Azerbaijan Superleague 2010/2011

Rabita Baku-Team Squad 2010/11 Image

• Natalya MAMMADOVA (AZE) - 195 cm (1984) Outside-hitter/Opposite
• Kimberly GLASS (USA) – 192 cm (1985) Outside-hitter
• Olga TOCKO ATTIVI (LAT) – 190 cm (1982) Universal
• Irina ZHUKOVA (UKR) – 179 cm (1974) Setter
• Natalya KULIKOVA (RUS) - 190 cm (1982) Outside-hitter
• Natasa KRSMANOVIC (SRB) – 186 cm (1985) Middle-blocker
• Bojana DOGANJIC (SRB) - 187 cm (1979) Universal
• Silvija POPOVIC (SRB) -173 cm (1986) Libero
• Sanja STAROVIC (SRB) – 195 cm ( 1981) Opposite
• Mira GOLUBOVIC (SRB) – 186 cm (1976) Middle-blocker
• Lidiya DYACHENKO (UKR) –182 cm (1987) Middle-Blocker
• Mirela DELIC (CRO) – 188 cm ( 1981) Middle-blocker
• Diana NENOVA (BUL) – 181 cm (1985) Setter
• Head COACH: Dejan BRDJOVIC
• Statistic COACH: Artem BORISENKO

Iqtisadchi Baku team squad 2010/11

• Kathleen WEISS (GER) - 171 cm (1984) Setter
• Yuko SANO (JPN)- 159 cm (1979) Libero
• Tayyiba HANEEF-PARK (USA) - 200 cm (1979) Opposite/ Outside hitter
• Alice BLOM (HOL) – 178 cm (1980) Universal
• Riikka LEHTONEN (FIN)- 185 cm (1979) Outside-hitter
• Marisa Isabel FERNANDEZ CONDE (SPA) – 194 cm (1982) Middle-blocker
• Yael CASTIGLIONE (ARG) – 185 cm (1985) Setter
• Aleoscar BLANCO IRIARTE (VEN) – 189 cm (1987) Middle-blocker
• Kelly WING (USA) – 179 cm (1983) Outside-hitter
• Filiz OZGUR (TUR) – 185 cm,(1985) Outside-hitter
• Firuze DURUSTKARI (AZE) - 181 cm (1987) Opposite/ Outside-hitter
• Kamala ASGAROVA (AZE) - 178 cm (1984) Universal
• Elina ABBASOVA (AZE) - 168 cm (1982) Libero
• Alina DOBROVOLSKAYA (AZE) – 184 cm (1987) Middle-blocker
• Head COACH: Reshat YAZICIOGULLARI

Azerrail Baku 2010/11 Misses Jennifer Joines Tamas and Cuban young player!

It means Jenny will join Azerrail after World Champs and young Cubana in next days.

Noris LEydis ACEA CABRERA,Cuban youth team captain,diagonal player who also played in Senior Cuban team in Montreux and Yeltsin Cup.

Natalia deserves that!!! She is a great professional and the girls like her too much. Polina Rahimova told that she had many things to learn from Natali and she played great,as a young girl!

Baku VC- Azerrail will be the opening match of the Azeri Super league 2010/11.

The Azerbaijani Super league season starts on 29 November with the match Baku VC-Azerrail in the Serhedchi Olympic Complex.
After this match there will be Opening Ceremony of the new season. In the second match Igtisadchi will test Rabita Baku and the last match will be played between the debutant Shirvan-Guba and Lokomotiv Baku.

Schedule of the first round:

15:00. “Baku VC” - “Azerrail”
16:30. Opening Ceremony
17:00. “İgtisadchı” - “Rabita”
19:00. “Shirvan-Guba” - “Lokomotiv”

Natalia Hanikoglu: I love Azerbaijan very much.

The new captain of Azerrail Baku,very nice person and real professional Russian native Turkish player Natalia Hanikoglu about her choice,first round of the GM Challenge Cup and her love to Azerbaijan.
"We defeated opponents with nice game in two matches. We have a very strong team and we are pretentious to win the following matches in this way too. We passed just the first round of the tournament. We will face teams much stronger ahead,so we will do our best to win and to advance as much as possible.
I love Azerbaijan very much. It has also played its big role for my choosing Azerrail Baku. There is always grandiose fan support,it was the same this time too. I love our supporter very much too and call them to be with us till the end,because we are going to win Challenge Cup,Azerbaijani Super league and Cup."

