Europeans Abroad: Europeans take their teams to the semis in China

European volleyball players are spread all over the world during the 2023-2024 club season, playing big roles in their teams. Many of them are currently away from the continent, competing in some of the top leagues on the planet, and we’ll help you follow their journeys by providing periodic updates on how they’re doing.

China

The semifinals of the Men’s Chinese Volleyball League will feature seven European players, who are split among three teams that advanced to the medal rounds of the tournament this week.

Shanghai Bright booked their tickets to the semifinals on Thursday, when they defeated Jiangsu Nanjing Maomao for the second time to win their best-of-three quarterfinals series. Serbian star opposite Aleksandar Atanasijević was the top scorer in Shanghai’s 3-0 win, tallying 15 points, followed by his teammate and former Polish national team captain Michał Kubiak, who fired 13.

Defending champions Beijing BAIC Motor also counted on strong contributions from European players to end their series against Fujian on Thursday, with a five-set victory. Belarusian middle blocker Maksim Shkredau registered 18 points, while Ukrainian setter Yurii Synytsia added another three.

Serbian setter Mihajlo Mitić, Belarusian opposite Artur Udrys and Serbian outside hitter Lazar Ćirović had more issues to place their team Hebei Baoding in the semifinals as their series against Tianjin Food Group needed a third and decisive match, which was played on Sunday and won by Hebei in the tie-breaker. Ćirović was in stellar form, producing 30 points, while Udrys contributed another 18.

In the semifinals, Shanghai will face Zhejiang Sports Lottery, while Beijing and Hebei battle each other.

USA

Russian opposite Anna Lazareva and Czech middle blocker Magdaléna Jehlářová helped their team Atlanta Vibe get to the top of the standings of the American Pro Volleyball Federation League with a key victory in the match involving the first and second-best ranked teams in the tournament.

The 27-year-old Lazareva was the top scorer in Atlanta’s 3-1 road win over second-placed Omaha Supernovas, leaving the court with 19 points (18 kills and one ace) on Thursday. The 24-year-old Jehlářová scored nine points, with five kills and four blocks. Omaha got ten points (five kills and five blocks) from Bulgarian middle blocker Hristina Vuchkova.

Japan

Hungarian opposite Krisztián Pádár helped his team Toray Arrows secure a spot in the Men’s Japanese V. League playoffs in the last weekend of action of the regular season.

The 27-year-old European, who was the league’s regular season top scorer for a third-straight year, led the Arrows to a pair of wins over the VC Nagano Tridents that made them rank sixth at the end of the regular season, earning the last spot in the playoffs.

Pádár scored 16 points (15 kills, one ace) on Saturday, when the Arrows won in straight sets, and improved his production to 25 points (21 kills, two blocks, two aces) on Sunday, when his team needed four sets to triumph.

In the semifinals, set to be held on Saturday, the Arrows will face defending champions Wolfdogs Nagoya of Polish national team captain Bartosz Kurek. The winners will meet the Suntory Sunbirds of Russian opposite Dmitriy Muserskiy in the semifinals on Sunday, guaranteeing the presence of one European player in the V. League final.