Italy rout Turkey in four sets at a terrific semifinal clash

Rosario, Argentina, August 26, 2017 - In the most exciting match of the competition so far, Italy won their semifinal contest over Turkey 3-1 (25-20, 25-22, 27-29, 26-24) after a rollercoaster of emotions and changes on the board.

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Italy’s Elena Pietrini rose above all scorers with 19 points, while Terry Enweonwu was also a star with 5 aces out of 16 units and Marina Lubian, vital at the final comeback, charted 15. Turkey’s Ebrar Karakurt and Derya Cebecioglu were leveled at their side with 16 tallies apiece.

Turkey were able to lead by four on the first, but Italy rebounded to 23-20 led by Enweonwu and, with a block by Fahr and an ace by Morello, rounded up the 25-20. Turkey countered to 8-4 but Italy once again recovered, this time with aces by Enweonwu, Peruzzo and Tanase for a 22-18 score that turned into a 25-22. The third set was full of suspense - Italy were behind 20-16, climbed back to 21-20 with another Tanase ace and had a handful of match balls, but a monster-block of captain Aydin gave Turkey the 29-27. And if that wasn’t enough for the fans, in the fourth Turkey led 24-18, but Italy erased the entire disadvantage via Lubian and a fantastic block by Kone, to win it right after by 26-24.