Turkey - 1. Lig 2008/2009


    Teams
    Beşiktaş
    Dicle Üniversitesi
    Eczacıbaşı Zentiva
    Ereğli Belediye
    Fenerbahçe Acıbadem
    Galatasaray
    Gazi Üniversitesi
    İller Bankası
    Karşıyaka DYO
    Nilüfer Belediye
    Türk Telekom
    Vakıfbank Güneş Sigorta

    about Fenerbahce ,


    We did not start the league very well last season. We got bad results in Champoions League. We lost to teams which we could have beaten easily (Poland and Azerbaijan teams). This upset us and our coach stated that “our team is not ready.” He was correct and we corrected this in the second half of the season. Our performance was stellar. We beat Vakifbank, Telekom, and Eczacibasi. We beat Telekom in the playoffs and reached finals. No one other than Fenerbahce fans believed that we could reach finals. Unfortunately we could not win the championship.


    The series was 3-0 but in all 3 matched we served for match point. It was sad that we lost all three despite match point serves.


    For the years now we come really close to league trophy. Last year in men’s side we got both Turkish Cup and League championships (no one believe in men’s either). We hope to achieve this in women soon.


    We lost Dos Santos, Kimberly Glass and Pelin Celik from last year squad. Glass, even though she was very good in the second half of the season, played very bad in the finals. Along with Pelin, she was the weak link. Pelin did not play well all season. Dos Santos played well and consistent.


    We signed two Serbian hitter this year. I don’t think Tomasevic is a hi class hitter. I don’t think she is better than Glass. I hope I am wrong.


    Spasojevic is ver god hitter. Very ambitious and talented. Her motivation is going to make her a fan favorite. She already said on FBTV that she was a big fan of the supporters of Fenerbahce and Fenerbahce was her favorite club. She also watched the FB basketball championship match from the stands with out supporters. Also, at the last minute she decided not to go to Moscow after receiving an offer from Fenerbahce. She claims that she does not play in the national team as a personal choice.


    After all these, I think Spasojevic will be very very helpful to our team and she will be very successful if she doesn’t get injured. I hope she reached her consistent level of play with us. She is very talented.


    Our setter Oksana is a hi caliber player. She had to sit on the bench last year due to foreign national rules. She actually is much better setter than Pelin. She should be starting this year and we can also expect to see Nisa Kuliyeva.


    Our libero Korotenko is –as known by everyone- one of the best liberos in the world. She played fantastic last year. She will also play really good this year.


    In some matches we may see Necla instead of Korotenko. Our coach Ozdurak may play Kuliyeva and Necla instead of Guliyeva and Korotenko. We’ll see after the matched start.


    Our opposite is Seda Tokatlioglu. She is a star potential and Turkish volleyball expect a lot out of her. She is very talented and skillful. But I think she has not put her potential performance yet. She need to be more consistent. She plays really good one match and terrible the other. And she needs to be more ambitious. She loses concentration very quick. We need her this year. VGS and TT opposites are very talented and she needs to put out a great performance to match them.


    Our middle is Cigdem Can Rasna. To me she is the best middle player after Eda. Not a very hi class hitter, but she is better than any other middles in Turkey (Bahar, Duygu, Ergul, Gokcen). We also signed 2 new middles this year. Ergul Avci and Duygu Sipahioglu. Duygu is very experienced and if I am correct she played in Poland , but she might be on the bench this season. Ergul is young and talented and she plays in national team even though just a little. However, I don’t think she will be starting this year.It is a bit too early for that. She could be a good player in the upcoming years.


    Marina Tumas is most likely to sign with FB. But because we can only play 3 foreign nationals in the starting team, she will be benched. Also;


    In next season (2009-10) first time in Turkey , teams will only be able to play 2 foreigner in the starting team. This will make the native players more valuable. The team that has better quality native players will be playing for the top.


    Because we knew this we wanted EDA very much. (she is the next star after Neslihan)


    The team that will sign Eda will have done a great job since she is a native player.


    Let me elaborate:


    Istanbul has two sides. The Asian side and the European side. Fenerbahce is in the Asian side. Galatasaray and Besiktas are in European side. These 3 teams are big rivals. Their supporters hate to lose to one another. Between these 3 teams there are some transfers, but usually for not so important transfers for bench players. (ex. Fenerbahce signed Necla and Nisa from BJK this year). The matches they play are watched by big crowds and media. For example if Vakifbank Eczacibasi would to play eachother 2000 fans would watch the game, but if two of these 3 teams play at least 10,000 people would come to the game, and there would be people outside the gym not able to get in.


    Eda Erdem is very gifted. She is the captain of Besiktas and Fenerbahce and Eczacibasi really want this player. Of course if Besiktas would sell her, they would sell to Eczacibasi. They would never sell to Fenerbahce. The supporters would be very angry and upset. Both Eczacibasi and Besiktas fans mock us about her possible transfer to Fenerbahce.


    Both Fenerbahce and Eczacibasi offered $500,000 to Besiktas for Eda and Besiktas agreed to Eczacibasi’s offer. All that were left was Eda’s approval, but she did nto want to go to Eczacibasi. Besiktas manager Bulent Deris explained:


    “We gave Eda to Eczacibasi, but she said she would not play any other team other than Fenerbahce. Since we cannot force her to play, we had to give her to Fenerbahce.”


