Panionios recorded their first victory under the leadership of Yunus Otsal, after a hard-fought 3:2 (25:18, 22:25, 26:24, 22:25, 15:7) win over Aris in a Greek championship match. The success came at a crucial moment – just days after the surprising departure of former Bulgarian national coach Dragan Nesic, which caused a serious stir in our southern neighbor.

With the two points, the 'blue-reds' took an important step towards third place in the regular season and are now focusing their attention on the Final Four for the Cup in Chalkida.

The match in Nea Smyrni offered a full dose of tension. The hosts took the lead after a solid first set, but Aris equalized after strong play in attack. The third set was decided by details – 26:24 for Panionios, before the visitors reacted again and forced the match into a tie-break.

In the decisive fifth set, a series of consecutive blocks by Rahimova and Zakchaiou, combined with a strong serve by Elitsa Vasileva-Atanasijevic, put Panionios ahead 9:3. From that point on, the match was practically over – 15:7 and 3:2 sets.
Aris significantly outperformed in attack (70 successful attacks versus 55), but the huge difference in unforced errors – 40 against 16 in favor of Panionios – proved decisive. Panionios compensated with more effective blocking (13 points) and better management of key moments, especially in the third and fifth sets.

Elitsa Vasileva-Atanasijevic played a complete match with 20 points and had a significant impact in the decisive fifth set through her serve. Her attack efficiency (16 out of 40) indicates a high offensive workload. 67% positive reception with 33% excellent highlights her stability in the back row. She was a factor in attack, serve, and blocking, and at the end, she took responsibility in the most crucial rallies.