Super Finals
CEV Champions League Volley 2021
The CEV Champions League Volley follows in the footsteps of the former CEV Champions Cup, with the first edition held in the 2000/2001 season, following a full revamping of the European Cup competitions. Ever since its introduction, it has featured all of the top teams in Europe and quickly established itself as the most prestigious club competition in international Volleyball – thus attracting elite players from overseas as well, wishing to play at the highest possible level.
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Photos featured on the CEV Photo Galleries are downloadable copyright free for media purposes only and only if CEV is credited as the source material. They are protected by copyright for all other commercial purposes. Those wishing to use CEV Photo Gallery photos for other commercial purposes should contact press@cev.eu
Łukasz is a 26 year old opposite, born in Krotoszyn, Poland. He always dreamt to be a sportsman. His volleyball career started on the beach, where he played for a while with Aleksander Śliwka. He is called by his volleyball friends "The Animal", due to his spectacular emotional expressions on the court. He is a Polish Champion from 2019 and a player of Polish National Team.
· Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN KOŹLE and TRENTINO Itas have met six times in the Champions League, all in the league round/fourth round.
· The last time these two teams met in the Champions League was in the 2017/18 fourth round. Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN KOŹLE won both matches in five sets. Back then these teams were known as Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE and TRENTINO Diatec.
· TRENTINO Itas won both CL meetings in the 2012/13 league round: 3-0 at home and 3-1 away (also as Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE and TRENTINO Diatec).
· The first two Champions League encounters between these teams came in the 2011/12 league round (as Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE and TRENTINO PlanetWin365). Both teams won their away match, 3-2 in Italy and 3-0 in Poland.
· This is the first men's Champions League final between a team from Poland and Italy.
· TRENTINO Itas won three of their five Club World Championship titles after defeating a Polish team in the final (2009, 2010, 2011).
Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN KOŹLE
· Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN KOŹLE have reached the Champions League final for the first time. Their previous best result in the competition was a third place in 2002/03.
· Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN KOŹLE can become the first team from Poland to win the Champions League. PGE Skra BELCHATOW (2011/12) and Asseco Resovia RZESZOW (2014/15) both finished runners-up in the competition.
· Płomień MILOWICE (1977/78) won Poland's only title in the Champions Cup, predecessor of the Champions League.
· Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN KOŹLE survived both of this season's quarter-finals (v Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA) and semi-finals (v Zenit KAZAN) after a deciding golden set.
· Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN KOŹLE lost two of their last three Champions League matches, after winning 14 of their previous 15 CL fixtures.
· Only TRENTINO Itas' Nimir Abdel-Aziz (188) has won as many points in this season's Champions League as Kamil Semeniuk (153) and Łukasz Kaczmarek (144).
· Jakub Kochanowski has won 20 points from stuff blocks this CL campaign. Only Srecko Lisinac (27, TRENTINO Itas), Marko Podrascanin (23, TRENTINO Itas) and Sebastian Solé (21, Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA) have won more.
TRENTINO Itas
· TRENTINO Itas have reached the Champions League final for a fifth time. They won the competition in 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11 (all as TRENTINO BetClic), while finishing runners-up in 2015/16 (as TRENTINO Diatec).
· On the men's side, only Zenit KAZAN (6) and Belogorie BELGOROD (3) won as many Champions League trophies as TRENTINO Itas (3).
· TRENTINO Itas lost their most recent Champions League match, 2-3 against Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA in the second leg of the semi-finals. This ended a 14-match winning run in the competition for the Italians (includes one awarded win).
· TRENTINO Itas (W13-L1) have already broken the men's record for most wins by a team in a single edition of the Champions League.
Joanna Wolosz was born on 7 April 1990 in Elbląg (Poland) and was inspired by Volleyball after watching her older brother play. In her spare time she likes to watch funny shows, read and listen to music! During the quarantine she started to collect records. She also likes to discover new places both alone and with her teammates!
· This match is a repeat of the 2016/17 Champions League final. VakifBank ISTANBUL won their third CL title after a 3-0 win against A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO (then Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO).
· They only other Champions League meeting between these two teams came in the 2017/18 semi-finals. VakifBank ISTANBUL beat Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO 3-2 to reach the final, where they beat CSM Volei Alba BLAJ 3-0 to win their fourth CL title. Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO defeated Galatasaray SK ISTANBUL 3-0 in the bronze-medal match.
· Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO defeated VakifBank ISTANBUL 3-2 in the 2019 Club World Championship semi-finals. The Italians ended up winning the competition, while the Turkish side took bronze.
· VakifBank ISTANBUL have won 11 of their last 15 Champions League matches against Italian teams, after winning only one of their first 16.
· A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO have won nine out of their 13 Champions League matches against Turkish opposition, including each of their last five.
A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO
· This will be A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO's third Champions League final. They lost their two previous finals, both as Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO: in 2016/17 (0-3 v VakifBank ISTANBUL) and 2018/19 (1-3 v Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA).
· A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO can become the sixth Italian team to win the Champions League. No other country has more than three different winners of the competition (3 by Turkey).
· A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO are on a 17-match winning streak in the Champions League, since a 1-3 defeat against Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA in the 2018/19 final. Of the 17 wins in this run, 14 came in straight sets.
· Only Eczacibasi VitrA ISTANBUL (3.3) has a higher amount of points from blocks per set this CL season than A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO (3.2).
· Paola Ogechi Egonu (174) is A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO's top scorer this Champions League season. Last season, she also won the most points for her team (110). She also recorded the highest points per set average this CL campaign at 6.44 (almost half a point over all other players).
· Egonu (19) has the second-highest tally of aces this Champions League campaign behind Magdalena Stysiak (21 aces for Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI).
· Joanna Wolosz (46.19%) and Giulia Gennari (42.86%) have the fourth and fifth-highest setter efficiencies this Champions league campaign.
VakifBank ISTANBUL
· VakifBank ISTANBUL are looking for a record fifth Champion League title. They currently share the women's record of four CL titles with Volley BERGAMO.
· VakifBank ISTANBUL are in the Champions League final for a record-extending seventh time (Volley BERGAMO follow on 5).
· VakifBank ISTANBUL won 16 out of their last 17 Champions League matches, only losing this season's semi-final first leg 2-3 to Unet e-work BUSTO ARSIZIO.
· Isabelle Haak (203) is the second-best scorer in the Champions League this season, only six points behind Magdalena Stysiak (for Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI). In 2019/20, Haak finished as Champions League top scorer on 170 points.
· Haak won 53 points for VakifBank ISTANBUL in their semi-final matches, at least 16 more than any other player in the semi-finals.
· Ayça Aykaç (28.47%) has the best receiver efficiency in this Champions League campaign. Teammate Michelle Bartsch-Hackley (27.49%) has this season's third-highest receiver efficiency.
· Maja Ognjenovic (62.64%) has the second-highest setter efficiency this Champions League season.