The play-offs are reaching their decisive stages across most countries. In Russia, Sam Deroo started the final series strongly last night. Visiting Zenit Saint Petersburg was brushed aside 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-23). Zenit Kazan now stands just two wins away from another title.

After losing the first semi-final 3-2 at Manacor, Tomas Rousseaux (21 pts – 54% – 2 blocks) and his Guaguas teammates turned things around in Spain. First with a 3-0 win over Manacor (Tomas: 9 pts – 42%), and then clinching the deciding match 3-2. They now face Soria in the final.

In Italy, the final will feature Trentino (second 3-2 win over Piacenza) and Perugia, who also secured a second straight win (3-0) against Civitanova in front of 4,313 fans. Ukrainian Oleg Plotnytskyi was named MVP.

In the race for fifth place and a Challenge Cup ticket, Milan lost 0-3 to Modena, despite 14 points from Ferre Reggers. Modena and Verona remain unbeaten and lead the standings.

In Turkey, Bankasi Ziraat Ankara celebrated winning the CEV Cup, beating Rzeszow 3-1 thanks in part to 24 points from Matthew Anderson.

In Poland, Jastrzebski won the cup after a 2h34’ battle against Zawiercie (3-1, including a 30-28 fourth set). In the semifinals, Jastrzebski beat Lublin 3-0, and Zawiercie overcame Warsaw 3-0. Those same matchups repeat in the league playoff semifinals.

In Germany, with Simon Plaskie not on court, Recycling Berlin advanced to the finals after three straight wins over Giesen. In the other semi, Lüneburg leads Friedrichshafen 2-1. A decision will come later this week.

In Croatia, Ribola Kastela (Simon Vlahovic 8 pts – 75% and 3 blocks) lost the second semi-final 3-0 against Osijek. As a consolation, Simon was selected for the Red Dragons’ U23 squad.
In Denmark, Dries Hoeyberghs' Nordenskov side is on track for third place after a second 3-0 win over Elite.

Britt Rampelberg MVP in France
Venelles reached the semi-finals in France with 3-1 and 2-3 wins over Béziers. Britt Rampelberg stood out with 75% and 69% reception stats, earning MVP honors. Nancy and Paris Levallois also reached the semis, along with the winner of Nantes – Mulhouse.

While awaiting the play-offs in Japan, Lise Van Hecke is regularly rested at Osaka Marvelous, which won 1-3 at Shiga with her on court (13 pts – 32%) and 0-3 without her against the same team.
In Greece, Ilka Van de Vyver led PAOK Thessaloniki to the playoff finals with a second 3-0 win over Thiras. They’ll face Olympiakos in the final.

In Italy, Conegliano (Isabelle Haak 20 pts) reached the final after a 1-3 win at Novara. Milan (Laura Heyrman) had already secured their spot in the final a week earlier.

In Poland, the final will be between Rzeszow (2 wins over Bielsko Biala) and Comm. Lodz, who won two derby matches against GB Lodz. Dominika Sobolska scored one point in the first match but did not play the second, though her team narrowly lost 19-17 in the tiebreak.

In Germany, Schwerin became the first finalist after a 1-3 win at Suhl, despite a solid showing from Lara Nagels (1 pt). They’ll face the winner of Dresden vs. Stuttgart. After losing the first match and trailing 0-2 in the second, Dresden staged a comeback, thanks to another standout performance from Nathalie Lemmens (12 pts – 64%), forcing a decisive third match. At Stuttgart, Pauline Martin came off the bench to score 4 points (17%), while Charlotte Krenicky, still recovering, made only brief appearances in two sets.

Article: Marcel Coppens
Photo: emiliopcphotography