Panathinaikos take a first-leg lead in the women’s Challenge Cup semi-final

Panathinaikos defeated Panionios 3–1 at home in the first leg of their women’s Challenge Cup semi-final. The result placed the Athens club two sets from the final, with the return match still required to determine the winner of the domestic derby.

The hosts won the sets 25–18, 27–29, 25–22 and 25–18, containing the scoring threat of Elitsa Atanasijevic Vasileva. Panionios coach Dragan Nešić identified excessive mistakes as a problem and said his team would review its performance before the second match.

In the other semi-final, European newcomers Vallefoglia won 3–2 away at Kaposvár. Both ties therefore produced a first-leg advantage for the eventual visiting sides in the return fixtures, while qualification remained open until the following round of matches was completed.