Final 4 in Istanbul!

This is getting exciting! Super!

The Women’s Final Four of the Champions League will be held in the Turkish city of Istanbul on March 19th & 20th. The organizers have launched the official site of the prestigious tournament, you can check out the site by clicking THIS.

Istanbul’s Fenerbahce Acibadem aka 2010 Club World Champion still remains as the top favorite to win the CROWN in front of their home fans. Fen lost the Final Match last year against Italy’s Bergamo led by Queen Piccinini – who was the MVP of the tournament. Sadly, Bergamo failed to win a Playoff spot in the Champions League after a series of physical problems, ie Lo Bianco’s Breast Lump Surgery.

In case you didn’t know, Fenerbahce is the home team of some of the world’s BEST players like:

Lioubov Sokolova (Russia): A 4 time Olympian with 2 Olympic Silvers from 2000 and 2004. Sokolova is also a 2 time World Champion – 2006 & 2010. Aside from her achievements with the Russian National Team, Lyuba won the 2010 Club World Title with Fenerbahce last year in Qatar. She’s definitely one of the most promising and the most valuable players in this generation. Sokolova is a world class athlete and her experience will define Fenerbahce’s fate in the Final 4.

Helia “Fofao” Souza (Brazil): Popularly known as “Fofao” in the volleyball world, she is just one of the 3 athletes in the world who has played in 5 consecutive Olympics  (the other 2 are  Russian Evgenia Artamonova and Anna Fernandez of Cuba). With an Olympic gold (2008) and 2 Olympic Bronze medals (1996 & 2000) under her belt, Fofao’s leadership & experience are beneficial for Fenerbahce to win its first Champions League crown. We are sure Fen’s Coach Roberto Guimaraes knows this!

Kasia Skowronska (Poland): Her skills might sometimes get overshadowed by her pretty face but Kasia is by far one of the most gifted players Poland has ever produced. She is a 2 time European Champion (2003 & 2005) and has won a series of individual awards, ie 2007 FIVB World Cup “Best Scorer”, 2007–08 CEV Indesit Champions League Final Four “Best Scorer”, 2010 FIVB World Club Championship “Most Valuable Player” & 2010 FIVB World Club Championship “Best Scorer”. Her absence from the Polish team due to a conflict with the coach has pushed her to play her best volleyball she wants the world to see. We’re excited to see a great game from Kasia!

Aside from these 3 world class athletes, Fen also has Christiane Furst (2006 and 2010 World Championship “Best Blocker”), the living legend from Croatia, Natasa Osmokrovic, the young and talented Turkish talents,  Naz Aydemir & Eda Erdem.

Joining Fenerbahce in the F4 are Scavolini Pesaro of Italy, Rabita Baku of Azerbaijan and Vakifbank Telecom of Turkey. We will talk more about the teams in The Final Four next week so stay tuned!

In the meantime, check out the official site!

(images: Fenerbahçe Bayan Voleybol)