OKI Fantomi Sarajevo of Bosnia and Herzegovina clinched were crowned European club champions for the 11th time in their history, following their unbeaten run in the 2023 PVE Champions Cup Men.
Led by tournament MVP Safet Alibasic, OKI Fantomi Sarajevo recorded five victories in as many matches over the weekend in the historic German city of Dresden, dropping only a single set on the way.
The visiting side came close to losing in the very last match of the tournament, but only conceded two sets to home team Dresdner SC 1898, 3-2 (25-11, 25-22, 22-25, 14-25, 15-11), after they had already secured the gold medal with a two-set lead.
The German club missed the opportunity to aim for gold when they fell to Kyiv Ukraine 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-12) earlier in the day. Kyiv Ukraine ended up with the silver, carrying a 1-1 record in the Placement Round, while Dresdner SC 1898 settled for bronze.
OKI Fantomi Sarajevo claimed back-to-back titles since the competition returned in its current format after a multi-year hiatus.
In other closing day action, Croatia’s IOK Zagreb improved by one position compared to last year by finishing fourth.
Turkey’s Karaman Ozel Idare Sport Club secured fifth position, as they beat Poland’s KS Indra Kamierz 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-18), while Serbia’s IOK Borac placed seventh with victories over Italy’s L’Abbondanza del Pane 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-16) and Hungary’s Mozdulj Budapest 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-16).
L’Abbondanza del Pane avoided last place in the standings with a 3-1 (28-26, 17-25, 25-22, 25-22) win over Mozdulj Budapest. The Hungarian club, which took home bronze last season, finished last this time with a winless record.
2023 PVE Champions Cup Men Final Standings
- OKI Fantomi Sarajevo (BIH)
- Kyiv Ukraine (UKR)
- Dresdner SC 1898 (GER)
- IOK Zagreb (CRO)
- Karaman Ozel Idare Sport Club (TUR)
- KS Indra Kazmierz (POL)
- IOK Borac (SRB)
- L’Abbondanza del Pane Nola (ITA)
- Mozdulj Budapest (HUN)
For full competition results, check the 2023 PVE Champions Cup Men page.
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