Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, May 27, 2017 – Kazakhstan’s Altay VC collected their second win in Group A of the SMM 2017 Asian Women’s Club Samruk Kazyna Volleyball Championship with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-19) win over Iran’s Sarmayeh Bank on Saturday.
Sana Anarkulova delivered a total of 13 points and tried to enjoy the advantage of the home crowd at the Boris Alexandrov Sports Palace.
“In our first two matches, we felt a bit of pressure playing against a full stadium. But today, we tried to think about how it can help us, especially that Iran are a strong opponent. They are always fighting for every point,” Anarkulova said.
Altay VC established an edge in net defence as Anakulova and Lyudmila Issayeva scored off blocks in the first set. Meanwhile, Iran’s Maedeh Borhani and Mahsa Saberi worked from the flanks.
The Kazakh club took 16-12 by the second technical time-out. Yunieska Robles soon came to aid, firing away from the left side, with Anarkulova continuing to contribute points on attack. Altay VC took the first set, 25-16.
Sarmayeh Bank picked up their tempo in the second set and took a 5-1 advantage early on, but succeeding errors allowed Kazakhstan to gain the 8-6 at the first technical time-out. Iran tried to stay close as Farnoosh Sheikhi started to score in the middle.
The Iranian side later found difficulty in passing the ball. Anarkulova’s steady game was doing even more damage. A service error by Sheikhi gave the second set away to Altay VC, 25-18.
By the third set, Altay VC zoomed to a 7-1 advantage with Robles hitting from backrow. Sarmayeh Bank wasted away with attack and ball-handling errors, and needed to find a quick solution. The Iranian side recovered by setting up Borhani at the wing and Sheikhi at the middle, but sustaining the momentum was a challenge for them.
Altay VC’s captain Inna Matveyeva was an easy option in clutch plays and Olga Karpova likewise delivered with quick attacks.
Sarmayeh Bank tried to inch closer, delivering an ace to keep within three points (17-20), but Kristina Anikonova went on a scoring spree to help bring Altay VC to 25-19.
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