Conegliano, Milan and Scandicci to Istanbul for Final Four

The last event of the 2024-25 season is, by now, just around the corner. After the triumphs of Rome in the CEV Challenge Cup and Novara in the CEV Cup and ten days after the conclusion of the Scudetto Final, the attentions of all volleyball fans will move to Turkey, specifically to the Ulker Sports Arena in Istanbul, where the prestigious Final Four of the CEV Champions League will be staged on May 3 and 4. At 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Italian time on both match days, live on DAZN and Sky Sports, the challengers will clash for the most coveted prize.

An already historic edition, because among the four participants there will be as many as three representatives of Tigotà’s A1 Series. Title holder and champion of all competitions played this season, A.Carraro Prosecco Doc Conegliano will face its seventh semifinal in the last nine years (2019-20 interrupted for Covid, 2022-23 exit in the quarterfinals against Fenerbahce) against Numia Vero Volley Milan, already opponents in the Supercup, championship, Club World Cup, Italian Cup and Scudetto Final. The panthers will be looking for their third Champions League after those won in 2021 (final against VakifBank) and 2024, triumphing precisely against the Milanese opponents at the end of five thrilling sets. On court, all the MVPs of the last seven editions of the Champions League, excluding Turkey’s Kirdar who won in 2018, will be present: Zhu (2017), Egonu (2019, 2021, 2023), Gabi (2022) and Haak (2024). The Italian opposite will also be in her sixth consecutive finals, her second with the Milan jersey. In this edition, Conegliano lost only one set (in the rounds against Resovia), Coach Lavarini’s team only one match (also in the rounds, against VakifBank). In addition to last year’s final, only one other precedent in Europe between the two teams: the quarterfinals of the 2021-22 season, with double success for coach Santarelli’s girls. The challenge will begin at 3 p.m.

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At 6 p.m., the other pairing on the scoreboard will follow, pitting the third Italian team, Savino Del Bene Scandicci, against the hosts of VakifBank Istanbul. Two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of history in the competition: the Tuscan lineup is in its first time ever in a CEV Champions League final, while the Turkish battleship is the most titled among those present, with 6 trophies and no less than 9 finals played. The only two previous matches date back to the rounds of the 2019-20 edition, with a double external victory: 2-3 Scandiccese in Turkey, 0-3 Vakif in Tuscany. If, however, this season the girls under the orders of Italian Giovanni Guidetti have suffered two European defeats (against Milan in the return of the Pool and in the first leg of the quarterfinals against Fenerbahce), Marco Gaspari’s team has been the protagonist of an immaculate path: eight wins out of eight and zero sets conceded to opponents. Two former ones on Scandicci’s side, Ognjenovic (from 2019 to 2021) and Bajema (in the 2022-23 season, crowned with the success in Turin), none among the Turkish ranks but a dense representation of players who have passed through Italy: from Frantti (Chieri and Casalmaggiore) to Markova (Novara), from Kipp (Florence) to Van Ryk (Bergamo) to Paris Olympic champion Caterina Bosetti.

This will be the first time three Italians will be present in a CEV Champions League Final Four, but not the first time with three out of four Italians in the Semifinals: it also happened in the 2020-21 season, with Conegliano who, after eliminating Novara, triumphed in the Finalissima in Verona against VakifBank, which in turn got the better of Busto Arsizio in the old format involving round-trip matches. Italy is currently on course to complete the eighth European cup hat trick in its history (2024, 2019, 2009, 2006, 2005, 2000 and 1997 the previous ones), the second consecutive one after last season’s, with an open streak of five consecutive continental trophies (seven including the last two WEVZA Cups). Should one of the three teams succeed, Italy would win its 19th Champions League, -4 away from the Soviet Union-Russia record of 23 titles. In addition to Conegliano, past winners Bergamo (7), Ravenna (2), Matera (2), Perugia (2), Modena (1), Casalmaggiore (1) and Novara (1).