VaLePa Sastamala Tampere took the Finnish Men’s Volleyball Cup for the seventh time.
The Finnish Men’s Cup (Miesten Suomen Cup) jug returned to the possession of VaLePa after a year. Following a clear victory over Akaa-Volley with a score of 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-20) at home in Tampere in the final of the 2022–23 edition, the team commanded by Janne Kangaskokko took the seventh title in the competition. The club has been in the final nine times now.
The opposite on the winning side, Urpo Sivula, was chosen as the MVP, scoring 14 points in a decider. Every time he has played for the cup title with VaLePa, the result has been a victory. For VaLePa’s veteran setter Mikko Esko (44 years old), this game was a wild 41st final game within the borders of Finland, counting both Cup and league. Iranian Ali Fazli topped Akaa with 13 points.
Hämeenlinnan Lentopallokerho, better known just as Hämeenlinna, celebrated the triumph in the 2022-23 Finnish Women’s Cup (Naisten Suomen Cup). They stepped on the top of the podium in the competition after a five-year break and these two trophies are the only club’s cup trophies thus far. In a nerve-wracking final, which was also held in Tampere, Hämeenlinna defeated a small favorite, LP Kangasala 3-2 (23-25, 25-23, 24-26, 25-18, 15-7). A whopping 22 blocks on the winning side proved crucial for the outcome of a duel.
American Jenny Mosser was Hämeenlinna’s top scorer with 23 points. Michaela Madsen recorded as many as seven blocks. Neea-Maria Joki tallied 21 points for Kangasala, while Viivi Pyhäjärvi made 76% reception (25 digs, 36% excellent).