VakifBank, Olympiacos, Developres, Volero and Novara victorious on a thrilling #CLVolleyW night

On Thursday, the third leg of the highly anticipated pool stage of the CEV ZEREN Group Champions League Volley 2026 | Women concluded with five electrifying encounters. In Pool C, Olympiacos PIRAEUS, powered by Jovana Stevanović, proved too strong for Železničar LAJKOVAC, securing a 3–1 victory. Meanwhile, Pool E saw a compelling showdown between SSC Palmberg SCHWERIN and KS Developres RZESZÓW with the Polish side prevailing after a dramatic tie-break. Julita Piasecka produced a stunning performance, scoring 28 points, including two consecutive aces that sealed the match. Attention then turned to Pool A, where VakifBank ISTANBUL, led by Tijana Bošković, came out on top in a thrilling 3–1 victory over Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI. Meanwhile, Volero Le CANNET, powered by Alina Popova, who tallied 21 points, secured their first win of the campaign, defeating CS Volei Alba BLAJ 3–1. The evening concluded in Pool B with Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA prevailing 3–0 against Sport LISBOA e Benfica in a dramatic third set that ended 31–29, with Tatiana Tolok delivering another MVP-worthy performance.

Pool C: Olympiacos PIRAEUS (GRE) vs. OK Železničar LAJKOVAC (SRB) 3–1 (20–25, 25–18, 25–23, 25–17)

In a clash between two Serbian coaches, the Greek champions defeated the Serbian title holders in their first-ever Champions League meeting, a match marked by frequent momentum swings. Ultimately, the more experienced side led by Branko Kovačević — who coached Železničar for four seasons (2020–2024) — claimed three valuable points in the race for the playoffs, in Olympiacos’ debut season in Europe’s elite club competition.

Železničar opened the match with high motivation and intensity, catching Olympiacos slightly off guard. The visitors held a narrow advantage from the outset and took a 6–4 lead. Olympiacos responded with two consecutive points to level at 6–6, followed by a “point-for-point” phase. The hosts moved ahead 11–10 on Jovana Stevanović’s serve after a Vanja Savić error, but Milena Koprivica blocked Milica Kubura to restore Železničar’s lead at 12–11. After 14–13 for the Serbian champions, Olympiacos briefly turned it around to 15–14, only for Železničar to regain control at 16–15 and extend to 18–16. Strong serves by Amanda Coneo brought Olympiacos back to 18–18, but Železničar answered with two points for a 20–18 lead. A block by Koprivica made it 21–18, and after an Emileta Racheva spike, 23–20. Železničar reached 24–20 and converted the first set point to take the opening set 25–20 — their first-ever set win in the Champions League.
Sara Sakradžija led Železničar in the first set with 7 points (60% positive reception, 64% attack efficiency), while Milena Koprivica added 5 points (2 blocks, 60% attack). For Olympiacos, Milica Kubura scored 6 points and Amanda Coneo finished with 4.

Železničar again struck first in the second set (2–1), but Olympiacos responded with a 5–0 run on Isabella Di Iulio’s serve to go up 6–2. The visitors closed to 6–4, before the hosts pulled away to 8–4. After 11–7, Železničar produced a four-point streak to level at 11–11. Following 12–12, Olympiacos claimed three straight points for a 15–12 advantage. Yasmine Abderrahim sealed an ace for 17–13, and after a Racheva error and a Stevanović block, the lead grew to 20–14. Olympiacos closed the set 25–18 to level the match at 1–1.
Olympiacos had three players with 5 points in the second set: Jovana Stevanović (1 block, 80% attack), Yasmine Abderrahim (1 ace, 75% positive reception) and Milica Kubura (2 blocks). For Železničar, Milena Koprivica scored 5 points (1 block, 67% attack), while Sara Sakradžija added 4 (1 block, 50% positive reception).

