Path to the Super Finals: Allianz Vero Volley Milano’s historic campaign

Winning the CEV Challenge Cup Women in 2019 and the CEV Cup Women in 2021 signalled the ambition and the passion put into their growth by Allianz Vero Volley Milano, a team which was promoted into the Italian first league in 2016, eight years ago.

Since that moment, Milano went from 10th to 5th in the space of four years and became a perennial contender for the title in the most balanced domestic league in Europe, with four consecutive third-place finishes over the past four seasons.

However, their ambitions have been highlighted by the construction of their roster, a star-studded one, which saw Milano sign Myriam Sylla in 2022, followed by a slew of high-profile players like Paola Egonu, Nika Daalderoop, Brenda Castillo and Kara Bajema in 2023.

The aim was quite clear: to win the domestic title – an objective which failed to materialise – but also to improve their best performances in the CEV Champions League Women, where Allianz Vero Volley Milano were eliminated by A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano in the 2021/22 season and by VakifBank Istanbul in the 2022/23 season.

Signs were there that Allianz Vero Volley Milano were going to challenge for the trophy since the 4th Round, when they clinched the first place in Pool A and a place in the quarter-finals, with five wins and a single loss and only four sets dropped in the process.

In fact, the Italian powerhouse had a five-match winning streak to throw off the pool, including three 3:0 wins, with the most impressive coming against the reigning champions, VakifBank Istanbul in the third match.

Not only did Milano dominate the reigning champions, they did that in emphatic fashion, with a clear win, 25:17, 25:17 and 25:16, with the former VakifBank star, Egonu, in superb form, scoring 21 points, followed by Dana Rettke (12 points) and Nika Daalderoop (10 points).

A 3:1 win against Volley Mulhouse Alsace and a 3:0 win against Jedinstvo Stara Pazova completed the sweep until Allianz Vero Volley Milano were handed their first loss, 2:3 against VakifBank on their home court, with a 12:15 loss in the fifth and decisive set.

Nevertheless, only Fenerbahçe Opet Istanbul (331) conceded less points in the 4th round than Milano (366), as the Italian side were fourth in the ranking for the pool winners, facing ŁKS Commercecon Łódź, another pool winner, in the quarter-finals.

There was no drama there, with two clear wins (3:0 and 3:1) helping Allianz Vero Volley Milano reach the semi-finals of the European premium competition for the first time in history, but their biggest challenge was still there: a doubleheader against Fenerbahçe Opet Istanbul, which had previously lost only one match and four sets, boasting a fantastic line-up led by Melissa Vargas, the MVP of the CEV EuroVolley 2023.

While the first leg saw a hard-fought, albeit convincing win for Milano, 3:0 (25:21; 27:25; 25:20), Fenerbahçe Opet Istanbul bounced back in the second leg and took the 3:1 win needed to push the match into the golden set, where Egonu took over and dominated the Turkish side, finishing the match with 35 points and a clear 15:11 win to seal the maiden Super Finals berth for Vero Volley.

This will be the fifth ever final of the European premium competition between Italian sides, while Milano can become the ninth Italian champion in the CEV Champions League Women, following into the footsteps of Casalmaggiore and Novara, which won their first-ever final in 2016 and 2019 respectively.

A 3:1 win against Volley Mulhouse Alsace and a 3:0 win against Jedinstvo Stara Pazova completed the sweep until Allianz Vero Volley Milano were handed their first loss, 2:3 against VakifBank on their home court, with a 12:15 loss in the fifth and decisive set.

Nevertheless, only Fenerbahçe Opet Istanbul (331) conceded less points in the 4th round than Milano (366), as the Italian side were fourth in the ranking for the pool winners, facing ŁKS Commercecon Łódź, another pool winner, in the quarter-finals.

There was no drama there, with two clear wins (3:0 and 3:1) helping Allianz Vero Volley Milano reach the semi-finals of the European premium competition for the first time in history, but their biggest challenge was still there: a doubleheader against Fenerbahçe Opet Istanbul, which had previously lost only one match and four sets, boasting a fantastic line-up led by Melissa Vargas, the MVP of the CEV EuroVolley 2023.

While the first leg saw a hard-fought, albeit convincing win for Milano, 3:0 (25:21; 27:25; 25:20), Fenerbahçe Opet Istanbul bounced back in the second leg and took the 3:1 win needed to push the match into the golden set, where Egonu took over and dominated the Turkish side, finishing the match with 35 points and a clear 15:11 win to seal the maiden Super Finals berth for Vero Volley.

This will be the fifth ever final of the European premium competition between Italian sides, while Milano can become the ninth Italian champion in the CEV Champions League Women, following into the footsteps of Casalmaggiore and Novara, which won their first-ever final in 2016 and 2019 respectively.