No.2 Arkas Spor tied the playoff quarterfinal series against No.7 Maliye Piyango at 1-1. Thanks to 16 points (2 aces and 2 kill blocks) from the most talented Turkish player at the moment, Adis Lagumdžija, and 73% reception (11 digs, one error) from the Brazilian João Paulo Bravo, the team from İzmir prevailed by a 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-22). The Estonian Oliver Venno topped Maliye Piyango with 17 points. Kemal Kayhan added 4 kill blocks.
No.4 Ziraat Bankası followed Arkas’ footsteps and leveled the series with No.5 İstanbul BBSK by winning Game 2, 3-0. For the first time this season, the Pole Bartosz Kurek was the key figure for Ziraat, scoring game-high 18 points (4 kill blocks). The Frenchman Samuel Tuia recorded 13 points for the losing side.
The top-seed Halkbank became the first semifinalist as it won the series against No.8 Afyon Bld.Yüntaş. The Cuban Fernando Hernández poured in 24 points (72% attack, 23/32, three errors, blocked four times) for the team from the Turkish capital. Hasan Yeşilbudak made 73% reception (11 digs, one error). The Bosnian international Armin Mustedanović scored 17 points for Afyon.
No.3 Fenerbahçe and No.6 Galatasaray will play Game 2 (0-1) on March 8.
To see complete results, stats, and standings, visit our TUR National Championship 2017/2018 / Male / Seniors page.
SUBSCRIBE to have full access to WoV PROFILES, STATS, and WoVVIDEO.
Discover what’s new in the volleyball world.