LATEST NEWS/ Skënderbeu-Dinamo: A 5-set marathon

Skënderbeu-Dinamo 2-3 (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 19-25, 10-15)

Skënderbeu’s women’s volleyball team was stunned this afternoon at the “Tamara Nikolla” sports palace, as they were defeated in a comeback by Dinamo with a 2-3 result. The match, part of the Albanian Cup, required five sets and lasted 1 hour and 49 minutes to conclude. Despite the 2-3 loss, Skënderbeu secured first place in Group A.

The first set started well for Skënderbeu, who quickly took a 3-0 lead, then extended it to 7-2 and later 10-6. Skënderbeu appeared dominant in all aspects, eventually reaching 18-9 and later 21-13, before finishing the set at 25-14 in 19 minutes, taking a 1-0 lead.

In the second set, Dinamo initially led 1-3, but Skënderbeu quickly equalized at 3-3. Skënderbeu then scored seven consecutive points to make it 10-3, and from there, they managed the set comfortably. Key scores during the set included 14-14, 16-6, and 20-7. Although Dinamo scored some points late in the set, Skënderbeu still closed it out 25-18, making the set score 2-0. This set lasted 25 minutes.

The third set marked the beginning of Skënderbeu’s decline. Dinamo took a 1-2 lead early, and although it was tied at 4-4, Dinamo surged ahead with six consecutive points to make it 4-10. Skënderbeu’s coach Koja called for a timeout and made two substitutions, but Dinamo remained in control, leading 4-14 and later 9-15 and 14-17. Despite Skënderbeu narrowing the gap, Dinamo maintained their advantage to win 22-25, cutting the set score to 1-2. This set lasted 26 minutes.

In the fourth set, Skënderbeu was again caught off guard, with Dinamo taking an early 0-3 lead and extending it to 2-7, prompting another timeout by coach Koja. The timeout had little effect as Dinamo widened the gap to 2-10, 3-12, 6-13, and 10-16. Skënderbeu tried to close the gap, reaching 15-18, but Dinamo remained steady, with Koja calling another timeout at 16-21. Skënderbeu made numerous mistakes and ultimately lost the set 19-25, bringing the match to a 2-2 tie. The fourth set also lasted 25 minutes.

The fifth and final set began with a 1-1 tie, but Dinamo once again played better, taking a 3-6 lead and forcing a Skënderbeu timeout. Dinamo maintained their three-point advantage at 5-8 and extended it to 7-9 and 7-10. Despite Skënderbeu’s efforts to close the gap, Dinamo stayed ahead, with key scores including 8-12, 9-13, and finally 10-15, securing the win.

Ultimately, Skënderbeu fell 2-3 to Dinamo in this Albanian Cup match, which concluded moments ago in the southeastern city.

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