Riding the momentum, Olympiacos opened the third set with a 3–0 lead. Železničar immediately reduced it to 3–2, but the hosts surged ahead to 6–3 and then 10–4, powered by strong serves from Angeliki Melina Emmanouilidou. As the set progressed, Olympiacos grew in confidence, while Železničar began to fade. The hosts led 13–6 and 15–9, but a brief lapse allowed Železničar back to 16–13. Olympiacos restored a five-point cushion at 18–13, yet further errors let the visitors close to 18–16. Olympiacos stalled completely, and Železničar capitalized to level at 19–19. Block points put Olympiacos back in front at 21–19, then 24–20 after a Jovana Stevanović ace. Železničar fought back with three straight points to make it 24–23, but a service error by Vasja Filipović handed Olympiacos the set, 25–23, and a 2–1 lead.
Jovana Stevanović dominated the third set with 6 points (1 ace, 2 blocks, 60% attack) for Olympiacos. Emileta Racheva and Milena Koprivica (1 ace, 2 blocks, 67% attack) each scored 5 for Železničar.

Olympiacos took firm control early in the fourth set, leading 7–2 and 11–6. Železničar narrowed the gap to 12–9, but another strong run by the hosts made it 19–12. Olympiacos closed the set 25–17 to seal a 3–1 victory and collect three crucial points.

Olympiacos middle blocker Jovana Stevanović was named MVP of the match after scoring 16 points (2 aces, 4 blocks, 67% attack efficiency). The top scorer overall was Milica Kubura with 24 points (3 blocks) for Olympiacos. For Železničar, Milena Koprivica led the way with 17 points (6 blocks, 1 ace), while Sara Sakradžija added 15 (1 block).

Pool E: SSC Palmberg SCHWERIN (GER) vs. KS Developres RZESZÓW (POL) 2-3 (19-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 12-15)

KS Developres Rzeszów survived a true volleyball thriller at the PALMBERG Arena in Schwerin, emerging victorious after an almost 140-minute battle that kept the crowd on edge throughout. In a match defined by momentum swings, extended rallies, and relentless intensity, the Polish side ultimately secured a hard-fought 3-2 win. With both teams having played three matches so far and collecting two victories each, Developres currently sit atop the standings in Pool E, underlining their resilience and consistency. However, the German side remain right on their heels, breathing down the Polish team’s necks as the battle for supremacy in the group continues.

Statistically, KS Developres Rzeszów held the upper hand in attack, recording 65 winning spikes compared to Schwerin’s 50, but they also allowed more unforced errors to creep into their game (34 to 30). The hosts from Schwerin were slightly more effective at the net, finishing with one kill block more (12 to 11), while the serving battle remained evenly balanced, with both teams registering five aces each.

The opening set saw SSC Palmberg SCHWERIN struggle to gain control as they trailed for most of the period, falling behind early at 5-10 and later conceding further ground as the score moved to 15-21. Despite brief moments of resistance, including three well-timed blocks by Marije ten Brinke, the gap proved too large to close, with the scoreboard eventually reading 19-25 for KS Developres RZESZÓW (POL). The hosts’ difficulties in attack were a decisive factor, as they managed only 27% attacking efficiency overall. In contrast, the Polish powerhouse dictated play offensively, with Taylor Bannister leading the way and topping the scoring charts with seven points to underline her team’s superiority in the first set.

As action resumed, Schwerin took an early 5-2 lead, relying on solid defense, but Developres quickly responded by exploiting gaps in the German block to close in at 7-3. An ace by Kok extended Schwerin’s advantage to 8-3, and although the Polish side increased the pressure, Schwerin managed to maintain control. At 13-11, Developres called a timeout in an attempt to disrupt the rhythm. As the set progressed, unforced errors began to creep into the German game, allowing the gap to narrow to 16-15. However, Schwerin showed strong nerves in the decisive phase, winning several long rallies to move ahead 19-17. Anna Artyshuk then delivered a crucial attack to make it 23-21, followed by an unforced error from Developres that pushed the score to 24-21. Schwerin’s Helena Kok sealed the set at 25-21 with a block-out. A total of 4 aces in this set helped the German tie the set score, with Ten Brinke shining on this element. 

