All-important matches coming up to define #CLVolleyW Final Four contestants
News
This week will define which four teams will contest the eagerly anticipated #CLVolleyW Final Four scheduled for this coming May 2-3 in Istanbul, Türkiye. Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI, Eczacibasi Dynavit ISTANBUL and titleholders A. Carraro Prosecco DOC CONEGLIANO are in a fairly favourable position following last week’s matches and they all need to secure two sets from the repeat of their respective fixtures to progress to the Final Four. However, with the quality and level of the players involved, nothing is said and done at this stage just yet. The same very much applies to the matchup between VakifBank ISTANBUL and Numia Vero Volley MILANO, even more so following last week’s 3-2 away win for the Turkish side in Milan.
VakifBank ISTANBUL (TUR) vs. Numia Vero Volley MILANO (ITA)
Last week, six-time #CLVolleyW winners VakifBank made amends for last year’s heavy loss in the bronze medal game as they managed to come from behind (0-2) and edge Numia Vero Volley MILANO at the tiebreak. Marina Markova played a pivotal role in this comeback as the Russian outside hitter scored 38 points – just as many as those recorded by Paola Egonu on the other side of the net. Egonu will return to play a match at VakifBank Spor Sarayi where she was a star performer during the 2022/2023 season when she helped VakifBank claim their sixth and last #CLVolleyW title to this day. These two teams have been at the top of the game for many years and the re-match in Istanbul is likely to be just as dramatic as the fixture contested in Milan last week before some 5,000 fans. If VakifBank win by any score, they will progress to the Final Four – whereas MILANO need at least a 3-2 win to force a Golden Set. A victory by any other score would propel the side coached by Stefano Lavarini to their second Final Four in a row – in 2024, they made it to the Super Finals where they lost to domestic rivals CONEGLIANO.
A. Carraro Prosecco DOC CONEGLIANO (ITA) vs. ANKARA Zeren Spor Kulübü (TUR)
These teams lock horns for the fourth time this season. Back in late November, rookies Zeren were close to springing a sensation as they only lost a dramatic tiebreak to the two-time reigning champions. The subsequent two matches – one in the pool phase and last week’s first leg in the quarterfinals – both ended in comprehensive 3-0 wins for CONEGLIANO. This past week, the ‘Panthers’ set an all-time record in the competition as they recorded their 29th consecutive victory. They may improve this record even further – this time on home soil – while they continue to chase another unprecedented feat – a third straight #CLVolleyW triumph in a row. CONEGLIANO are certainly the red-hot favourites of this clash – and yet Zeren have shown time and again that they have what it takes to compete at the highest level in Europe.
KS Developres RZESZÓW (POL) vs. Eczacibasi Dynavit ISTANBUL (TUR)
The only quarterfinal not to feature a matchup between Turkish and Italian rivals ended last week in a 3-1 home win for Eczacibasi. The trio of Magdalena Stysiak, Sinead Jack-Kisal, and Ebrar Karakurt were highly instrumental in Eczacibasi’s ability to come back from one set down. The Turkish team – winner of this competition in 2015 – have lost only once this season – surprisingly in an away match with Greece’s Olympiacos PIRAEUS in the group phase. The reigning Polish champions, now coached by former Serbian star Jelena Blagojević, are hoping to become the first club from their country to reach the Final Four since Chemik POLICE did so in 2015. To achieve this feat, they will have to win 3-0 or 3-1 on home soil and claim also the eventual Golden Set. It is a hard nut to crack but their ambitions are high.
Fenerbahçe Medicana ISTANBUL (TUR) vs. Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI (ITA)
Last week, reigning Club World champions and last year’s #CLVolleyW silver medallists Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI delivered a show of strength in front of almost 3,000 fans in Florence as they cruised to a comprehensive 3-0 victory over the Yellow Angels powered by Ekaterina Antropova (25 points). This loss coincided with the first setback for Fenerbahçe in the competition this season as they had completed a clean sweep of their six matches in the pool phase. The re-match will again pit the two best servers of the season – Antropova and Arina Fedorovtseva – against each other. The Yellow Angels will need a 3-0 or 3-1 home win and to emerge victorious from the Golden Set as well if they are to progress to the Final Four due to take place at their ‘own’ Ülker Sports and Event Hall in early May.