Eczacibasi VitrA Istanbul swept Praia Clube to take the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship bronze
Shaoxing, China, December 9, 2018 – Gozde Yilmaz had a 17-point performance to lead Eczacibasi VitrA Istanbul to win the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship bronze medal, following their 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-19) win over Praia Clube on Sunday.
Eczacibasi opposite Gozde recorded 14 attacks, one block and two aces to lead all scorers in the match, ahead of teammates Jordan Larson, Beyza Arici and Kim Yeon Koung who added 12, 10 and 8 points, respectively. Setter Gamze Alikaya had a solid performance on defence, scoring five of the 14 blocks of the Turkish club.
Fabiana Claudino and Ana Carolina Da Silva (Carol) had eight points each, and Rosamaria Montibeller added seven markers for Praia Clube.
Eczacibasi VitrA Istanbul players celebrate in the bronze medal match against Praia Clube in the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship.Eczacibasi showed up with a different starting six, without their top scorer Tijana Boskovic, while Praia Clube came in full force with Fabiana, Rosamaria, Carol, Fe Garay, Fawcett and Carli Lloyd. The change for Eczacibasi turned out well as they produced a well-balanced offence to start with a 25-16 win in the opening set.
Turkish players Gozde and Beyza led the charge in scoring for Eczacibasi in the second set, while Carol helped her team keep up with Eczacibasi's fast-paced game. Kim and Lauren Gibbemeyer contributed in the end to secure a 25-18 win.
In the third set, Eczacibasi were trailing by one point when Jordan Larson kept the ball in play three times in a long rally. The third defensive save set up Kim for the equaliser. They scored the next four points and never looked back. Gamze got more players involved on offence, and contributed to blocking their rivals. They completed the match sweep at 25-19.