CLVolleyM All-Star Team Vote: Libero Nominees
Counting down the days until May 5th, when the #SuperFinalsAntalya will electrify the Volleyball fans all around the world, we continue with introduction of the All-Star Team nominees as the fans will decide, whose efforts in the CEV Champions League Volley 2024 – Men will be recognize. Today we focus on the defense specialists - masters of saves, digs and receptions. Ladies and Gentleman - the liberos!
Fabio Balaso who has been performing in Cucine Lube Civitanova's jersey since 2018, in his first season with the team earned the #CLVolleyM trophy. However, this year their journey was interrupted in the semi-finals.
In this campaign, the 28-year-old Italian spent 34 sets (9 games) on the court. He spared no effort digging and receiving the ball, all to help his team. He was the one to receive the serve 155 times, recording 26% excellent and 13% efficiency.
Jakub Popiwczak from the beginning of his senior career has represented Jastrzębski Węgiel. He along with his teammates reached the SuperFinals for the second consecutive time and hopes to lift the trophy in Antalya.
The 28-year-old Pole impressed many times with his saves, as he kept fighting for every ball. In this #CLVolleyM season he performed in all 10 games (35 sets), being called by the opponents' to receive 141 times. His stats sheet include 27% excellent receptions and 19% efficiency in this skill.
Gabriele Laurenzano in his second season with Trentino Itas achieved a milestone in his senior career, reaching the #CLVolleyM SuperFinal. The youngest among our nominees, a 20-year-old Italian, shone bright at international underaged events and now conquers the senior stage.
On the way to SuperFinals, Laurenzano performed in 9 games and 31 sets, being pretty often called by the opponents for the first touch, as he recorded 149 receptions. He set down with 28% excellent receptions and 18% efficiency.
Volkan Döne joined Halkbank Ankara back in 2019 and since then became a vital part of the team. In this CLVolleyM campaign he and his team reached the quarter-finals. Döne did his best to have his teammates' back.
The 37-year-old Turk stands out with his stats. He was the best receiver among all our nominees, even if he was the one called the most often in reception. He performed in 39 sets (10 games), being called to receive the first 179 times. Thanks to his impressive skills he managed to record 34% excellent receptions (26% efficiency in reception) and in addition he was the only one among our nominees to score the point by himself.