Back-to-back trophies for Asseco Resovia or a maiden title for Ziraat Bank Ankara?

One year ago, Asseco Resovia Rzeszów secured their maiden trophy in an European competition after a 50-year wait, taking two clear 3:0 wins in the final of the CEV Volleyball Club Men, against German side SVG Lüneburg.

Now, after 10 consecutive wins, which improved their overall winning streak in the CEV Volleyball Club Men to 14 matches in the past two seasons, the Polish side has the chance to become the first team to secure back-to-back wins in the current format of the competition, introduced in the 2007/08 season.

So far, Asseco Resovia Rzeszów have lost only five sets in the 10 matches played, being clearly the most consistent team in the competition, with two sets coming in the two matches of the quarter-finals against Fenerbahçe Medicana Istanbul, two in the first leg of the semi-final against Tours VB, and one in the play-offs against Pafiakos Pafos.

However, the final will be a tough battle against Turkish side Ziraat Bank Ankara, which are looking for their maiden European trophy, after having lost the finals in the CEV Volleyball Cup Men in 2018 and the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup Men in 2021.

The first leg of the final is scheduled for Wednesday, 2 April, at 17:00 CEST, in Poland.

The Turkish side won nine out of the 10 matches played so far, having only one loss, in the semi-final against the reigning Champions League winners, Trentino Itas, where they lost in the first leg, 2:3, on the Italian side’s court.

But they bounced back in fantastic fashion in the second leg, taking a 3:1 win on their home court, progressing to their third European final in history, eyeing their maiden trophy after two disappointing finals, including the CEV Volleyball Cup Men one in 2018, when they lost both matches against Russian side Belogorie Belgorod.

This will likely be a battle between excellent scorers, as Asseco Resovia has the third and the sixth best scorers of the season, Stéphen Boyer (138 points) and Bartosz Bednorz (116 points) respectively, while Ziraat Bank Ankara rely on the fourth top scorer, Matthew John Anderson (130 points) and the fifth best scorer of the season, Trévor Clevenot (122 points).

However, both Anderson and Clevenot have played two more matches, as the Turkish side had extra round to play before Asseco Resovia finally started their journey to the second title in the CEV Volleyball Cup Men.

Asseco Resovia are coming after a disappointing loss in the quarter-finals of the Polish league play-offs, 1:3 against Champions League Final Four participant Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie, which saw their 17-match winning streak snapped just before the match against Ziraat Bank Ankara.

On the other hand, the Turkish side will feature in their first match after the 3:1 win against Trentino Itas, on 19 March, being fresh and prepared for their third European final in history.