Eczacibasi, Vero Volley, DRESDNER SC and Developres off to flying start in #CLVolleyW

Eczacibasi Dynavit ISTANBUL opened their CEV ZEREN Group Champions League 2026 campaign with a commanding straight-sets win over Serbian champions OK Železničar LAJKOVAC, delivering a focused, high-quality performance with minimal errors to secure three points - and their 96th victory in the CEV Champions League. In the same pool, Numia Vero Volley MILANO had to work hard in the second set but eventually produced a rather flawless performance to cruise to a 3-0 victory over Olympiacos - whose women's team was contesting their first-ever #CLVolleyW group stage fixture. KS Developres RZESZÓW had a few ups and downs and conceded a set to Maritza PLOVDIV, but they regrouped to seal a 3-1 victory and take maximum points from their home fixture. Another match scheduled for Wednesday night finished in a 3-1 victory, this time for the away side as DRESDNER SC showed much quality and resilience to edge hosts ŁKS Commercecon ŁÓDŹ in Pool D. 

Pool C: Eczacibasi Dynavit ISTANBUL (TUR) vs. OK Železničar LAJKOVAC (SRB) 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-17) 

The Turkish giants set the tone from the very first rally, with Ebrar Karakurt hammering a powerful spike to start the match. After just seven points, the hosts were already up 5-2, with setter Elif Şahin distributing the ball evenly across the attack. Železničar responded through Sara Sakradžija, and after the longest rally of the set, Sinead Jack-Kisal scored for 8-6. With an ace from Magdalena Stysiak and another strong point from Yaprak Erkek, Eczacibasi pulled away to 10–6.

Head coach Ratko Pavličević called an early timeout, urging his players to “stay calmer and be more precise.” It didn’t slow Eczacibasi down. Stysiak delivered a second ace for 11-6, and although Železničar reduced the gap (11-8), the home team accelerated again, dominating in block and attack. With Jack-Kisal firing the third ace of the set, Eczacibasi surged to 17-10, and soon after 21-11. They closed the opening set 25-12 in just 20 minutes.

The numbers told the story: only three errors by Eczacibasi, plus six blocks and seven points from Dana Rettke (75% attack efficiency and four blocks). The Turkish side hit an impressive 58% in attack in the first set alone.

Železničar started the second set better, leading 5-3 after points from Sakradžija and a block from Vasja Filipović. But Elif Şahin’s strong serving turned the momentum, pushing Eczacibasi ahead 11-5. From there, the hosts controlled the scoreboard with authority (18-12, 22-15), eventually closing the set 25-16 for a 2–0 lead.

The Serbian team started well in the third (2-1), but Eczacibasi reversed to 4-2 before Železničar equalised at 5–5 after another block from Filipović. An ace from Mina Stanojević and a point from Emileta Racheva pushed the visitors ahead 7-5, but Eczacibasi’s 4-0 run restored order at 9-7. A period of balanced play followed, yet the hosts’ quality and experience prevailed: 16-11, 21-12, and finally 25-17 to seal the sweep.

Match MVP Sinead Jack-Kisal delivered 12 points, including three aces, four blocks, and five attack points with a 63% success rate.

Eczacibasi finished with 43% positive reception versus Železničar’s 36%, and an impressive 16 team blocks, compared to the visitors’ 7.

Numia Vero Volley MILANO (ITA) vs. Olympiacos PIRAEUS (GRE) 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-16)

Bronze medallists from last season’s Champions League and runners-up the year before, Numia Vero Volley MILANO opened their sixth campaign in the CEV ZEREN Group Champions League Volley 2026 | Women with a convincing – though far from easy – straight-sets win over rookies Olympiacos PIRAEUS. 

The Italian side started strongly, sending out their best lineup and quickly taking control of the opening set. As Vero Volley built a comfortable lead, head coach Stefano Lavarini used the opportunity to give playing time to several back-up players. The first set was marked by balanced scoring: Vita Akimova and Elena Pietrini each contributed five points for the hosts, while on the Greek side Milica Kubura also tallied five. 