    Eda said she had always wanted to play in Fenerbahce. All the Fenerbahce fans were ecstatic about this signing. Some even said they didn’t even get this happy when we signed Roberto Carlos. Signing Eda right next to young star Seda is a crucial move if you think about the foreign national rule that will come affect next year. Eda signed the contract for 3 years.


    Even though BJK supporters were angry, Eda was with FB now. Fans love Eda. Fans think FB management did a fantastic job signing her.


    This was the story behind the transfer. I just wanted to share this with you.


    Basically, Eda is the flash transfer of the year in Turkey.


    Because Turk Telekom, I don’t think we will become champions this year, but I think our management did the best they could by signing Eda. Most of our fans were angry that we refused to enter Champions League, but they got content with Eda transfer.


    CEV gave Fenerbahce W.Card, but Fenerbahce refused to enter the Ch. League. For that CEV gave W.Card to Vakifbank.


    For the last two seasons we are becoming second place consistently even though no one believed in that. I hope we can become champions this year.


    If we can become a good team we can get some good results. I hope we can have a hi class league with all the teams.


    Lars Louchek

    Fenerbahçe Acıbadem ;


    Setter ; Oksana Guliyeva (Nisa Kuliyeva)
    Outside Hitters ; Vesna Tomaseviç – Anja Spasojeviç
    Middle Blockers ; Eda Erdem – Çiğdem Can Rasna (Duygu Sipahioğlu-Ergül Avcı)
    Opposite ; Seda Tokatlıoğlu


    Libero ; Valeriya Korotenko


    Marina Tumas (Out.Hit.),Necla E. Güçlü (L)



    Türk Telekom ;


    Setter ; Bahar Mert
    Outside Hitters ; Natalya Mammadova – Melis Hemşeri (Güldeniz Önal)
    Middle Blockers ; Nilay Konar (Özlem Özçelik) – Maja Poljak
    Opposite ; Taismary Aguero

    Libero ; Funda Bilge



    Eczacıbaşı Zentiva ;


    Setter ; Naz Aydemir
    Outside Hitters ; Esra Gümüş – Mirka Francia
    Middle Blockers ; Gökçen Denkel – Vesna Çitakoviç
    Opposite ; Nancy Metcalf (Neriman Özsoy)


    Libero ; Gülden Kayalar



    Vakıfbank Güneş Sigorta ;


    Setter ; Elif Ağca (Arzu Göllü)
    Outside Hitters ; Gözde Kırdar (Deniz Hakyemez) – Jelena Nikoliç
    Middle Blockers ; Bahar Toksoy (Duygu Bal) – Kinga Maculewicz
    Opposite ; Angelina Grün


    Libero ; Nihan Yeldan

    Quote from Matthias

    I think Korotenko would replace Tomasevic and Spasojevic instead of the middles, this is how they handled it last season. Cigdem Can is a good receiver, but I don't think Eda is too :|


    ı remember eda sometimes plays as a OH when she was beşiktaş.
    so eda can receive too.

    Don't worry, Turkish reception is better than Serbian one. It would have been more penalyzing if Tomasevc and Spasojevic had to receive. Being an OH is not a guarantee of being a good receiver. :)


    About Vakifbank, they are smart too. Nikolic has lousy reception, but Grun and Maculewicz are there to help, if needed.

    do you know starting 6? did main players play?

    According to the news report, the starting line-up was Kuliyeva - Tomasevic, Spasojevic - Erdem, Can - Tokatlioglu - Korotenko. Later on some players were substituted. Apparently it was a pretty high-quality match.


    The score was 3-2 for Fenerbahce (21-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-25, 15-8 ).

    thanks joana, :drink:

    Fenerbahce also played two friendlies against the Serbian champion Postar and lost both matches. The second one was 3-2 for Postar, I don't know the score of the first one.
    Anja Spasojevic missed both matches because of a knee injury. :S

    vakıfbank beat dresdner :3-1
    Vakıfbank Güneş Sigorta : Elif, Nikolic, Bahar, Polen, Gözde, Maculewicz, Nihan (L), Duygu, Arzu


    Dresdner SC : Apitz, Matt, Harry, Hippe, Müller Jana, Thieme, Tzscherlich (L), Schröber, Novakowska, Karg, Müller Grit, Kestner


    Setler : 25-22, 23-25, 31-29, 25-23

    What about Turk Telekom.Have they played any friendly match?

    In the first match between Dinamo Moscow and Turk Telekom,Moscow beat Telekom 3-1.Telekom beta Moscow 3-1 in the second match.In second match Mammadova scored 22 points,Poljak 16 points and Aguero scored 15 points.Also Telekom's young Turkish star Guldeniz Onal scored 14 points...

    Turk Telekom 3-Vakıfbank Güneş Sigorta 0


    Set scores: 25-23,25-22,26-24


    Aguero's,Poljak's and Mammadova's Turk Telekom beat Gruen's,Nikolic's and Maculewicz's and Guidetti's Vakıfbank.What a great match! Telekom is the biggest favourite for championship this season...