Victorious Eczacıbaşı volleyball team given hero’s welcome in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

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Members of the Eczacıbaşı VitrA Istanbul women’s volleyball team, which won the world title in the Philippine capital Manila on Oct. 23, was given a hero’s welcome upon arriving back at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport on Oct. 25. 

Eczacıbaşı had retained its second consecutive world title after a 3-2 win over Pomi Casalmaggiore of Italy.  
   
The club’s proud players, chairman Rahmi Faruk Eczacıbaşı, coaches, and other officials were mobbed at the airport by excited locals eager to have their pictures taken with their returning heroes. 

The final of the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship saw both teams pushed to their limits as the match went to a deciding fifth set.      

Eczacıbaşı won the first set 25-19 but Pomi came back in the second to win 25-20. The two teams split the third and fourth sets before the match went to the fifth set, where Neslihan Demir aced a service to put the Istanbul side up 12-10. 

With Russian player Tatiana Kosheleva’s service ace, Eczacıbaşı won the final set 15-11, thus retaining the championship.      

Kosheleva led the scorers with 23 points, followed by Serbian player Tijana Boskovic who added 17 points.