The Ukrainian and fellow outside hitter Semeniuk came up big in the final against Minas
Perugia players celebrate their victory in Bengaluru
Sir Sicoma Perugia will continue to reign supreme as world champions for another year as the Italian giants triumphed in the 2023 edition of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship, which came to an end on Sunday, in Bengaluru, India.
The Italians ended a perfect campaign of four wins against Itambé Minas on Sunday at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium and got to step at the top of the podium flanked by the Brazilians, who took silver, and Japan’s Suntory Sunbirds, who were third.
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The winners of the 2022 edition of the event, Perugia became just the third team to successfully defend their Men’s Club World Championship title, joining fellow Italians Itas Trentino (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) and Brazil’s Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei (2015, 2016). Their title also represented the 12th victory of an Italian club in 18 editions of the event.
Perugia, who had made it to the final without dropping a set in Bengaluru, were able to complete their campaign in a perfect way, downing Minas 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-19) in the gold medal match.
Polish outside Kamil Semeniuk was Perugia’s top scorer in the final with 14 points (12 kills, one block, one ace), followed by Ukrainian outside hitter Oleh Plotnytskyi, who delivered 13 with nine kills and four aces.
“I thought we played very well and all of our players were able to find a good rhythm this week,” Plotnytskyi commented. “In the final, we had a difficult moment in the second set, but we overcame it together. We’re excited to be bringing the trophy back to Perugia.”
Minas, who claimed their first World Championship medal in their third appearance in the event, got ten points from Cuban opposite Michael Sanchez and eight from each of outside hitters Paulo Vinicios Ferreira and Marcus Vinícius Coelho.
FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship – Results
The two finalists also formed the core of the Club World Championship Dream Team, with each sending three players to the ideal lineup – Perugia had MVP Plotnytskyi at outside hitter, Simone Giannelli at setter and Sebastian Solé at middle blocker, while Minas had Marcus Vinícius at outside hitter, Renan Michelucci at middle blocker and Maique Nascimento at libero. Sunbirds’ opposite Dmitriy Musersiky completed the…
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