The final match in Trento fell victim to Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK. Though they had to concede a set, they were never in real danger of losing. Result: 3-1 (25-19, 25-27, 25-18, 25-22). KARLOVARSKO have now won a set in all of their matches this week, but still remain at the bottom of Pool E without any points. The Russian team are in third place, they have acquired 4 points from these three matches. The return tournament will be played in Friedrichshafen, Germany, from February 9-11.

NOVOSIBIRSK have a dynamic trio that does most of the scoring for them. Sergey Savin, Drazen Luburic and Dmitrii Lyzik scored 18 of the 21 points in the first set alone. Patrik Indra of the Czech side scored 6, but that didn't get them close to winning. 25-19 for Lokomotiv.

KARLOVARSKO had built up a lead in the second, but saw Lokomotiv draw level at 24-24. A little bit of powering through helped the Czechs, they won the second set. But that was all she wrote, NOVOSIBIRSK was in front for almost the entire third en fourth set, never letting the finish line out of sight. They win, after having been close on Tuesday against TRENTINO, when they lost in five sets after having led 2-0.

• Drazen Luburic was named the MVP, he scored 25 points, hit 61% in attack and hit 5 aces
• Both of his teammates, Sergey Savin and Dmitrii Lyzik scored 16. Patrik Indra scored 13 for KARLOVARSKO
• Lokomotiv outscored KARLOVARSKO in all departments:
13 - 10 in blocking
54% - 47% in attack
8 - 4 in aces
61% - 44% in reception

Marc Wilson, Middle-blocker of ČEZ KARLOVARSKO: "It was challenging match. Novosibirsk was full of big, strong and powerful guys. The pressure on the service was there the whole game. I am proud of what we did. Our system and tactic were working really well, but Novosibirsk is the team with a lot of experience and they were better team today.”

Petar Shopov, Head Coach of Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK: "I want to thank our players for pulling themselves together at difficult moments. We took not only a three-point win, but also we didn't lose hope to reach the next stage of the CEV Champions League 2021. I know that the guys aren't in their best shape right now because of the fatigue and some injuries. So it was a very important game for us. If we speak about the first round in general, it is clear that many teams have problems due to the coronavirus. This situation makes it possible for almost every team to have an equal game against a higher-level team. We could have taken more points, but unfortunately, it didn't work out. We return home in a good mood, we will have a rest and hope that all our players will be able to play in the next match."

Sergey Savin, captain of Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK): "It was hard; the fatigue and the fact that we played without substitutions affected us. After the defeat on the first day and the fifth set from TRENTINO, we were knocked out. We were also under pressure from yesterday's 0-3 against Friedrichshafen. Fortunately, today we were able to show our best. Every player who was able to play did it well and together we made a result. The overall outcome of the first round is unsatisfactory. Against Trento it all started cheerfully and ended sadly. We made a lot of mistakes, honestly I don't know where they came from. The coaches will analyse it, and we will discuss it together. We will continue to fight, the chances are not gone."