This is Blair Lambert’s VolleyballMag.com weekly men’s professional volleyball report, featuring Americans around the world and foreigners who played for NCAA programs. Got a note about a player or a comment for Blair? Email him at blairlambert2@gmail.com
Wednesday marks the start of a busy week in international men’s volleyball. The action includes the Champions League quarterfinals, CEV Cup semifinals and CEV Challenge Cup final.
Cody Kessel and the Berlin Recycling Volleys start their quarterfinal series at home against Itas Trentino.
Micah Ma’a and Halkbank Ankara knocked ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle out of the tournament and ended its run of Champions League titles at three. The Turkish club will face Aleksandar Nikolov and Lube Civitanova in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals.
Matt Anderson’s Ziraat Bankasi will face CV Guagas from Spain. Ziraat was the top-performing team in the group stage of the tournament.
The other quarterfinal match has Gas Sales Piacenza playing Poland’s top team, Jastrzębski Węgiel.
CEV Cup
TJ DeFalco and Asseco Resovia Rzeszów face red-hot Fenerbahce in the semifinals. Fenerbahce is coming off of a domestic league match sweep of Ziraat Bankasi.
The other semifinal series pits Arkas Izmir against Gage Worsley, Blake Leeson, Matt Knigge, Matt Slivinsky, and SVG Lüneburg.
CEV Challenge Cup
Projekt Warsaw is in the final against Vero Volley Monza. Taylor Averill will suit up for Warsaw, but has not seen much meaningful action lately for Poland’s third-place team.
Poland
De Falco had 15 kills, three blocks and an ace, but Asseco Resovia Rzeszów lost to Bogdanka LUK Lublin in the quarterfinals of the Polish Cup.
ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle snapped a three-match by sweeping Cerrad Czarni Radom. Erik Shoji was the MVP with nine digs, 56 percent positive and 36 percent perfect passes.
Josh Tuaniga started the fourth set for Indykpol AZS Olsztyn and set the team to a .200 attack efficiency in a four-set win over Resovia. DeFalco had 13 kills, a block and an ace.
Jake Hanes had 10 kills, two aces, a block for KGHM Cuprum Lubin in a defeat to Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie.
Italy
Gabi Garcia had 12 kills, a block, an ace for Pallavolo Padova in a five-set victory over Famitalia Catania. Davide Gardini contributed 10 kills, two block and an ace.
Padova then got swept by Sir Susa Vim Perugia as Garcia had four kills but four errors. Gardini led Padova with seven kills and two…
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