Essential Victories From Perugia and Zawiercie, Shocking Defeat For Olympiacos

After securing victories in the first leg of the #CLVolleyM quarterfinals, the top teams turned their focus to domestic league action this weekend. While Perugia in Italy and Warta-Zawiercie in Poland achieved crucial wins, Olympiacos in Greece suffered an unexpected defeat. Meanwhile, Halkbank in Türkiye wrapped up the regular season with a victory but fell short of securing a spot in the league semifinals.

The #CLVolleyM quarterfinalist Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia continued their dominant run in the Italian SuperLega quarterfinals with another strong performance against Valsa Group Modena. After a hard-fought first match, Perugia was more clinical this time, sealing a 3-0 (25-21, 28-26, 25-15) victory to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Ukrainian outside hitter Oleh Plotnytskyi shined as the top scorer with 18 points, including two blocks and an ace, leading his team to within one win of the semifinals.

Polish CEV Champions League Volley quarterfinal winner Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie delivered a commanding 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-16) victory over PSG Stal Nysa in the 29th round of the Polish PlusLiga, maintaining their battle for second place. Karol Butryn, who was named MVP, led the team with 17 points, including two aces and two blocks. Zawiercie continued sitting tied in points (69) with PGE Projekt Warszawa in second place, setting up a decisive final round to determine the vice-leader before the playoffs.

Olympiacos Piraeus faced a shocking 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-21) defeat to AONS Milon in the second leg of the Greek A1 semifinals, allowing their opponents to level the series at 1-1. The loss forces Olympiacos into a must-win situation in the next match to keep their championship hopes alive. Likewise, Halkbank Ankara closed the Turkish Efeler League regular season with a comfortable 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-18) win over Bursa BBSK. However, their fifth-place finish means they miss out on the playoff semifinals, a disappointing result for the Turkish CEV Champions League Volley quarterfinalist.

As the CEV Champions League Volley quarterfinal second-leg matches approach, Perugia and Zawiercie will look to carry their strong form into Europe, while Olympiacos and Halkbank must regroup after tough domestic setbacks.