A Carraro Imoco Conegliano look to seal second Champions League title

A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano will take on Allianz Vero Volley Milano in an all-Italian clash in this year’s CEV Women’s Champions League SuperFinal on 5th May as they continue their pursuit of a second Champions League title.

This year’s will be the fourth all-Italian SuperFinal in the Women’s Champions League. Imoco actually contested the last all-Italian final, falling at the hands of Igor Gorgonzola Novara in the 2018/19 SuperFinal in Berlin.

Despite reaching four SuperFinals in their illustrious history, Imoco have only ever got their hands on the trophy once before, in the 2020/21 season when they secured a 3-2 win over VakifBank Istanbul in Verona.

If they can overcome fellow Italian side Vero Volley in this year’s SuperFinal in Antalya, they will become just the fourth team to win the title on multiple occasions, after VakifBank Istanbul (6 titles), Volley Bergamo (4 titles), RC Cannes (2 titles) and Colussi Sirio Perugia (2 titles). In their previous Champions League SuperFinals, however, they have struggled. No side has lost more title matches than Imoco’s three, and they have lost the opening set in each of the four SuperFinals they have contested.

In this season’s competition, however, Imoco have looked unstoppable, winning all ten of their matches and closing in on 1000 points scored. The Italian giants laid down a marker during the group stages, only dropping three sets en route to their six wins. Their strong performance in the group saw Imoco advance straight to the quarter-finals.

The Italians have only been taken to a 5th set on one occasion, in the semi-finals against Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul, and they displayed their champion spirit winning 18-16 in set five. The last team to win the CEV Champions League title without losing a match was Imoco themselves when they lifted the title in 20/21.

As domestic rivals, Imoco and Vero Volley face off regularly, but the two have only met once previously in the CEV Women’s Champions League, with Imoco emerging victorious in the 2021/22 quarter-finals, winning 3-0 in Monza and 3-1 in Treviso.

This season, their domestic encounters have followed a similar pattern, with Imoco prevailing on all four occasions. Imoco lifted the Supercoppa Italiana with a 3-1 win in Livorno, and also lifted the Coppa Italiana for a record-equalling sixth time, a 3-2 victory in Trieste sealing the team’s fifth consecutive title. In the league, Imoco won both matches, with star opposite Isabelle Haak scoring 20 points in both clashes.

Haak is certainly one to watch in this year’s SuperFinal. The Swedish superstar has the second-most points scored in this season’s CEV Champions League, racking up 221 with a set average of 6.14 in Imoco’s ten matches played. Another key player running in tandem with Haak is Joana Wolosz, Imoco’s star setter, whose all-around game has made her an invaluable piece of the Imoco puzzle.

Tune in on Sunday 5th May to watch all the action from the CEV Women’s Champions League SuperFinal in Antalya.