The big question for a place in the final: VakifBank's pedigree or Scandicci's exuberance?

Will it be Savino Del Bene Scandicci’s maiden final appearance in the CEV Champions League Women or VakifBank’s 12th match for the big trophy in the European premium competition? This is the big question asked about the second semi-final of this season’s Final Four in Istanbul.

Looked through the point of view of experience, VakifBank are clearly miles ahead, but this has not been the season where the Turkish powerhouse – the team with the largest number of trophies in the competition – was the true favourite.

A huge turnaround of players in the summer saw the Turkish side seen as underdogs, a postulate confirmed by their long-serving coach, Giovanni Guidetti, before the start of the Final Four.

“I want to congratulate my team. At the start of the season, nobody thought VakifBank could make it here. Thanks to their hard work and performances, I am lucky to coach such a fantastic group. We are proud to represent Turkey here in Istanbul,” said VakifBank head coach Giovanni Guidetti.

Indeed, VakifBank had a tough season, but still won their pool, with five wins and a single loss, seeing their 3:1 loss against Numia Vero Volley Milano in the 4th round protecting their first spot, as they won the other match against the Italian side in straight sets.

But the greatest challenge for VakifBank this season was the quarter-final against domestic rivals Fenerbahçe Medicana Istanbul. After a 0:3 home loss, VakifBank lost the first set in the second leg, only to win the next three sets and push the match into the golden set.

There, VakifBank took a 15:11 win and qualified to the Final Four, making them a team to be reckoned with due to their resilience and strength, as new signings Kiera Van Ryk and Marina Markova fired from all cylinders, with 124 and 123 points scored respectively this season.

But another tough challenge awaits VakifBank, a team which had won 20 of their 45 meetings against Italian sides in the European premium competition, in the form of Savino Del Bene Scandicci, the surprise package of this season.

Led by star Ekaterina Antropova, who had 121 points, but the largest average of points scored per set, 6.37, Scandicci are the only team to come into the Final Four with eight wins in eight matches without having dropped any set, in only their third season in the European premium competition.

“I also believe that all four teams have the same expectations from this tournament. So honestly, Scandicci as a team, for the first time in the history, are participating in this Final Four, fighting for the trophy. So for us, I don't want to say that it's already a big success, but being here, next to these three teams, Conegliano, VakifBank and Milano, this is a huge achievement,” said Scandicci’s setter, Maja Ognjenović.

The two sides have previously met twice in the 2019/20 season, with both sides winning their away matches, but this will be a special occasion for both VakifBank Istanbul and Savino Del Bene Scandicci, with a place in the final awaiting.

As the other semi-final will surely provide an Italian winner, the question will be if a final between two teams from the same country is on the cards for the fourth time in six seasons, or an Italo-Turkish final is due after a two-year hiatus?