Trento, 29 February 2024

Champions League, Trentino Itas flies to Semifinals and will take on Civitanova

After only a year of absence, Trentino Itas regained its place in the elite of European volleyball, gaining access to the CEV Champions League semifinals for the eighth time in its history. The certainty of a place among the best four teams in the continent's top club competition came Thursday night at the ilT quotidiano Arena in the quarterfinal return match against Berlin, won 3-0; an exact repeat of the first leg result in the German capital.
To join Cucine Lube Civitanova in the all-Italian semifinal of the tournament to be played between March 13 (first leg in Trento) and March 20 (return in the Marche region), the Gialloblù only needed to win two sets against the Germans; having achieved that goal, however, Fabio Soli's team wanted to push ahead and, despite a completely modified lineup (all the players who had been on the bench up to that point took the court), actually managed to close out the match in three fractions with Cavuto and Nelli in fine evidence. Earlier, it had been Michieletto (MVP of the match with 9 points and 54% at the net, as well as two blocks) and Rychlicki (10 with 53% and two aces) who led their teammates in a contention that could have been complicated in the final of the first set due to Sbertoli's untimely exit. At the end of the opening partial, the National team’s setter suffered a dislocated fracture of the proximal phalanx of the fifth finger of his left hand (recovery time to be evaluated) and was replaced by Acquarone, who fully played his part, being among the brightest of the evening.

Below is the scoreboard of the 2024 CEV Champions League quarterfinal return match played Thursday night at the ilT quotidiano Arena in Trento.

Trentino Itas-Berlin Recycling Volleys 3-0
(25-19, 25-20, 25-22)
TRENTINO ITAS: Lavia 4, Kozamernik 3, Rychlicki 10, Michieletto 9, Podrascanin 3, Sbertoli 1, Laurenzano (L); Acquarone 2, D’Heer 1, Nelli 6, Cavuto 4, Pace (L), Berger 1, Magalini 4. Coach: Fabio Soli
BERLIN RECYCLING VOLLEYS: Tille, Schott 3, Tammemaa 3, Sotola 9, Taht 4, Krick 7, Tsuiki (L); Malescha 8, Kessel 4, Dervisaj 1, Kowalski (L), Stalekar 3, Mote 1. N.e. Carle. Coach: Joel Banks.
REFEREES: Ferreira from Porto (Portugal) e Rogic from Belgrado (Serbia).
SET LENGTH: 27’, 26’, 23’; tot: 1h and 16’.
NOTES: 2,736 spectators, total revenue: 18,950. Trentino Itas: 8 blocks, 6 aces, 12 serve errors, 3 action errors, 56% offense, 37% (20%) reception. Berlin Recycling Volleys: 3 blocks, 5 aces, 17 serve errors, 8 action errors, 49% offense, 62% (16%) reception. MVP: Michieletto.

Trentino Volley Srl
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