The set began with Developres taking an early 3-0 lead, before Schwerin gradually settled and closed the gap to 5-6 and then 7-7. The teams continued to trade points, with the Polish side showing strong defensive organisation to maintain a narrow edge at 8-9 and 10-12. As the set developed into a true head-to-head battle, the score stood at 14-15. Schwerin then raised their level with well-organized attacking play; despite an excellent defensive effort by Artyshuk, Kok eventually finished a long rally to level at 15-15. What followed were extended rallies, with both teams displaying high quality across all components of the game. With the tension rising, Schwerin’s attacking efficiency proved decisive as they pulled ahead to 20-18. Laura Heyrman then delivered a monster block to close another intense rally at 21-18, giving Developres some breathing room. The guests maintained control in the closing stages, with Dominika Pierzchala sealing the set at 25-20 with a block.

The fourth set was marked by constant momentum swings, starting with a strong 6-1 for Schwerin advantage before the score was quickly leveled at 11-11. Julita Piasecka played a key role in turning the tide, while Marrit Jasper applied pressure from the service line to push her team ahead. The balance shifted once again as the opposition regrouped to move in front at 18-15 and then 19-17, with Bannister contributing an important point during the decisive phase. However, the effort proved insufficient, as unforced errors continued to undermine consistency, ultimately sending the contest into a tiebreak.

The tiebreak opened with Developres taking a narrow 2-0 lead, before Schwerin responded to level the score at 4-4 and briefly edge ahead at 5-4. The momentum shifted again as Developres regained control at 5-7, helped by a service error from Kok that extended the gap to 5-8. Schwerin fought back to turn the score around at 10-9, but Developres stayed composed in the decisive moments. As Schwerin searched for solutions, their head coach Felix Koslowski urged focus with a clear message from the sideline: “Eyes on the ball.” Julita Piasecka of Developres then took over from the service line, delivering an ace to make it 14-12 and secure the first match point for Developres. She followed it up with another ace to seal the victory at 15-12. For her outstanding performance (28 points), Julita Piasecka was named MVP, later reflecting on the win:

Pool A: Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI (ITA) vs. VakifBank ISTANBUL (TUR) 1-3 (24-26, 22-25, 25-17, 21-25) 

VakifBank Istanbul won the big Pool A derby, ending Savino Del Bene Scandicci’s 15-match winning streak while extending their own run to 17 consecutive victories. The Turkish side prevailed on the road at Palazzo Wanny in Florence after just over 100 minutes of play.

Superior attacking proved decisive for Giovanni Guidetti’s team, who finished with 62 winning spikes to Scandicci’s 44 (47% to 39% efficiency), despite the hosts leading in blocks (14-11) and aces (9-5). Tijana Bošković of VakidBank was named MVP with 24 points, while Ekaterina Antropova of Scandicci topped the scoring charts with 30.
VakifBank remain unbeaten at the top of Pool A, with Scandicci second on two wins and one loss.

VakifBank made a strong start to the opening set, moving ahead 5-2, but Scandicci responded quickly behind an impressive serving run from Ekaterina Antropova to level the score at 6-6. Antropova followed it up with another ace to make it 8-6, repeatedly putting the Turkish reception under pressure. Scandicci maintained a narrow cushion at 11-8, with Camilla Weitzel also making her presence felt through a series of effective blocks. The contest remained tight at 14-12 and later at 18-18, as VakifBank showed quality work at the net with a well-organised block. Despite Scandicci holding the lead at 22-18, the momentum shifted dramatically late on. An ace by Cansu reduced the deficit to 24-23, before Marina Markova completed a remarkable turnaround with a decisive block and a powerful attack, allowing VakifBank to snatch the set in dramatic fashion 26-24.

The Turkish powerhouse carried that momentum into the second set, storming to a 5-0 lead after a strong performance by Marina Markova. Scandicci initially struggled to find their rhythm and trailed 10-14, but the side coached by Marco Gaspari gradually regained composure and began chipping away at the deficit, eventually drawing level at 18-18. From that point on, the set developed into a battle of nerves, yet VakifBank showed greater control in the decisive moments and closed it out 25-22.

