Aluron Dominates Lube and Eyes Final Four in Turin

In their first quarterfinal of the CEV Champions League Volley 2026, Lube Civitanova faced a tough test against Aluron CMC Zawiercie at the Eurosuole Forum in Civitanova Marche. A large crowd (2813 spectators) gathered on Wednesday evening, hoping to see the Italian side finally break through - a feat that has eluded them in the last five editions, always falling just short against Polish opponents.

However, it was the guests of CMC Warta Zawiercie who took the first step toward the Final Four in Turin, securing a commanding 3–0 victory away at Cucine Lube Civitanova (25-22, 25-16, 31-29), placing a strong claim on qualification for the Champions League final stage before the rematch on April 2.

From the very beginning, it was clear that Zawiercie came with a game plan and composure that Lube struggled to match. After an early timeout, coach Giampaolo Medei urged his players to “find the parabola of the ball,” emphasising the need for precision in both attack and reception.

In the opening set, the Polish side immediately took a solid lead thanks to Jurii Gladyr’s powerful serves (5-1). Civitanova tried to respond, relying on Aleksandar Nikolov, but their serving faltered, committing seven errors. After Mattia Boninfante brought Lube to 14-15, two incredible defensive plays by Michal Winiarski’s men - first converted by Mateusz Bieniek (5 points, 100% in attack) and then by Bartlomiej Boladz - pushed Zawiercie to a huge point advantage, effectively extinguishing the home team’s hopes. The set ended 25-22 for the Polish side, with a finishing attack by Boladz (4 points).

Zawiercie’s consistency paid off. While both teams finished with one block each, the stats highlighted the difference: Zawiercie excelled in attack with 71% efficiency compared to 59% for Lube, and their reception was 67% positive versus just 30% for the hosts.

The same pattern unfolded in the second set, with the Polish side more incisive from the service line, precise in block-defence, and consistently effective on the counterattack. At 15-9 in favour of the visitors, home coach Medei tried to change things by introducing the Orduna-Koukartsev attacking diagonal, but without the desired results. The Polish team surged to 19-11 following an attack error by Aleks Nikolov. Young French outside hitter Noa Duflos-Rossi also came on for Bottolo, and veteran Marko Podrascanin replaced Wout D’Heer, but the situation was already compromised. Zawiercie, attacking with an incredible 82% efficiency (with Bartodz Kwolek top scorer with six points), closed the set 25-16. Although Civitanova improved their reception to 55%, Zawiercie stayed solid at 67%. By the end of two sets, the Italians had already committed a total of 18 errors.

The third set was a thriller, with both teams exchanging points and keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats. Lube clawed back multiple times, reaching 25-24, 27-26, and 28-27, only to see Zawiercie respond. The decisive moments came in a tense back-and-forth, with scores tied multiple times before Zawiercie eventually edged out the Italians 31-29 after an attack error by Nikolov, confirmed by the video check.

Setter Miguel Tavares was named MVP for his outstanding performance.

Aleksandar Nikolov of Lube topped the charts with 17 points to his name, while for the winners’ team Aaron Russell finished with the most - 12.