Turkey: Ziraat’s win over Spor Toto leaves Halkbank without playoffs!

The outcome of the last match of the last round of the 2020/21 Turkish AXA Sigorta Efeler Ligi regular season left the second most-titled club in the competition without playoffs!
Halkbank won’t participate in the playoffs after more than a decade. Yesterday’s win of Ziraat Bankkart over Spor Toto of 3-0 (26:24, 25:20, 27:25) in Round 30 squeezed down 9-time champions Halkbank to 5th position in the charts without a possibility to go up as they played their last match yesterday.
The victory against Spor Toto to which they were led by Bulgarian Martin Atanasov, author of 19 points, 76% in attack and 16/21 put Ziraat on top spot in the standings and they have good chances to keep it upon completion of all delayed matches in the coming days.
Even if not all teams completed the regular season commitments, which might result in changes in the ranking, the names of the top 4 that have qualified for the playoffs are known. In the current order, these are Ziraat Bankkart, Galatasaray HDI Sigorta, Arkas Spor, and Fenerbahçe HDI Sigorta.

| 2020/21 Turkish AXA Sigorta Efeler Ligi regular season – Round 30
| February 27
• Fenerbahce HDI Sigorta – Arhavi 3-0 (25:19, 25:14, 25:16)
• Istanbul BBSK – Solhan Spor Bingol 1-3 (16:25, 21:25, 25:23, 20:25)
• TFL Altekma Izmir – Sorgun Bld. 3-2 (19:25, 16:25, 25:15, 25:19, 15:7)
• Halkbank Ankara – Galatasaray HDI Sigorta 1-3 (22:25, 27:29, 25:19, 24:26)
• Inegol Bld. Bursa – Afyon Bld. Yuntas 0-3 (23:25, 24:26, 21:25)
• Arkas Spor Izmir – Haliliye Bld. 3-0 (25:19, 25:20, 25:20)
• Tokat Belediye Plevne – Bursa BBSK 0-3 (20:25, 21:25, 18:25)

| February 28
• Spor Toto Ankara – Ziraat Bankkart Ankara 0-3 (24:26, 20:25, 25:27)
Top Scorer: Wallace Souza 19, Nicolas Bruno 16, Kayhan 5, Emet 5; Atanasov 19, Ter Maat 18, Van Garderen 11, Bulbul 7, Ertugrul 5.

| Standings (updated on February 28)
Halkbank Ankara 70
Ziraat Bankkart Ankara 69
Galatasaray HDI Sigorta 68
Arkas Spor Izmir 68
Fenerbahce HDI Sigorta 66
Spor Toto Ankara 57
Inegol Bld. Bursa 41
TFL Altekma Izmir 42
Solhan Spor Bingol 37
Sorgun Bld. 37
Tokat Belediye Plevne 37
Afyon Bld. Yuntas 34
Bursa BBSK 28
Haliliye Bld. 24
Istanbul BBSK 23
Arhavi 1