Retooled Turkish club Eczasibasi VitrA made short work of European champions Pomi Cassalmeori 25-17, 25-18, 25-15 in their first match of the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Powered by six 2016 Olympians in the starting lineup, the Turkish side overpowered their Italian foes throughout the match. VitrA tallied 34 attacks to Pomi’s 25 and 12 block kills to Pomi’s six.
Pomi had tied the first set, 14-all, before VitrA bolted ahead, 19-14, thanks to clutch digs and hits from Tijana Boskovic and Tatiana Kosheleva. The Italian side again kept the second set close, forcing a 17-all deadlock. The Turks pulled away in the end behind Joran Larson’s serving, amassing a 23-17 lead. The third frame saw no tying effort from Pomi as Vitra led wire-to-wire.
19-year old Serbian superstar Tijana Boskovic led all scorer with 18 points while two-time Olympic gold medalist Thaise Palledi Daher added nine points for VitrA.
“It was a good game for a first game. There are a lot of things we did well but I definitely think my team will continue to get better as they get more games under their belts,” said Vitra head coach Massimo Barbolini.
Samana Fabris led Casalmaggiore with seven points while team captain Valentina Tirrozi added six.
Eczacibasi VitrA (1-0) will face hosts F2 Logistics-PSL Manila (0-0) on Thursday, 7 pm. Pomi (0-1) takes on Rexona Ades (0-0) tomorrow at 7 pm.
The Scores
Eczasibasi VitrA (3) – Boskovic 18, Daher 9, Kosheleva 8, Adams 7, Larson 7, Ogbjenovic 3, Akoz 0, Kayatar (L)
Pomi (0) – Fabris 7, Tirozzi 6, Bosetti 4, Gibbemeyer 4, Stevanovic 4, Guerra 3, Lloyd 2, Peric 1, Siressi (L)