Scandicci responded well in the third set, edging ahead early at 4-3 before extending their advantage to 10-6. A service ace by Weitzel forced VakifBank head coach Giovanni Guidetti to call a timeout. A familiar pattern followed, with Scandicci opening up a four-point lead and VakifBank attempting to claw their way back. At 16-11, Scandicci’s serving continued to cause problems, putting sustained pressure on the Turkish side’s reception. The momentum was firmly with the Italian team at 19-13, when an impressive block by Maja Ognjenović underlined that the reigning world club champions were back in control. Scandicci dominated the closing stages to take the set comfortably at 25-17, with VakifBank committing nine unforced errors.

VakifBank regrouped in the fourth set, led by a dominant Tijana Bošković, who was on fire from the opening exchanges. Antropova once again made her mark from the service line with an ace, but Bošković responded immediately, continuing to terminate rallies with authority. She consistently found sharp attacking angles and even impressed with her defensive work. Scandicci briefly found a breakthrough at the net, with Weitzel producing a key block to narrow the gap to 9-8, but VakifBank quickly reasserted control to lead 13-10. With Bošković continuing to steal the show, the Turkish side edged further ahead at 17-16 and went on to seal the set 25-21, capped off by a service ace from Cansu.

Pool A: Volero LE CANNET (FRA) vs. CS Volei Alba BLAJ (ROU) 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-22, 25-22)

France’s Volero Le Cannet achieved their first Champions League win of the season, a 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-22, 25-22) home victory over Romania’s CS Volei Alba Blaj in Thursday’s Pool A match at the La Palestre hall. Now on a 1-2 win-loss record and 3 points, Volero surpassed Alba to third place in the current pool standings. Still winless in three matches and with 0 points on its record, the Romanian team fell to fourth place.

Volero took the lead from the start of the first set and opened up a gap as wide as seven points at 16-9. Alba managed to narrow it down and finally closed it completely with an ace by Serbian substitute setter Marija Miljevic for 22-22. After 23-23, however, Volero’s 17-year-old Belarusian middle blocker Aida Dautova delivered two successful swings in a row to end the set at 25-23.

After some changes to its starting line-up, the Romanian team stepped up its offensive effort and had the lead for most of the second set with the gap going as wide as six points at 12-6. However, with 21-year-old Russian opposite Alina Popova spearheading the attack, Volero came back and caught up at 21-21 with an off-the-block pipe shot by 20-year-old Belarusian outside Liubou Svetnik, but only to let Alba take the next four points to close the set and level the match.

Further improving their blocking performance, Volero had control of the scoreboard for most of the third set. It was a monster block by Bulgarian outside Vangeliya Rachkovska that brought in set point at 24-20. Alba managed to deny it twice before Lithuanian middle Ruta Staniulyte produced the 25-22 winner with a slide-behind kill.

With five points in a row on Dautova’s serving turn, Volero broke away with an early 7-2 lead in set four. The home team powered on to widen their lead to 20-9, but then relaxed a little to let the Romanian team storm back into the match on a 13-4 run. Finally, a monster block by Svetnik put an end to the game at 25-22.

Alina Popova led Volero with a team-high 21 points, all in swings. Ruta Staniulyte impressed with five kill blocks and the team’s only ace to finish with 15 points, while Aida Dautova added another four kill blocks towards a 12-point tally. Vangeliya Rachkovska and Liubou Svetnik also reached the double digits with 10 points each. Alba’s Cuban striker Evilania Martinez Luiz, who came in as a sub-in opposite, emerged as the best scorer of the game with 23 points.

Volero’s libero Amandine Giardino was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the match.

Pool B: Sport LISBOA e Benfica (POR) vs. Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA (ITA) (20-25, 15-25, 29-31)

Igor Gorgonzola Novara emerged victorious from their clash with newcomers Sport Lisboa e Benfica, who played for the first time their #CLVolleyW match at Pavilhão Fidelidade in Lisbon. Despite the defeat, the hosts once again demonstrated their potential, setting the bar high in the opening set and pushing the third set to an intense 31–29 finish. Benfica were particularly impressive at the net, outblocking their opponents 12–6. However, this was not enough to overcome the experience of Novara, led by Tatiana Tolok, who scored 25 points, earning another MVP award and steering her team to their second victory in the competition.