The second set brought a far tougher challenge. Olympiacos pushed hard, maintaining a lead deep into the set at 18-15. But Vero Volley’s experience proved decisive in the closing moments. Benedetta Sartori dominated at the net with six points – including as many three in this set alone – while Champions League debutant Rebecca Piva added five points and one block to turn the set in the hosts’ favour, 27-25.

After narrowly losing the second set, Olympiacos visibly lost momentum. MILANO capitalised immediately, controlling the third set from start to finish and closing out the match 25-16 for a clean 3-0 victory.

Elena Pietrini was named MVP, finishing as the match’s top scorer with 17 points (including one ace, and three blocks) and an impressive 62% attack efficiency.

MILANO outperformed Olympiacos at the net with 12 blocks to four. 

For Olympiacos, Milica Kubura led the team with 13 points, followed by Yasmine Abderrahim with eight.  

Pool D: ŁKS Commercecon ŁÓDŹ (POL) vs. DRESDNER SC (GER) 1-3 (24-26, 20-25, 25-17, 23-25) 

Germany’s DRESDNER SC enjoyed a happy return to the #CLVolleyW stage – where they had been missing since the 2021/2022 season – they fought bravely and made up for a major deficit in the fourth set to record a 3-1 away victory over hosts ŁKS Commercecon ŁÓDŹ. The result is especially remarkable since going into this match, DRESDNER SC had a negative 2-4 win-loss record against Polish teams, with their most recent victory dating to the 2015/2016 season. 

Germany’s reigning vice-champions emerged victorious from a closely fought opening set where Marta Kamelija Levinska and Miku Akimoto played a leading role by scoring eight and seven points, respectively. The visitors controlled the second set from start to finish, displaying their supremacy at the net with as many as five blocks in this set alone. However, the home side fought with much determination and turned the tide in set 3 – where they showed much more consistency in attack (50% success rate vs. 38%) than their rivals.

It looked like the fourth set was following the same path with ŁKS Commercecon ŁÓDŹ enjoying a four-point lead at 15-11. However, this is where DRESDNER SC fought back and rose to the occasion – they slowly but surely narrowed the gap and eventually edged ahead to secure a 3-1 victory, which is highly important for the standing of an extremely competitive group featuring the likes of reigning champions A. Carraro Prosecco DOC CONEGLIANO and newcomers ANKARA Zeren Spor Kulübü. 

MVP Levinska top scored in the end with a massive tally of 26 points, with Akimoto and Mette Marleen Pfeffer also finishing the match in double digits with 17 and 16 to their name, respectively. As many as four players from the home side registered 10+ points, with Mariana Brambilla topping the charts on 15. 

Pool E: KS Developres RZESZÓW (POL) vs. Maritza PLOVDIV (BUL) 3-1 (25-19, 25-27, 25-18, 25-16) 

The first match in Pool E of the CEV ZEREN Group Champions League Volley 2026 | Women featured two very familiar opponents: KS Developres Rzeszów (POL) and Maritza Plovdiv (BUL). After meeting in last season’s Champions League Round 4, destiny brought them together once again in the 2026 pool stage. And so far, the story remains the same – on Wednesday, the Polish champions claimed a 3-1 victory. For Maritza, multiple-time Bulgarian champions, the defeat extends an unfortunate streak: they have now lost all nine of their Champions League matches against Polish opposition. Their next chance to shift the narrative will come in Leg 5.

The battle on the bench also carried its own storyline. Developres head coach César Hernández González previously served as assistant coach at VakifBank Istanbul during their Champions League triumphs in 2022 and 2023. On the opposite side, Maritza’s head coach Ahmetcan Erşimşek spent eight years (2016-2024) with Giovanni Guidetti’s staff at VakifBank, a period in which the Turkish powerhouse captured the Champions League title as many as four times.

