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.
In nine meetings between VakifBank and Vero Volley, the Turkish side has won seven matches against the Italian side.
Giovanni Guidetti, head coach of VakifBank: “It is going to be a tough and very complex game. We are facing a powerful team in great form, with an opposite hitter performing at an elite level. Milano is one of the toughest opponents we could face, but we are in a strong position ourselves. We are ready for them, while knowing exactly how challenging this game will be.”
Zehra Güneş, captain of VakifBank: “We started the series with an advantage and will play the return match at home. However, we want to maintain the same approach, playing as if the score was 0-0, fighting from the first point to the last to secure our place in the Final Four. Milano is a very strong team. We must be solid in every aspect of the game and sustain the same intensity until the very end. We have focused on the areas where we struggled in the first game and worked on them. I believe the second leg will be much better. I hope that, with the support of our fans, we can book our place in the Final Four.”
Stefano Lavarini, head coach of Numia Vero Volley MILANO: “In Istanbul we will face a hostile atmosphere and a tough opponent in the decisive quarterfinal match. The first leg gave us some areas to work on, both in terms of consistency in attack and our blocking and defence, areas where we can improve even further on our strong performance from a week ago. The team is working together with confidence as they prepare for one of the most exciting matches of the entire season.”
Francesca Bosio, setter of Numia Vero Volley: “We are ready for a battle. We know it will be a very tough challenge, especially since playing in Istanbul is never easy. The first match was of the highest calibre: we will try to replicate the performance we showed, especially in the first two sets. We will need to be strong with the block and in defence to try to limit their top attackers, and it will be important to maintain a very high level of our passing game. We are really looking forward to this match, and we are ready to give it our all.”
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.
The roster of Zeren includes Italian setter Ofelia Malinov, who played for CONEGLIANO in the 2016/2017 season. With star outside hitter Gabi back from injury, home coach Santarelli has a full roster at his disposal. This past Sunday, A. Carraro Prosecco DOC played Game 1 in the semis of the Italian national league with Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA, winning 3-2 at home after coming back from two sets down.
Daniele Santarelli, head coach of CONEGLIANO: “It is an exciting time of the season: every three days there is a fascinating match on the schedule, against international-level opponents. In the first leg against Zeren, we faced a strong team, but we emerged victorious by playing an excellent match. On Sunday, we played against a Novara team with different characteristics; we showed few lows and many highs: it was an intense week, beautiful from a Volleyball perspective, also thanks to the results we have collected. But what we have achieved so far only counts as a further boost for the next matches; what matters now is preparing for the Champions League match and for Game 2 in Novara, focusing on the first. We cannot relax, but we must find our concentration game by game: we are recovering all our players; both Gabi and Matilde Munarini will be with us. Zeren have excellent attackers; remember the home game against them, the most difficult of the three previous matches of the season: if we do not approach them with maximum concentration, we know the risks that can come with it. We will be called upon to play close to perfection. We must start well to win the fans over to our side. We want to conquer the Final Four as our next goal of the season.”
Stevan Ljubicic, head coach of ANKARA Zeren Spor Kulübü: “The first game of the quarterfinals is now behind us, and we are leaving the past results in Ankara. Tomorrow brings a brand new game in Palaverde. Nobody can force us to lose our faith, and we will continue to push forward as a team. Although we are currently in a disadvantageous position, we promise to deliver our best performance on the court. Giving up is never an option for us, so we will keep fighting until the very end.”
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.
The match coincides with Ekaterina Antropova’s birthday. Antropova heads into this clash in outstanding form, having rewritten the Serie A1 Playoff record books: with 66 aces in the post-regular season, she has surpassed two legends, Taismary Agüero and Francesca Piccinini, taking the top spot in the all-time rankings.
Savino Del Bene’s record against Turkish teams in European competitions, including the CEV Champions League, CEV Cup, and Challenge Cup, stands at 18 matches, with 10 wins and eight losses. More specifically, against Fenerbahçe, the Tuscan club has recorded one win and two defeats. The match will take place at the Burhan Felek Hall in Istanbul, exactly seven years after Savino Del Bene played their first game in that venue. It was March 19, 2019, when the Scandicci-based team faced Fenerbahçe in the second leg of the CEV Champions League quarterfinals.
Marco Gaspari, head coach of Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI: “In Istanbul it will be like hell. If anyone thinks SCANDICCI has already gone through, they are making the biggest mistake of their life and all the players know it. We are aware that we are going to the Burhan Felek, where there will be an incredible crowd. Fenerbahçe has the chance to turn it around, because it has happened before over the years, it has happened to us as well in the recent past, and they have the tools to do it. We need to play our best match in serving, defence, and attack, because on Saturday we served poorly: we did not make many errors, but our serving was not effective. In the first leg against Fenerbahçe, on the other hand, we had incredible serving quality. We need to start from that and approach the match as if we have to win it.”
Eda Erdem, player and captain of Fenerbahçe: “Every match at this level has its own story, and Scandicci come in with the advantage. Reaching the Final Four requires not only quality, but also character. We have the strength to do that, and with our fans behind us, we will fight until the very end to turn this double-header around.”
Marcello Abbondanza, head coach of Fenerbahçe: “It will be a very difficult match, especially after the 0-3 result in Italy. We know we need to create a kind of extra vibe on the court, and we will do everything we can to give our best. The support of the Fenerbahçe fans will be very important for us, and I am sure they will make a big difference.”