• Asseco Resovia Rzeszow claim club’s first continental trophy and Poland’s first men’s CEV Cup gold
• Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri'76 top 2023 Challenge Cup victory with a 2024 CEV Cup trophy
Poland’s Asseco Resovia Rzeszow wrote history on Tuesday by claiming the club’s first continental trophy after winning the men’s CEV Volleyball Cup final. On Wednesday, Italy’s Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri'76 followed suit in the women’s edition, picking up their first CEV Cup crown after their 2023 triumph in the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup tournament.
2024 CEV Volleyball Cup - Men
Asseco Resovia Rzeszow mastered two straight-set victories over Germany’s SVG Lueneburg in the home-and-away final of the CEV Cup to celebrate the first continental trophy in the club’s history. It was, in fact, the first time a Polish team has triumphed in Europe’s second strongest men’s club competition.
With 3,200 spectators witnessing the first match on 12 March in Germany, the Polish squad cruised to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-21) win. Their outside hitter from the USA, Torey Defalco, put away a match-high 16 points, including a fantastic five aces towards the victory, while middle blocker Jakub Kochanowski added 11 points, including an impressive six kill blocks.
In the return game in Rzeszow a week later, in front of 4,300 fans, Asseco Resovia produced another 3-0 (27-25, 25-18, 25-22) sweep to take the title. This time, opposite from France, Stephen Boyer, led the way with 14 points, despite only playing in the first two sets of the match, and earned the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
“This victory is valuable for our team,” said Defalco. “This season we had big problems with self-confidence and finding the right rhythm of play. It wasn't easy in the CEV Cup either, because we had matches in which our play was a rollercoaster. But in the end, winning this trophy will give us a lot of confidence. We know that with good teamwork we can play really good volleyball.”
After finishing third in their CEV Champions League pool, Asseco Resovia advanced to the CEV Cup quarterfinals, where they knocked out Polish compatriots Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie in a deciding golden set. Then they achieved two semifinal wins over Türkiye’s Fenerbahce PRL Istanbul, 3-1 at home and 3-0 away, before taking on SVG Lueneburg in the final showdown.
Reaching their first European final was also a historic success for SVG Lueneburg. They made it to the CEV Cup trophy match after a dramatic semifinal encounter with another Turkish side, Arkas Izmir. After losing the away match in straight sets, the German team claimed a four-set victory at home to prompt a golden set, which they also won, by 15-8, to progress.
Asseco Resovia Rzeszow’s team roster
All results
2024 CEV Volleyball Cup - Women
Last year’s winners of the CEV Challenge Cup, Italy’s Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri'76, did one better this year and triumphed as CEV Cup winners to add a second continental trophy to the club’s showcase. They earned the crown after two wins over Switzerland’s Viteos Neuchatel in the final home-and-away series.
The squad from Chieri delivered a straight-set victory in the first match on the road in front of 2,000 spectators in Switzerland on 13 March. With opposite from Belgium, Kaja Grobelna, leading the way with 17 points, the Italian side mastered a 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 26-24) sweep.
Welcoming Viteos Neuchatel to Turin for the second game on 20 March (pictured in the main photo; credits: cev.eu), Reale Mutua Fenera pleased a home crowd of almost 4,000 fans on the stands with a 3-1 (25-9, 25-20, 20-25, 25-13) win to celebrate the club’s biggest success in history. Grobelna was honoured as the MVP. She was the best scorer of the match with 16 points, including three aces.
“There are many emotions in the heart and mind,” Grobelna said. “The road to get here was long and we all made it together. Everyone gave their all and we made this dream come true together. We, the club, Turin and Chieri deserve it. We are really very, very, very happy. Usually after a match we say that we are already thinking about the next one, but not tonight. We want to enjoy this evening!”
Reale Mutua Fenera’s journey to the trophy started back in November and, on the way to the top of the podium, the team knocked out six opponents without losing any of the 12 matches played. However, in four of those games, they celebrated only after tough five-set battles. In the semifinals, they started with a 3-2 home win over France’s Levallois Paris Saint Cloud and finished with a straight-set victory in the away game.
The CEV Cup silver was the first international medal in the history of four-time Swiss champions Viteos Neuchatel. They reached that milestone after a thrilling semifinal series against Poland’s Grot Budowlani Lodz, whom they beat in four sets in the away game before losing at home, also in four sets, and then winning the golden set by a narrow 15-13.
Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri'76’s team roster
All results