WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL / Skënderbeu falls to Pogradeci. A “lesson” from Pogradec to the Korça team!

Skënderbeu-Pogradeci 0-3

(18-25, 24-26, 28-30)

In women’s volleyball, Skënderbeu delivered an underwhelming performance, suffering a 0–3 defeat to Pogradeci in the semifinal of the Albanian Volleyball Federation Cup. Pogradeci, a team clearly aiming for the championship this season, dismantled Skënderbeu in a match where the second and third sets showed some rivalry, but the lakeside team always managed to come out on top. Skënderbeu surrendered in Farkë in a clash that lasted 1 hour and 42 minutes.

With this loss, Skënderbeu is eliminated from the semifinal and once again showed signs of being a side with problems, not looking like a team capable of competing for the championship title in the upcoming season.

The first set of the Federation Cup match began with Pogradeci taking an early lead at 2–4, keeping a two-point margin through 3–5 and 5–7. Skënderbeu tried to close the gap, coming within one point at 11–12 and 13–14, but from that moment on, the visitors dictated the pace. The score widened to 14–20, then 15–22, 17–23, and ended 18–25, giving Pogradeci the first set and a 0–1 lead.

The second set saw Skënderbeu start strong, going up 3–0, but Pogradeci leveled quickly at 5–5. From there, it was a back-and-forth battle with ties at 8–8, 12–12, and 16–16. Neither side allowed a clear breakaway until Pogradeci edged ahead 19–21. At 22–24, Skënderbeu fought back to tie the score at 24–24, but Pogradeci closed it out 24–26, making it 0–2.

The third set was the most dramatic. It began with even scores at 1–1, 2–2, and 4–4, before Skënderbeu took a slim lead at 7–6. The sides were level again at 10–10, then Pogradeci went up 10–13. Skënderbeu fought back to 12–13, but the visitors extended their lead to 13–16, and later 16–20. Skënderbeu rallied again, bringing it back to 19–20, then 21–22, and 22–24, before forcing extra points with a 24–24 tie. What followed was a thrilling exchange: 25–25, 26–26, 27–27, 28–28, until Pogradeci finally sealed the set 28–30, completing the 0–3 sweep.

In the end, it was a clean 3–0 victory for Pogradeci, a historic win over Skënderbeu, achieved for the first time in such dominant fashion. The result confirms Pogradeci’s serious claim for the title, while raising concerns about Skënderbeu’s competitiveness for the upcoming season.

“KORÇA BOOM”