Find out more about the nominees for the All-Star setter in the #CLVolleyM and #CLVolleyW

Over the last months, there was plenty of drama in the two CEV Champions League Volley competitions, for the men’s and women’s, with unexpected comebacks, huge shocks, but also with favourites confirming their potential on their way to the Final Four, which will take place in Istanbul, for the women’s competition, and in Łódź, for the men’s competition.

As the scene is currently set for the business end of the competition, the attention will move to it, but until their throw-offs, fans are invited to choose their favourites, which will then be selected to the 2024/25 CEV Champions League Volleyball All-Star Teams.

The voting has been in full fledge for a few days, but if you still haven't picked your favourites, now is the time to sit back, see what the eight candidates for each position did so far and choose accordingly. Let's start with the setters, the ones doing all the magic on the court!

CEV Champions League Volley – Men

The four sides which are in the Final Four in Łódź are all represented here and, according to the statistics, the best setter between the ones present in the business end of the competition is Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia’s Simone Giannelli. Perugia’s captain was already the best setter in 2016 in the European premium competition and has an efficiency of 60.67% in the seven matches played so far, the third largest in the competition this season.

He is followed by Jastrzębski Węgiel’s French star Benjamin Toniutti, who was the All-star setter at the CEV EuroVolley Men in 2019, and has provided an efficiency of 56.28% this season, helping the Polish side qualify for the semi-finals for the fourth time in a row, becoming a key cog for Jastrzębski since he signed for the Polish side in 2021.

Halkbank Ankara also have a crucial player in American setter Micah Maʻa. Between the setters in the Final Four, Ma’a has the largest number of sets played this season – 42 – featuring in 10 matches for Halkbank, posting a setter efficiency of 42.59%. However, Ma’a is a fantastic server, being on the seventh place this season in terms of aces, with 16.

Now 32 years old, Miguel Tavares Rodrigues had a breakout season in the CEV Champions League Men, providing a fantastic return for Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie, which will make their debut in the semi-finals of the European premium competition. The Portuguese setter, who has been with the Polish side since 2021, has the 10th best efficiency this season, 51.38%, but played more sets than all but three of the top 10 players in the rankings.

Allianz Milano’s Paolo Porro is only 23 years old, but also had a breakout season in the European premium competition, having a 53.89% efficiency, but especially interesting is the number of sets he featured in, 29, making him a high-volume player for the team which stopped in the play-offs, being eliminated in the golden set by Halkbank Ankara.

Two players from the two German teams competing, Berlin Recycling Volleys’ Johannes Tille and SVG Luneburg’s Michael Patrick Wright are also on the list, with Tille boasting a 45.88% efficiency, while Wright had a 43.3% efficiency in this season, when Luneburg made it for the first time in their history in the quarter-finals.

Last, but not least, Dragan Travica was one of the stand-out performers for Olympiacos Piraeus, which secured a quarter-final spot in more than 20 years. Entering the competition at an early stage, Travica has an overall efficiency of 53.22%, in 15 matches and 56 sets played this season.

CEV Champions League Volley – Women

As expected, three of the four teams in the Final Four are represented in the nominations for the All-Star setter in the CEV Champions League Volley Women this season, with Vakifbank Istanbul being the odd one out in this case.

The top three setters in terms of efficiency are also nominated, with the current standings being led by Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul’s Elif Şahin. The European champion with her national side in 2023 has delivered a 53.12% efficiency in the seven matches and 17 sets played for Eczacibasi, but the Turkish side was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Numia Vero Volley Milano.

The Italian side has their captain, Alessia Orro, also on the shortlist, with the best setter at the CEV EuroVolley 2021 and the best setter at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games being crucial for her team’s success, ranking third in the standings this season, with a 45.83% efficiency.

Veteran Maja Ognjenovic, who at 40 years old is still going strong, as the best setter in the 2014/15 season has the chance to break through once again into the All-Star team, currently being ranked sixth this season, with a 43.54% efficiency, just short of the podium.

Bojana Drca’s Fenerbahce Medicana Istanbul failed to make the semi-finals after a fantastic turnaround from VakifBank Istanbul in the quarter-finals, but she had another excellent season, being one of the most consistent players for her side, as she had a 50.82% efficiency in eight matches and 27 sets played, by far the highest volume for any setter this season.

Reigning champions A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano are also sending a candidate for the All-Star team, with Joanna Wolosz standing between the top setters this season, with an excellent 43.55% efficiency, despite playing only six matches and 17 sets, with the Italian side currently on an eight-match winning streak in the season.

Three players who did not make the Final Four are closing the nominations list, where fans can decide their favourites for the All-Star team. PGE Grot Budowlani Łódź’s Alicja Grabka (26.88% efficiency), Maritza Plovdiv’s Lora Slavcheva (31.56% efficiency) and Katarzyna Wenerska from Developres Rzeszow (31.42%) are also nominated.

The 2025 CEV Champions League Volley All-Star Team voting is now open!

How it works

•    There are 8 nominated players for each position, as well as head coaches: you are asked to cast three votes for each category
•    For Middle Blockers and Outside hitters, the 2 players with the highest amount of votes will be selected as part of the ALL-Star Team.
•    The Fan Vote will count for 50% of the final voting result, with the other 50% being represented by the votes given by Champions League clubs team captains and team Head Coaches