Cucine Lube Civitanova and Bogdanka LUK Lublin eye final spots in the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup Men

Cucine Lube Civitanova’s challenge for the second title in the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup Men will see probably their toughest moment this season, as the Italian side heads to Türkiye, to face SK Ankara in the second leg of the semi-finals of the competition, on Tuesday, 25 February, at 14:00 CET, after a 3:0 win on their home court.

The other semi-final, which is scheduled for Wednesday, 26 February, at 18:00 CET, will see Sporting CP try to produce a miracle, after conceding a 0:3 home loss in the first leg against Polish side Bogdanka LUK Lublin, having not secured more than 21 points in a single set.

Cucine Lube Civitanova have won the trophy one time in history, in 2011, after winning the CEV Volleyball Cup in 2001, 2005 and 2006.

So far, Cucine Lube Civitanova have been nothing short of special in the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup Men this season, beating Czech side VK Karlovarsko in the 16th finals, with two flawless performances, 3:0 and 3:0, then Serbian side Karadjordje Topola, 3:0 and 3:1.

In the quarter-finals, the Italian side dropped a set in the first leg against Dutch team Nova Tech Lycurgus Groningen, winning 3:1, but dominated the second leg, on their home court, taking a clear 3:0 win (25:16; 25:13; 25:14).

However, Civitanova lost the last two matches in the Italian league, 1:3 against Padova and 1:3 against Trentino Itas, needing a comeback here. In the first leg, Erik Loeppky scored 17 points and Adis Lagumdzija added 13 points, as Civitanova led from start to finish in the first two sets, taking them 25:21 and 25:17, while mounting a late comeback in the third set to clinch a 25:21 win.

SK Ankara also lost their last two matches, 2:3 against Fenerbahce Medicana Istanbul in the Turkish Cup and 1:3 against Ziraat Bankara Ankara in the Turkish league, but need a 3:0 or 3:1 win to push the match into the golden set here.

In the second semi-final, Polish side Bogdanka LUK Lublin will be heavily favoured, as they are riding a good form, having a three-match winning streak, including the 3:0 win over Sporting CP, and two wins in the Polish league, where they are currently sitting on the fourth place.

In the last 17 seasons, the competition has been won by a Polish side twice, with Tytan AZS Częstochowa clinching the title in the 2011/12 season, while the reigning champions are Projekt Warszawa, which defeated Vero Volley Monza, 3:1, 3:1, in the last season’s final.

In their main European season, Lublin have conceded only two sets in seven matches so far, and have dominated Sporting CP, with Mikolaj Sawicki scoring 14 points, while the MVP of the CEV EuroVolley 2023, Wilfredo Leon, adding 10 more points.