Trento, 17 January 2024

Champions League, Pool B closes with 2-3 loss to Rzeszow

The group stage of 2024 CEV Champions League ends with a defeat for Trentino Itas, beaten for the first time this season within the friendly walls of the ilT quotidiano Arena due to the 2-3 imposed by the Asseco Resovia Poles in the sixth and final round of Pool B. With the pass to the quarterfinals already in their pocket for a week and just three days after the battle they won against Verona in the SuperLega, the Italian champion lineup failed to remain undefeated in their grouping, surrendering two of the three points up for grabs that did not change the yellow-blue standings (first place with 16 points), but that will get Soli's team into the final table as the number 3 seed, behind Ziraat Ankara and Civitanova. In the quarterfinals, scheduled for the second half of February, the opponent will be the winner of  Berlin-Tours, the latter being the team that came in second place in the same grouping as Trento’s.
The Italian champions' evening got increasingly more complicated as it went along, also due to the specific merits of their opponents, who, although they no longer had a chance to enter the final table due to Tours' victory at home against Ljubljana, still demonstrated the competitiveness of their roster in this match. After a first set dominated in attack and serve, Soli's team suffered the comeback of the guests, led by serve and especially by Boyer (23 points) and the substitute Defalco (14 points in the last three sets). Thanks to Rychlicki (in the end best scorer with 25 winning balls), Trentino Itas managed to climb the slope in a fourth set that started badly (2-6) thus gaining the chance to play the tie break, which was dominated again by the Poles. Among the yellow-blue ranks, of note was the generous performance of former Asseco Resovia player Kozamernik (10 points with 60% attack, three blocks and an ace) on a difficult night for reception and attack in area 4.

Below is the scoreboard of the match (sixth round of Pool B of 2024 CEV Champions League), played Wednesday evening at the ilT quotidiano Arena in Trento.

Trentino Itas-Asseco Resovia Rzeszow 2-3
(25-20, 23-25, 20-25, 25-20, 9-15)
TRENTINO ITAS: Podrascanin 5, Sbertoli 1, Lavia 11, Kozamernik 10, Rychlicki 25, Michieletto 12, Laurenzano (L); D’Heer 2, Magalini 6. N.e. Nelli, Cavuto, Pace, Berger, Acquarone. Coach : Fabio Soli.
ASSECO RESOVIA: Klos 14, Boyer 23, Cebulj 5, Mordyl 5, Kozub 2, Louati 14, Zatorski (L); Bucki 3, Drzyzga, Defalco 14, Staszewski, Wrobel. N.e. Potera. Coach : Giampaolo Medei.
REFEREES: Petrovic from Uzice (Serbia) and Van Zanten from Vlaardingen (Netherlands).
SET LENGTH: 27’, 30’, 28’, 28’, 14’; tot: 2h and 11’.
NOTES: 2,094 spectators, total revenue: 16,006. Trentino Itas: 9 blocks, 9 aces, 19 serve errors, 3 action errors, 47% offense, 35% (21%) reception. Asseco Resovia: 6 blocks, 9 aces, 20 serve errors, 9 action errors, 52% offense, 55% (31%) reception. MVP: Defalco.

Trentino Volley Srl
Press Office