Halkbank score big win and advance to play Perugia in the semis

Türkiye’s Halkbank Spor Kulübü recovered from an opening-match upset and secured a big win on the third day of the 2023 FIVB Men’s Volleyball Club World Championship, advancing to the semifinals of the event held in Bengaluru, India.

As the second-placed team in Pool B, the Turkish will now face defending champions Sir Sicoma Perugia of Italy, who topped Pool A, on Saturday, at 17:00 local time (11:30 GMT). Japan’s Suntory Sunbirds, who were first in Pool B, will play Brazil’s Itambé Minas at 20:30 local time (15:00 GMT) in the other semifinal.

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Halkbank entered the court at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium on Friday with their backs against the wall as, after their straight-set loss to the Sunbirds on Wednesday, only a three or four-set win over Brazil’s Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei would push them to the semifinals in their first Club World Championship appearance.

The Turkish saw their international superstars step up against the four-time world champions and carry the team to a 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 28-26) victory that knocked Sada out of the tournament, keeping the Brazilians away from the podium for the first time since 2018.

With the three points collected, Halkbank passed Sada, who ended pool play with two, and claimed the second Pool B spot in the semifinals – the Sunbirds were already in after amassing four points in their two matches and ended up in first place.

Tokyo Olympic MVP Earvin Ngapeth was Halkbank’s top scorer against Sada – the French outside hitter produced 16 points, with 11 kills, four blocks and one ace. Dutch opposite and team captain Nimir Abdel-Aziz also came up big for the Turkish, delivering 15 points, one more than Canadian veteran outside hitter Gordon Perrin.

High-flying Cuban outside hitter Miguel Angel Lopez was the only Sada player to reach double digits in scoring, tallying 12 points (all in kills) – Olympic champion opposite and team captain Wallace de Souza came close, with eight.

FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship - Match Schedule and Results

Perugia remain perfect

Defending champions Perugia didn’t drop a set for a second-straight day in Bengaluru, topping the Ahmedabad Defenders 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-11) in their second and last Pool A match. The victory gave the Italian side the top spot in the pool with six points, while Minas advanced in second, with three – the Defenders didn’t earn points in their two matches in the event.

Cuban opposite Jesus Herrera, who had scored just two points in Thursday's victory over Minas, improved his production to 17 (16 kills, one block) and led Perugia's offense against the Indian side. Ukrainian outside hitter Oleh Plotnytskyi also reached double digits with ten points.

For the Defenders, the main scorer was middle blocker Manoj Lakshmipuram, who left the court with seven points after he tallied four kills and three blocks.

The semifinals of the 2023 edition of the Men's Club World Championship will be held on Saturday while the medal matches will end the event on Sunday.

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