He turns 33 next week, but Sam Deroo already got himself an early birthday present by winning the Russian title again this past weekend with Zenit Kazan. Over the entire season, Kazan lost only one match in the league and remained undefeated in the play-offs, claiming its 13th national title. The toughest moment came in the second final match against Zenit Saint Petersburg, which went to a tie-break. But in the third game, Kazan dominated with clear set scores: 25-21, 25-16, 25-15.

In a team led by top setter Christenson, with local stars Maksim Mikhaylov and Valeri Volkov, Sam held a starting spot nearly all season. This marks what we believe is his sixth national title: three with Kedzierzyn in Poland, one with Dinamo Moscow, and two now with Zenit Kazan.
Notably, both Zenit Saint Petersburg (1 billion rubles) and Zenit Kazan (700 million rubles) are sponsored by Gazprom. One ruble is worth €0.011, or €1 equals 89.8 rubles.

Other Belgians are also shining abroad. In Azerbaijan, Seppe Baetens and his club Murov Baku finished top of the regular season. They reached the final after winning both semi-final matches 3-0 against Neftchi. Their final opponent is Azerrail, who only made it through via a golden set.

In Italy, Trentino qualified for the title final after three wins over Piacenza. They’ll face the winner of Perugia vs. Civitanova this Thursday in Perugia. For a European ticket, Milan (with Ferre Reggers, 9 pts) won 3-0 against Padova. Modena already has two wins under their belt, following a 3-1 victory over Cisterna, coached by former Roeselare player Guillermo Falasca.

In Poland, the first semi-final matches were played. Warsaw defeated Zawiercie 3-2 in front of 4,020 fans, and Kedzierzyn won 1-3 in Rzeszow — without Igor Grobelny but with Kurek earning MVP honors.

Nathalie Lemmens reaches final with Dresden
Among the women, the Russian champions are also known. Kaliningrad claimed the title after coming back from 0-2 down in the final against Dinamo Kazan and winning in the tie-break. The victory was largely thanks to 32 points (47%) from Turkish star Ebrar Karakurt, known for her often brightly colored hair.

In Italy, Conegliano is one win away from the title after a 0-3 victory in Milan, in front of 12,161 spectators! Laura Heyrman didn’t play a single minute in that match, which Milan lost 22-25, 20-25, 18-25.

In Japan, Lise Van Hecke reached the semi-finals with Osaka Marvelous after back-to-back 3-0 wins over Asterno. She scored 14 points in both games (56% and 51%).

In Germany, thanks to another top performance from Nathalie Lemmens (9 pts – 50% – 4 blocks), Dresden advanced to the play-off final with a 1-3 win at Stuttgart. For Stuttgart, Pauline Martin scored 18 points (30%), while Charlotte Krenicky made only brief appearances. In the first final match, Schwerin won 3-0 despite close sets (23, 24 and 22 for Dresden; Lemmens scored 4 pts – 44%).

In France, the first play-off semi-finals were played. Levallois/Paris won 3-2 against Nancy, while Britt Rampelberg (62% reception, 38% efficiency) and Venelles lost at home to Nantes 1-3, led by a stellar 26-point (71%) performance from 21-year-old French talent Halimatou Bah.

In Greece, Ilka Van de Vyver started for PAOK Thessaloniki but suffered a 0-3 loss in the first final match against favorites Olympiakos (18-25, 23-25, 22-25).