Dimitrova scores 30 points in Turkish league rollercoaster win

Emiliya Dimitrova hammered out as many as 30 points in a midweek rollercoaster match of Turkey’s Misli.com Sultanlar Ligi. The Bulgarian national team opposite led PTT Spor Ankara to a 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-12) home victory over Kuzeyboru Aksaray in Wednesday’s postponed game of the 17th leg played at the Baskent volleyball hall in the Turkish capital.

30-year-old Dimitrova, who is expected to be Bulgaria’s leading striker at this year’s FIVB Volleyball World Championship and FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup, delivered three aces and three kill blocks, in addition to the 24 winning spikes, which she scored at a 50% success rate. This brought her season’s tally to 332 points so far and placed her fourth among the league’s top scorers, after Mert Grup Sigorta Ankara’s Dominikan opposite Gaila Gonzalez (455 points), Galatasaray HDI Sigorta Istanbul’s Romanian opposite Alexia Carutasu (370) and Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul’s Serbian star Tijana Boskovic (336).

The PTT captain passed Kuzeyboru’s Olesia Rykhliuk in that ranking, after the Ukrainian international tallied “only” 22 points in Wednesday’s clash towards a season total of 328. Another player, who reached the 20+ mark in the match, was former Belgian international Helene Rousseaux. She chipped in 23 kills in offence towards PTT’s success.

Sixth-placed PTT improved to a 12-6 win-loss record and 33 points to widen the gap with their neighbours in the table, Kuzeyboru, who are on 9-10 and 30. The team from Ankara are also the best-ranked team from outside Istanbul as they stand right behind the five giants from the bi-continental megalopolis, Eczacibasi (48 points), VakifBank (47), Turk Hava Yollari (42), Fenerbahce Opet (40) and Galatasaray (35).

The Sultanlar Ligi regular season will continue this weekend (Friday through Sunday) with the seven fixtures of the 20th leg.