Trentino and Imoco return to European throne

• Italy’s Trentino Itas Trento sweep the men’s final against Poland’s Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj

• Antonio Carraro Imoco Conegliano win spectacular all-Italian women’s final against Allianz Vero Volley Milan

• Alessandro Michieletto and Isabelle Haak earn the MVP awards

Two Italian powerhouses returned to the European throne and, while for the women’s team of Antonio Carraro Imoco Conegliano it was after only two seasons of absence, for their male compatriots from Trentino Itas Trento, it was the first time to win the CEV Champions League since 2011. Trentino’s Alessandro Michieletto and Imoco’s Isabelle Haak claimed the Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards.

The Super Finals in both genders were held one after the other on Sunday evening in the Turkish city of Antalya. CEV President Aleksandar Boricic and Turkish Volleyball Federation President Mehmet Akif Ustundag headlined the awarding ceremony. All four finalists earned the right to represent their continent at December’s FIVB Volleyball Club World Championships.

CEV Champions League Volley 2024 - Men

The gala evening in Europe’s most prestigious club competition started with the men’s final in front of 8,500 spectators. Trentino dominated their match against Poland’s Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj and mastered a 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-21) sweep to claim their fourth continental crown and the first since their three consecutive Champions League titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Since then, Trentino has reached the final of the competition four times and after three unsuccessful attempts in 2016, 2021 and 2022, the Italian team finally returned to the continental throne.

Jastrzebski Wegiel’s outside hitter Tomasz Fornal was the best scorer of the match with 19 points, including three kill blocks and an ace. His Italian counterpart Alessandro Michieletto led the winners with 16 points, spiking at a 54% success rate and producing two aces and a block, to earn the MVP recognition. His teammate, Luxembourgish opposite Kamil Rychlicki, added another 15 points, while the other outside, Daniele Lavia, finished with 11.

Trentino’s journey to the European throne started in Pool B, which they topped on a 5-1 win-loss record. In the quarterfinals, they mastered two straight-set victories over Germany’s Berlin Recycling Volleys, and in the semifinals, they overcame compatriots Cucine Lube Civitanova after a 3-1 win at home and a 3-2 loss on the road. In the other semifinal, Jastrzebski Wegiel achieved two victories over Türkiye’s Ziraat Bank Ankara, 3-0 at home and 3-2 away.

Trentino Itas Trento’s team roster

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CEV Champions League Volley 2024 - Women

The all-Italian women’s final between Imoco and Allianz Vero Volley Milan turned into a real highlight of the season, gifting a five-set spectacle to the 9,300 volleyball fans on the stands (pictured in the main photo; credits: cev.eu). Vero Volley came back from a set down twice during the match, before Imoco could celebrate in the tie-breaker, 3-2 (25-14, 23-25, 25-19, 19-25, 15-9). Imoco triumphed as European champions for the second time in history. They earned their first continental crown in 2021. They also have three lost finals, in 2017, 2019 and 2022.

Imoco’s Swedish star opposite Isabelle Haak delivered a 23-point match high and claimed the MVP nomination. American outside Kathryn Plummer contributed another 21 points, while Vero Volley’s big gun, opposite Paola Egonu, led her team with 19 points.

To claim the title, Imoco went through the competition on a victorious run of 11 wins in a row. They topped Pool D on a 6-0 win-loss record and then went past two Turkish powerhouses – VakifBank Istanbul in the quarterfinals and Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul in the semifinals – with two wins each to reach the Super Final against Vero Volley. The team from Milan reached the first Champions League final in the club’s history by knocking out another Turkish standout, Fenerbahce Opet Istanbul, in a golden set, after a 3-0 win at home and a 3-1 loss on the road.

Antonio Carraro Imoco Conegliano’s team roster

All results