Ziraat Bank took a decisive step towards first place in the Turkish league after winning the derby against Halkbank with 3:1 (25:21, 26:28, 26:24, 26:24). The big hero of the night was the Dutch star Nimir Abdel-Aziz, who played a phenomenal match and practically single-handedly broke the resistance of Matey Kaziyski's team.

The match lasted over two and a half hours and offered many twists and turns, especially in the second and third sets, but in key moments, Abdel-Aziz's powerful attack made the difference.

Match Statistics

Although Halkbank excelled in attack (71 versus 50 points), Ziraat Bank compensated with a much stronger block and significantly more points from opponent errors. It was these elements, combined with the exceptional effectiveness of Nimir Abdel-Aziz, that tipped the scales in favor of the league leader.

Hero of the Night GREEK WORD FOR

• – Nimir Abdel-Aziz

• The Dutch opposite hitter played one of the strongest individual matches of the season.

• 46 points

• +34 efficiency

• 3 blocks

Practically every important ball at the end of the games went through him, and Halkbank's defense struggled to find a solution against his powerful attack.

Matey Kaziyski's performance

Matey Kaziyski also had a very strong match for Halkbank:

• 22 points

• +18

• 2 aces

• 3 blocks

• 59% positive reception

• 68% attack efficiency

Despite his excellent performance, however, it was not enough against the inspired Abdel-Aziz.

Tsvetan Sokolov did not play for Halkbank.

Other scorers

ZiraatBank

• Tomasz Fornal – 13 points

• Trevor Clevenot – 13 points

Halkbank

• Marek Šotola – 17 points

• Yoandy Leal – 10 points

Standings

After this success, ZiraatBank pulled away with 4 points at the top of the standings and made a serious bid to finish the regular season as leader. For Halkbank, the defeat complicates the battle for first place, especially since the team has already played one more match.