"A PHENOMENON THAT REQUIRES A CAREFUL STUDY!"

This season was a success for Azerbaijani volleyball. Our volleyball players were able to draw attention with their struggle to victory in the Champions League and European Challenge Cup.

Previously, Azerbaijani volleyball players were lucky in the Champions League - the most prestigious club tournament of the European continent - only 6 years ago. At that time, Azerbaijan's only women's volleyball club AzerRail won a place in the Final of the Four where they took fourth place. This time, fortune in the Champions League smiled at Rabita which won the silver medal.

In general, the changes that happened in Rabita during the season deserve appreciation. The leadership of the team, supported by strong transfers, set the players serious tasks. In the end, after a series of victories in the Champions League, the team won the right to play in the final stage of the tournament. By tradition, the winner of the league is defined in the "final of the four" best teams of the continental contest.

To reveal the strongest team of the 2010-2011 season, Azerbaijan's Rabita, the Turkish teams Fenerbahce and Vagifbank Gunes Sigorta and Italy's Scavolini gathered in Istanbul. First, Rabita played with Scavolini and then, Fenerbahce encountered Vagifbank Gunes Sigorta.

The Azerbaijani team that defeated Scavolini in the group stage and was headed by Serbian specialist Dejan Brdjovic again gained the upper hand over Italy's strongest volleyball club. Reliable defence and confident attacks secured Rabita's win with a score of 3:1.

In the other semi-final, the Turkish volleyball team Vagifbank Gunes Sigorta pleased its fans, beating the stronger Turkish club Fenerbahce with a score of 3:2.

It should be noted that Rabita's entry into the final was a pleasant surprise for Azerbaijani fans who did not spare time and money to travel to Turkey and support their team. And this factor could not but affect the performance of our volleyball players. Getting into the finals of a prestigious continental tournament can already be considered a new page in the history of Azerbaijani volleyball.

All were looking forward to the Rabita-Vagifbank Gunes Sigorta match. But, unfortunately, in the final, fortune turned against the Azerbaijani athletes. The winner of the Champions League was the experienced Turkish team that won with a score of 3:0. Rabita became the first Azerbaijani volleyball team to win the silver medal at the most prestigious club tournament in Europe. The winner of the special category for the best pass was the player of Rabita and the Azerbaijani national volleyball team, Natalya Mammadova, who is considered to be one of the strongest in Azerbaijan, as well as in Europe today.

But the successes of the Azerbaijani volleyball players this season do not end there. A new record was set by three Azerbaijani teams - AzerRail, Locomotive and Iqtisadci who made it into the finals at the Challenge Cup tournament. Such a large number of Azerbaijani teams had never made it into the finals in a single volleyball contest.

The final of the national championship lies ahead for the national team. It should be noted that at present, the National Super League is considered one of the most prestigious continental club championships. The Azerbaijani uniform is worn by well-known European volleyball players, which sometimes is perceived with envy in some countries.

A new season of European cups will start in autumn, and Azerbaijani clubs will go there with more ambitious intentions.