VK Jihostroj surprised in the first match. The team unexpectedly overpowered Turkish Fenerbahçe Istanbul on their home court. This is a great success for the club from Budweis as well as the entire Czech volleyball scene, which waited five years for a win in the Champions League( in 2005 against Austrian Innsbruck).

There is an immense interest in the tickets for the Thursday match against the Italians from Civitanova. A lot of people want to see the best team in the world in action. The capacity of the sports hall is already sold out which brings us to believe that the mood during the match will be wonderful.

Most of the players in VK Jihostroj were a part of the national team of their respective countries – senior or junior. The biggest “star” of the home team is probably the Spanish setter Miguel Angel De Amo who won “The Best Setter of the Czech Extraliga” in the last season. He is also a regular support for the Spanish national team.

This match is going to be the first match in the Champions League in the career of precisely half of the players of VK Jihostroj.

The coach of the home team, René Dvořák is a legend of the club. He himself spent 10 seasons in VK Jihostroj České Budějovice.

Filip Křesťan – VK Jihostroj České Budějovice,

“I don’t know if there is some kind of recipe for such a great team. The fundamentals will be excellent serve, concentration in every way, assertiveness and a healthy dose of luck! Anything can happen if we put up a performance on the limits of our capabilities.”

René Dvořák – couch VK Jihostroj České Budějovice

“We are preparing ourselves for Civitanova in a standard way – just like for any other match. We are watching many videos and looking into the style which is characteristic for them. However, this team is so good and complex that it is able to change the style of the game and be excellent in every one of them. It is not possible to focus on one player as the team basically consists only of stars. So, we have to concentrate on our performance.”