Behind 27 massive blocks, Vakifbank Istanbul put away pesky Hisamitsu Springs in four sets 25-15, 25-15, 29-31, 25-18 in the opening match of the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Boasting incredible length and coordination at the net, Vakifbank stifled the Japanese side’s attack. Even Istanbul’s Italian head coach Giovanni Guidetti could not believe the figures his team recorded.
“I’ve never seen my team put up 27 blocks. That was amazing,” Guidetti said. “Overall, I’m happy with how my team played. Japan gave us a real challenge in the third set but, in a tournament like this, it’s always nice to be challenged early on so my team can get a feel for the competition.”
Amongst Vakifbank’s star-studded lineup, Chinese stalwart Zhu Ting shone brightest. The 2016 Olympic gold medalist and MVP tallied 28 points off 17 attacks, nine blocks, and two aces. Dutch opposite hitter Lonneke Slöetjes added 18, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, American Kim Hill pitched in 17, while Serbian Milena Rasic managed 13 points.
After surrendering the first two sets, Hisamitsu rallied in the third set, tightening their floor coverage to pop up Vakifbank’s blocks. The Japanese recovered from two points down, 20-22, before forcing a deuce and getting kills from team captain Miyu Nagaoka and Risa Shinnabe to force a fourth frame.
But the Turkish side quickly doused the Japanese fire in the fourth set, taking a 20-12 lead and never looking back.
Nagaoka tallied 18 points while Shinnabe contributed 16.
Vakifbank (1-0) meets Volero Zurich (0-0) on Thursday at 4:30 pm while Hisamitsu (0-1) also takes on Volero Zurich tomorrow at 4:30 pm.
The Scores
Vakifbank (3) – Zhu 28, Slöetjes 18, Hill 17, Rasic 13, Akman 11, Aydemir 4, Kirdar 0, Örge (L)
Hisamitsu Springs (1) – Nagaoka 18, Shinnabe 16, Ishii 7, Iwasaka 4, Tokarska 4, Nakaojo 3, Nomoto 3, Isihibasa 0, Koto 0, Moriya 0, Tsutsui (L)
