Experience vs exuberance: Trentino vs Węgiel, or a Super Finals for the ages

One year ago, Jastrzębski Węgiel were only one set away of winning their maiden European trophy, conceding a 2:3 loss in the Super Finals against domestic rivals Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn-Koźle.

This time around, the team led by the All-Star Team coach voted by the fans, Marcelo Mendez, has another shot at glory, with all the Polish hopes of winning the fourth consecutive trophy in the CEV Champions League Men relying solely on their shoulders, when they face Trentino Itas in the Super Finals, on 5 May, in Antalya.

A Polish team can win the European premium competition for the fourth time in a row for the first time, with this being the second largest show of dominance in history, only Russia winning it more times in a row – seven times, between 2012 and 2018.

Jastrzębski Węgiel will aim to secure a fantastic double, after clinching the Polish league title in style last week, with a 2:1 win over Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie, which saw Mendez’s side take a 3:0 win in the first match, concede a 1:3 loss in the second match and secure the title with a hard-fought 3:1 win in the decider, on their home court.

Now, the task will be even tougher, as Jastrzębski Węgiel face Trentino Itas, which had a fantastic season so far, with only two losses, one in the 4th round and the other one in the second leg of the semi-finals against Lube Cucine Civitanova, when the Super Finals berth was already decided.

“I believe that all of us - the club, players, coaching staff - had the same goal and the same motivation. To advance to the Super Finals again, in back-to-back seasons. It sounds easy, but it's a process that is long, throughout the whole season, a process that we've worked hard for,” says Benjamin Toniutti, Jastrzębski Węgiel’s captain.

So far, the Polish side conceded only two losses, one against Guaguas Las Palmas, when they were virtually pool winners, and the second one in the first leg of the quarter-finals, against Gas Sales Dalko Piacenza, 2:3, when the pressure started to mount on the Polish side.

From that moment on, Jastrzębski Węgiel only conceded two sets, in the second leg of the semi-final against Ziraat Bank Ankara, when the Super Finals berth was already decided, a show of strength and dominance for the Polish side.

If Węgiel are for the second time in the last act of the European premium competition, Trentino Itas return to the Super Finals after a one-year hiatus, having lost the last three finals in the CEV Champions League Men, against Zenit Kazan (2015/16) and against Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn-Koźle, in the 2020/21 and the 2021/22 seasons.

This will be the seventh final for Trentino, which won the trophy in three consecutive seasons, 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11, and have been a constant presence in the business end of the CEV Champions League Men over the last decade.

Indeed, this season has been excellent for Trentino in the European premium competition, albeit the Italian side is coming after a heartbreaking loss in the domestic league, conceding a 2:3 loss against Vero Volley Monza in the semi-finals, missing out on the chance of winning the title.

“I think until now we had a really great season. We were performing on a high level, I would say we played good in the most games we had until now. Regarding the Champions League, it is one step away, one big step however. For me personally it's nice to be here,” says Trentino’s Kamil Rychlicki.

Rychlicki, who signed for Trentino last summer, has been the team’s best scorer so far in the CEV Champions League Men, with 152 points, and created an unstoppable pair with Alessandro Michieletto, with the latter being named in the All-Star Team of this season’s European premium competition.

Only one side has lost four finals in a row in the European premium competition, Parma, with Trentino aiming to avoid becoming the second, yet the challenge will be high, especially as their Polish opponents will aim to avenge a semi-finals loss in the 2010/11 season, when Trentino won the title.