Champions League 2024 (Women)

Group E. 3rd round. November 29

Blessed Romania

"Alba Blaj" — SC "Prometey 2-3" (23:25, 25:21, 25:18, 18:25, 8:15)

SC "Prometey" defeated the Romanian team "Alba Blaj" in the 3rd round of the group stage of the Champions League 2024. This is the debut victory for Ukrainians in the prestigious competition.

The starting dynamic rallies set a high bar for the match. Thanks to organized actions on the block, the "red and whites" pulled away by two points (3:5). However, the hostesses did not want to let their rivals go, and soon Bogumila Byard's ace equalized parity. Then the teams exchanged productive actions for some time (13:13).

At the same time, "Prometey" continued to possess the initiative, albeit minimal. This was due to the stability, in particular, of Marta Drpa in the attack. Towards the end of the set, the leader of the confrontation constantly changed (20:19, 20:21). Soon, a touch of the net from the Romanians gave the Ukrainians a great chance to win their first set (21:23). As a result, they successfully used it - 23:25.

The beginning of the next one was also marked by "swings". None of the teams could secure a comfortable handicap. With each new rally, Ivan Petkov's wards defended better and better, which encouraged representatives of "Alba Blaj" to take more risks, but it did not always bear fruit (9:12).

The substitution of Laura Kitipova for Iarina-Luana Aksynte added new momentum to the game of the champion of Romania: Stevan Ljubichych's team did turn the tide of the match (17:16). This significantly affected the psychological state of the Ukrainians, who lost the rhythm of the meeting and lost the second set - 25:21.

The break benefited the "red and whites". They appeared on the court with burning eyes. A dense block and accurate shots became a real disaster for the opponents (1:8). However, such a total advantage, unfortunately, played an evil joke on them. "Alba" took six break points in a row and reduced the gap to a minimum (7:8).

Thanks to the efforts of Bojana Milenkovic, "Prometey" finally managed to perform reception and knock down the spurt of opponents. However, not for long: Isidora Kokarevic's spike in the first line and an out in the attack left our girls in the role of catching up (17:16). The end was unsuccessful for the Ukrainians - 25:18. 

The fourth set was also an equal struggle (9:9, 15:15). Therefore, it was very, very difficult to predict the winners again. After a series of mistakes from the "red and whites", fortunately, Svetlana Dorsman's first pace attack was successful. Marta Drpa and Melisa Bukman also had their say, and they moved the meeting to a tie-break - 18:25.

There, our ladies did not leave a single chance to their opponents - 8:15. Thus, Ivan Petkov's wards won their debut victory in the 2024 Champions League.

Starting line-up of SC "Prometey": Majevska, Dorsman (c), Bukmen, Milenkovic, Drpa, Sharhorodska, Niemtseva (l), Vasylieva (l). Substitutes: Meliushkina, Khober.