5:4, but a series of six consecutive points followed for Olympiacos. At 10:5, the initiative was entirely on the side of the hosts, who finished the match with 15:10.
The main figure in attack was American opposite hitter Taylor Bannister. She scored 34 points, including 32 from attack, receiving 68 balls. Mihaela Mlejnkova added 15 points, and Kyriaki Terzoglou finished with 10.
For Benfica, the top scorer was Maiara Barros with 25 points, followed by Beatriz Santos with 18.
The success gives Olympiacos an advantage before the return leg in Lisbon on November 4. A victory in Portugal will qualify the Greek team. In case of a 2:3 loss, a golden set will be played, while a 0:3 or 1:3 defeat will mean elimination.

photo:cev.eu