Former national team captain Elitsa Vasileva-Atanasijevic was above all in the first semi-final of the Challenge Cup, but her Panionios lost away to Panathinaikos with a score of 3:1 (25:18, 27:29, 25:22, 25:18). Panionios is led by former national coach Dragan Nesic.

Atanasijevic played an impressive match with 24 points (+22), 1 block, 47% attack efficiency, and 51% positive reception, but her efforts were not enough for success. Only two of her teammates provided quality support – Bianka Risticjevic with 12 points and Polina Rahimova with 14.

For the winners from Panathinaikos, four players surpassed the 10-point mark – Lampkovska (19), Bennett (18), White (16), and Samantha (13), with the hosts making the difference mainly through powerful blocking and stable play in decisive moments.

The return leg is next Wednesday in Nea Smyrni, and Panathinaikos is just two sets away from a historic European final.

photo:cev.eu