Lora Slavcheva of Maritza opened on the serve, and after a solid rally KS Developres claimed the first point with a powerful spike from Taylor Bannister. The score moved tightly through 3-2 and 5-3, before a service error from Bannister allowed Maritza to close to 5-4, with Iva Dudova equalising at 5-5. Marrit Jasper then shifted the momentum with two consecutive aces, prompting a Maritza timeout as the gap widened. Despite a good reception from Zhana Todorova and a clean finish by Dudova, Bannister once again took charge for Developres, scoring unopposed to extend their lead to 12–6. Both sides exchanged service errors – first Slavcheva, then Katarzyna Wenerska – while Maritza’s tension, combined with seven own errors and ongoing blocking struggles, further affected their ability to stay close in the score, pushing it to 18-10. Setter Margarita Guncheva entered for Slavcheva, and Viktoria Koeva scored Maritza’s first ace of the set. Maritza improved in the closing stage with stronger blocks and precise attacking from Vanesa Agbortabi, narrowing the gap to 22-16, but Julita Piasecka steadied Developres once more. With Wenerska and Bannister returning, the Polish champions closed the set 25-19 after a 21-minute battle. Bannister was flawless in attack with a 100% success rate and four points.

Setter Guncheva remained on court as the second set opened evenly at 3-3. Both teams produced long, spirited rallies, with Maritza showing strong character and beginning to exploit their opponents’ weak spots. However, the Bulgarians continued to struggle from the service line, while a sharp ace from Jasper added pressure at 6-5. The score moved level again at 8-8 in a true game of cat and mouse, before Piasecka’s incisive serve and more unforced Maritza errors allowed the hosts to pull ahead 13-10. Koeva responded for 14-11 and followed up with a powerful ace for 14-12. Maritza surged again, taking their first lead of the set at 15-14. Coach Hernandez called timeouts and made changes – bringing in Laura Jansen – but Developres struggled to stop the Bulgarian momentum. Jasper was blocked for 18-14 before Wenerska returned to the court, immediately finding Laura Heyrman in the middle to stabilise Rzeszów’s play. The hosts closed the gap to 18-17. Wenerska and Heyrman kept their connection strong, and two more Maritza errors shifted the scoreboard to 22–21 for Developres. The set stretched into extra points that eventually needed to decide the outcome, and Maritza closed it at 27-25. Two more kill blocks and improved reception (52%) turned out to be the key to the success for the Bulgarians. 

The Polish champions opened the next set with authority, quickly moving ahead 4-1 and maintaining control at 6-4 before extending the margin to 8-4 thanks to Jansen, who once again proved to be Developres’ trump card with another strong performance. At 11-7, Rzeszów were efficiently finishing their attacks from all zones, while middle blocker Heyrman dominated through the centre, scoring for 17-9. Developres were superior across all elements – attack, block, and serve – with setter Wenerska even adding clever touches at the net to keep Maritza off balance. Maritza’s defence continued to suffer under the pressure. The set concluded at 25-18 after a service error by Dudova, sealing another confident display by the Polish side. The superior attacking performance – 18 winning spikes to Maritza’s 8 – made the difference for the Polish side in this set.

Maritza started the fourth set strongly, taking a 5-2 lead before home coach Hernández called a timeout, urging his players to “Watch the court!” The message landed immediately, as Developres responded with five consecutive points, led by the steady serving of Svitlana Dorsman, to pull ahead 7-5. An ace from Heyrman pushed the score to 14-10, while Bannister contributed effectively, and a series of Bulgarian errors - combined with unstable reception - gave the Polish champions full control. With mounting pressure, Developres earned eight match points, and Jansen sealed the victory at 25-16. The difference came through in attack and from the service line, with Developres leading 14-6 in winning spikes and 4-0 in aces.

Taylor Bannister was named MVP of the game, delivering 21 points.