The Trophy Hopefuls: CEV Champions League Volley

With the CEV Champions League Volley season starting on 12 November, we are taking a look at the teams who will be looking to end the season with the biggest prize in European volleyball.

We start with a team who have been one match away from the Champions League title each of the last two seasons, Jastrzębski Węgiel. The two-time reigning Polish PlusLiga champions have reached each of the last two Champions League finals, but fallen at the final hurdle.

In 2023, they lost to fellow Polish side ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle, and last year they fell to Italian side Itas Trentino. With neither ZAKSA or Trentino in the competition this year, Jastrzębski will be looking to make that step up and claim the title.

It has been a good start to this season for Jastrzębski and they currently sit atop the PlusLiga standings, with nine wins from their first 11 games. They managed to keep the majority of their best players this off-season, and have added Lukasz Kaczmarek and Anton Brehme to an already loaded squad, meaning they should be a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League this season.

Jastrzębski’s biggest challengers will likely be Italian champions Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia. The Italians have reached the quarterfinals in each of their last five Champions League appearances, going on to reach the semifinals in four of those, but have not yet contested a final.

Another team yet to lift the Champions League title, Sir do have international prowess, winning the FIVB Volleyball Club World Championship in 2022 and 2023. They won a domestic double last year, also lifting the Coppa Italia.

Sir start their Champions League campaign in scintillating form as they are yet to lose in the SuperLega this season, sitting atop the standings with seven wins from their seven matches. That includes wins over Trentino and Lube Civitanova, who also currently sit inside the Top 4 in the standings.

Sir have made some big moves in the transfer market this year, bringing in superstars Yuki Ishikawa and middle blocker Agustin Loser, building some offensive and defensive power to improve from last season.

Berlin Recycling Volleys have also reached at least the quarterfinal stage in each of the last four editions of the Champions League.

The Germans won their eighth consecutive 1. Bundesliga title last year, continuing to assert their dominance over their domestic league. Things haven’t changed much this year either, with Berlin sitting atop the league standings, with eight wins from eight in the league, including a win over Friedrichshafen, who they defeated in the play-off finals to win last year’s title. They have also clinched the German Supercup, again defeating Friedrichshafen in the final.

Berlin brought in American Jake Hanes from Polish outfit Cuprum Lubin in the off-season, and the opposite has proven a valuable addition so far this season.

Halkbank Ankara have also impressed in the Champions League in recent years. The Turkish side reached the quarterfinals in last year’s competition, and the semifinals the year before, losing to Jastrzębski in the Final Four.

Halkbank won their first league title since 2018 last season, and they have carried their form into this season, currently sitting second in the league with a game in hand on the leaders, only losing one of their first six matches, to Galatasaray, the team currently sitting in third.

They have lost some big names this off-season, with Nimir Abdel-Aziz and Earvin Ngapeth departing the club, but they have retained the likes of American Micah Ma’a.

In recent years, it has been Italian and Polish teams vying for the title, so the other trophy hopefuls will likely be coming from those nations.

Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie and PGE Projekt Warszawa are the Polish representatives in this season’s competition. Warszawa are currently sitting in second place in the PlusLiga standings, with Zawiercie in fourth, both teams just three points off Jastrzębski in top spot.

Italian champions Sir are joined by Allianz Milano and Vero Volley Monza, but both sides are struggling to start the season domestically. Milano have won four and lost four of their first eight games, currently sitting in sixth place, but Monza have only won two of their first seven games and find themselves down in eleventh, with only Grottazzolina beneath them.

The Italian sides will be hoping things pick up when continental competition starts on 12 November.

Will we see some upsets in the first few weeks? Will a wildcard make a charge for the title this season? All we know is, we can’t wait to find out!