In several European countries, the season has already ended for some Belgian players.

In Germany, Düren also lost the second quarter-final match against Friedrichshafen. Robbe Van de Velde is returning to Lindemans Aalst, and coach Christophe Achten is expected to stay, as he still has two years left on his contract with Düren. The semi-finals will feature Friedrichshafen against Lüneburg and Giesen against Recycling Berlin, which needed Simon Plaskie (5 points – 40%) to avoid being surprised by Netzhoppers in the quarter-finals (2-3).

In Denmark, the title race is also over for Nordenskov and coach Dries Hoeyberghs, who lost three times in the semi-finals against Gentofte: 0-3, 2-3, 1-3. They will now compete for third place against Aarhus, which lost three times to Odense.

In Italy, Ferre Reggers (15 points – 41%) and Milan are no longer in the running for the ‘scudetto’ after another defeat against Civitanova, which is a title contender alongside Trentino, Piacenza, and Perugia. Reggers is still playing for a European Cup spot, although he is expected to join Civitanova in September.

In Poland, Kedzierzyn (Igor Grobelny 13 points – 37%) won 1-3 at Lublin.

But there is also positive news. In Russia, Sam Deroo advanced to the semi-finals after a second 3-0 win against Kemerovo. In the semi-finals, Zenit Kazan will face Dynamo LO.

Even without Tomas Rousseaux, Guaguas reached the semi-finals in Spain after a 3-1 victory against Cisneros. They will face Manacor, while the other semi-final will be between Soria and Valencia.

In Croatia, Simon Vlahovic (5 points – 100%) helped Ribola Kastela secure second place after a 3-0 win against Medimurje.

The biggest news came from France, where Pablo Koukartsev (former Roeselare player and ex-player of the year) scored 28 points (49%) to lead Tourcoing to French Cup victory, beating Montpellier 3-2 in the final.

Suhl continues to surprise
In Germany, Suhl (with Lara Nagels 2 points) kept surprising by defeating Potsdam for the second time 3-1, despite 10 points (62%) from Anna Koulberg. In Wiesbaden, Tanja Grözer announced her move to a foreign club after 13 years, following a 1-3 loss against Dresden, where Nathalie Lemmens was once again outstanding with 15 points at 70% and 7 blocks.
Stuttgart (with Pauline Martin 12 points – 44% and Charlotte Krenicki with a few appearances) also reached the semi-finals after another 0-3 win against Münster.
The semi-finals are set: Schwerin – Suhl and Dresden – Stuttgart.

Double Belgian wins in Japan with Queenseis (1-3 and 0-3 against Kurobe, Kaja Grobelna scoring 16 points (42%) and 17 points (48%)) and Marvelous Osaka (twice 1-3 against Saitama, Lise Van Hecke scoring 6 points (20%) in both matches).

In Italy, the women's semi-finals started with a surprising 3-0 victory for Novara against Conegliano. In front of 3,500 spectators in Scandicci, Milan kept the tension high by converting a 0-2 lead only in the tie-break. Britt Herbots scored 11 points (42%), while Laura Heyrman made only a few appearances. The top scorers were Antropova (Sc.) with 38 points and Egonu (Mil.) with 23.

Without playing, Dominika Sobolska and her team GB Lodz won 0-3 against Bydgoszcz in Poland.

In Serbia, no semi-final for Radnicki Belgrade (1 point – 25% for Mila Vlahovic), who lost twice in the quarter-finals to Zeleznicar.

In France, the Cup went to Mulhouse, which defeated Nantes 3-1. The two teams will meet again next week in the playoffs.

Text: Marcel Coppens
Image: Facebook TLM Volley Tourcoing