Fenerbahce overtake Arkas in the standings despite Hoag’s 27-point tally
Marouf celebrates during his first match for Fenerbahce (source: fenerbahce.org)
Iranian star Saeid Marouf made a successful debut for Fenerbahce HDI Sigorta Istanbul over the weekend and helped his new team move up to the top three in the current Turkish league standings, despite a 27-point tally from Canadian international Nicholas Hoag that fueled direct rivals Arkas Spor Izmir towards a hard-fought five-set win.
Marouf demonstrated his brilliant playmaking skills on Friday as Fenerbahce mastered a 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-21) shutout of visiting Altekma Izmir, in addition to making three spiking attempts himself and converting all three of them to points.
“I am very happy for the win. It has been a week since I came here. I am trying to get used to the team. We are trying to find our rhythm. It was not easy after two losses in the league, but I am very happy that we won.”
Saeid Marouf, setter of Fenerbahce HDI Sigorta Istanbul
The three-point win improved Fenerbahce’s record to 13-5 and 39 points, just enough to slide into the third position in the table, leaving Arkas behind on 13-5 and 38.
On Saturday, Arkas battled it out against fifth-placed Galatasaray HDI Sigorta Istanbul to claim a sweet home victory with a 27-point match high (including four blocks and an ace) from Canadian outside Nick Hoag. However, that win came after a five-set duel, 3-2 (19-25, 27-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-11), not enough for Arkas to hold on to their spot among the top three in the standings.
Table leaders Halkbank Ankara are still unbeaten in 18 matches (51 points). Their city rivals Ziraat Bankkart Ankara are trailing in second on 15-3 and 46.
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