Riikka Lehtonen: Our aim is - to win "Challenge Cup".

The captain of Igtisadchi Baku, Finnish outside-hitter, Riikka Lehtonen shared her impressions about the matches of the "Challenge Cup" against Bosnian Kula.
"We did not let the opponents to play own game and won these two matches easily as a result. I hope we will put victories in a row and will make glad our fans. We are very pretentious in this tournament. We have quite strong team and we are mighty to reach our purpose."

Tayyiba Haneef-Park: " Everyone says just good things about Azerbaijan."

American star of Igtisadchi Baku, Tayyiba Haneef-Park gave an interview to "Apa-sport",talked about her choice,Azerbaijan and the team.

" I have heard much about Azerbaijan from the American girls played in Azerbaijan. Everyone said just the best words about the country and its folk. And seeing everything with own eyes, I am sure that I did the best choice. I think it will be very nice season for Igtisadchi.
I signed a month ago and joined the team just a little time before. I do not have much information about the Azeri Super league,but I can say that the teams are quite strong and it will be very hard season.
We have just one aim-to win!!! We will do our best to take this aim and make our fans happy.
We won these official matches easily,but i think we could play much better.But I think it will be better in time. We will show our real game and will fight for the best awards."

Valeriya Korotenko: We can play much better.

Libero of the Azerbaijani National team and Azerrail Baku,Valeriya Korotenko talked quite pretentious about next season.
"We have passed the first round successfully,but our real purpose is playing final and winning the main trophy. It was not our real power,we can play much better. That`s why we will do our best to play our strongest game in every match."

Mikhail Omelchenko: "Baku" will be one of the best next season.

A new head coach of "Baku" volleyball club,Mikhail Omelchenko talked about the level of Azeri Super league,about plans of the team for next years and friendship between him and Faig Garayev.
"I know Faig Garayev from the USSR team,when Garayev led the Youth team and I was a coach of the Senior Women`s team. When Faig Garayev told me to come and work in Azerbaijan,I was very happy and received this offer with a great pleasure. I did not do that because of financial issues,to tell the truth we have not even talked about my contract yet. I want to help for improvement of the Azerbaijani volleyball.
The level of the Azeri Super league is quite high,all the teams transfer only top class players,what shows that Azerbaijani league will be one of the best in the World.
We started complication of the team very late,so we can not build such a strong team as Rabita or the others. Because all the strongest players have contract,and some of the leagues have already started. We try to make a team which will show nice and interesting game against the leaders,but we will do our best to have one of the strongest team not only in Azerbaijan,but also in the World,next season."

Angie McGinnis: Choice Azerrail-is a step forward in my career.

The USA National team member,setter Angie McGinnis talked to http://www.azerisport.com about her choice.

Have you thought a lot about the offer from Azerail?

- No,I have not. I accepted this offer with great pleasure. I talked to the girls in my last team,the friends in Azerbaijan before arriving in Baku. I know Azerrail has authority in the European Arena and it has very big ambitions.My new team pretends to the best goals for next year.

What do you think?: Is this choice a step forward in your opinion?

- Yes, I believe that the way it is.I have very nice memories of "Igtisadchi", where I won my first award in Azerbaijan and I feel that joining "Azerraill" will be great milestone in my career.

And how do you assess the chances of your team in the Challenge Cup?

While it is difficult to say, but we will try to go as far as possible . Naturally, in a game with "Paola" we have not shown even fifty percent of our capacity, so I think we have enough power to win this cup. Time will show.

Have you managed to make friendship with your new team-mates?

Sometimes I face with the problem of language barrier, but in general with all the partners on the team I have excellent relationship. As for English, our Slovak player Matiasovska and Brazilian Elisangela speak fluent,that`s why I do not feel any discomfort talking to them.

You probably know that "Azerraill" season will be special because the team failed to win medals, the Super League?

Yes, I understand perfectly. We are all here to do one thing, namely to help the club to finish the season successfully both on the domestic and the International arena. We continue trainings and do our best to show great performance in next matches.