Former T&T senior women's team volleyballer, Sinead Jack-Kisal and Eczacıbaşı Dynavit slipped to third spot on the final Vodafone Turkish Women’s Sultanlar Ligi Volleyball after a thrilling five-set loss to defending champions and table toppers Fenerbache Opet in a rescheduled match on Thursday.
Despite resting Cuba-born Turkish international Melissa Vargas, Fenerbache Opet came away with a 19-25, 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 15-10 at the Burhan Felek Vestel Voleybol Salonu İstanbul.
For Fenerbache Opet which ended with a 24-2 win-loss record and 73 points, four ahead of Vakifbank (24-2), Arina Fedorovtseva had a team-high 27 points and she was well supported by Ana Cristina De Souza and Magdalena Stysiak with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Despite the loss, Serbian star Tijana Boskovic had a match-high 34 points for Eczacıbaşı Dynavit while Irina Voronkova added 12 and Jack-Kisal ten in a losing effort as they ended with a 23-3 record and 68 points, well clear of fourth-placed Turk Hava Yollari (19-7) ahead of the semifinal plays.
By ending the regular season at the top of the table, Fenerbahçe Opet also gained the right to directly participate in the CEV Champions League next season, after losing out in last month's semifinals along with Eczacıbaşı Dynavit.
For the semifinals, which will be played on Easter Monday (April 1) and Thursday (April 4), Fenerbahçe Opet will face fourth-placed Turk Hava Yollari while VakıfBank and Eczacıbaşı Dynavit meet in the other.
Thursday's loss for Jack-Kisal and her team-mates was their second straight to Fenerbache Opet after a 3-1 loss in the AXA Sigorta Kadinlar Volleyball Cup final at the Ankara Sports Hall, Ankara, on Sunday (March 24).
With a chance at a second title at stake, having won the FIVB Women’s World Club Championship already this season, Eczacibasi Dynavit came up short in their efforts losing out 23-25, 25-16, 17-25, 20-25.
In the semifinals a day earlier, Eczacibasi Dynavit won 25-18, 25-23, 22-25, 24-26, 15-12 over Vakifbank and Fenerbache Opet topped Turk Hava Yollari 25-19, 22-25, 25-13, 25-20.
Earlier in the week, Jack-Kisal made a return to action after missing her club’s previous two matches against Italians A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano in the second-leg semifinal of the CEV Women’s Champions.
However, Conegliana who rallied from 0-2 down in the best-of-five sets first-leg at 26-28, 20-25, 25-14, 25-22, 18-16 secured their spot in the final against fellow Italian outfit Allianz Vero Volley Milano after a 25-17, 25-15, 24-26, 25-16 second-leg win.