Tatiana Tolok’s powerful attack opened the set, but Benfica immediately responded with Kyra Holt’s spike, setting off a point-by-point battle. Holt received strong support from Isidora Ubavic, who contributed three and four points respectively in the opener. Both sides gave their all in offense and defense, producing tight rallies, with excellent reception on display – Lisboa recorded 63% positive receptions, while Novara reached 69%. Novara gained a slight edge when Lina Almseier blocked Veronika Dokic for a 16–14 lead. From that point, the Italian side grew more confident, stretching their advantage to 19–16 before Benfica coach Henrique Furtado Pereira called a time-out. The break worked: Ubavic’s attack and a long rally finished with Claudia Anne Dillon’s block narrowed the gap to 19–18. Novara head coach Lorenzo Bernardi responded with a time-out of his own, and it paid off: starting with an attack from Almseier - who finished the set with six points and a 71% attack success rate - Novara won three consecutive rallies, restoring their lead to 22–18. From there, Novara closed out the set convincingly, with Tolok sealing the win with a spike at 25–20. She ended the opening set with seven killing attacks, underlining her dominant performance.

Powered by Tatiana Tolok, Novara surged to an early 4–2 lead and quickly extended their advantage to 8–3 thanks to strong service runs from Lina Alsmeier and Sara Bonifacio. Benfica head coach Henrique Furtado Pereira called an early time-out, but his side struggled to respond to Novara’s high-quality play. Tolok continued to pile on the pressure from the service line, as the visitors pulled further ahead. A block by Silke Van Avermaet and Mayu Ishikawa stretched Novara’s lead to 12–4, and despite several lineup changes, Benfica were unable to find their attacking rhythm, they still managed to register six blocks in the set. Novara’s advantage continued to grow, reaching eight points at 16–8. Claudia Anne Dillon tried to spark a comeback, and with her serving, Lisboa managed a three-point run to close the gap to 16–11. However, Novara – led once again by Tolok, who scored seven points in the set – remained firmly in control and out of reach at 20–12. Ishikawa’s spike earned Novara a streak of set points at 24–14, before Van Avermaet sealed the set with a decisive attack.

Novara carried their momentum into the third set, opening up an early 9–3 lead. Once again, Tatiana Tolok played a key role, emerging as the dominant figure of the match with a complete performance and an exceptionally high level maintained from start to finish. Despite the significant deficit, Benfica continued to fight for every point, treating the fans to a series of breathtaking rallies. Claudia Anne Dillon again tried to spark a comeback. First, she scored with a clever attack, then, serving herself, helped Lisboa cut the gap to 10–7. However, the run proved short-lived, as Novara quickly restored a five-point cushion after a block by Lina Alsmeier made it 13–7. Undeterred, Benfica gradually worked their way back into the set. An attack by Holt brought the score to 14–12, and the hosts refused to allow Novara to pull away. A block by Ubavić and Dillon further reduced the deficit to just one point at 19–18. The decisive phase of the set was played at an extremely high level, with two standout protagonists: Tatiana Tolok and Kyra Holt – in the third set alone they scored 11 and 7 points, respectively. Novara earned two match points at 24–22, but Benfica showed remarkable resilience to save both, forcing the set into extra time. Long rallies filled with spectacular defensive plays heightened the drama, as Lisboa repeatedly fended off match points but were unable to seize their chance to win a set. Eventually, Ishikawa’s attack brought the electrifying contest to an end at 31–29.

Tolok finished as the top scorer with 25 points, including one ace and 24 kills at a 53% success rate, earning her another MVP award this season. She was supported by Lina Alsmeier and Mayu Ishikawa, who added nine and eight points, while new signing Silke Van Avermaet – who joined the team only on Monday – contributed five kills at a 57% success rate. For Benfica, Kyra Holt led the way with 11 points, seven of them coming in the third set, while Isidora Ubavić added 11.