Play-offs start with a bang in the #CLVolleyW
Six teams headed to the play-offs of the CEV Champions League Women, with five others securing their tickets to the quarter-finals, with three spots opened for that phase of the competition.
While group winners Savino Del Bene Scandicci, A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano, Eczacıbaşı Dynavit İstanbul, Fenerbahçe Medicana Istanbul and VakifBank Istanbul are already in the quarter-finals, the second-placed sides in the 4th round and the best third-placed side are now featuring in the play-offs doubleheaders, which will throw off on Wednesday, 5 February.
The recipe for drama is surely there, as it has been ever present in the previous editions of the European premium competition, but one of the play-off matches has a clear favourite, pitting the top second-placed side, last season’s runners-up Numia Vero Volley Milano, against German side SSC Palmberg Schwerin, which is the only team which finished third in the 4th round, but advanced to the knockout phase of the competition.
The Italian powerhouse had the same number of wins – five – the same number of points – 15 – but had won one set less than VakifBank Istanbul in Pool C, as they conceded a 0:3 loss in the away match, coming out with a 3:1 win against the Turkish side on their home court.
Since their first appearance in the 2021/22 season, Numia Vero Volley Milano have always made the quarter-finals, being eliminated in that phase in 2021/22 and in 2022/23, while going as far as the Super Finals last season, where they conceded a loss against A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano.
With players like Paola Egonu, Alessia Orro, Myriam Sylla and Nika Daalderoop in the roster, the Italian side will be favoured against SSC Palmberg Schwerin, as they face a German side for the first time in their history. On the other hand, Schwerin have played against Italian opposition 16 times, winning only five matches. They have also never made the quarter-finals in the European premium competition.
In their maiden season of the European premium competition, Serbian side Tent Obrenovac won three matches and lost three matches, but having one more set won than Palmberg Schwerin, despite their 0:3 loss against the German side in the last match, was crucial to see Tent placing second in Pool B.
Now they are facing Polish side PGE Grot Budowlani Łódź, which also finished second in their pool, losing only two matches, the ones against Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe Medicana Istanbul, where they took a single set from the seven played.
Both sides started their season in the qualifying rounds of the competition, but went until the knockout phase, as both made it to this phase for the first time in history, with the Polish side being in their sixth season in the CEV Champions League Women.
They will now have the chance to secure a place in the quarter-finals for the first time in history, provided they eliminate Tent, as the top team in the 4th round, Savino Del Bene Scandicci, are waiting.
A crunch clash is also expected in the third play-offs doubleheader, where Allianz MTV Stuttgart face Developres Rzeszów, with the winner heading to the quarter-finals, where they are slated to meet reigning champions, A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano.
The two teams have met last season in the 4th round, with the hosts winning each time, but both matches had deciding sets. Both sides have reached the quarter-finals so far, with Stuttgart securing four berths, most recently last season, while Rzeszów were in this scenario two times, in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons.