Lube and Trentino Face Off In Italy, Big Challenge For Halkbank
Preview
Top-notch volleyball actions await the fans this weekend in the domestic clashes of the most elite clubs on the continent. After winning their battles in the second group matches of #CLVolleyM, Lube and Trentino will face off in the most anticipated clash of the weekend, and HalkBank will seek to remain undefeated in Türkiye after overpowering BR Volleys in an epic tie-break.
In the biggest challenge of the week, Cucine Lube Civitanova will host Itas Trentino in the eighth round of the Italian Superlega. Both teams successfully passed their last tests in the CEV Champions League Volley: Lube side overpowered VK Lvi Prague and took their second victory, and Trentino defeated Tours VB to remain at the top in Pool B.
Trentino have quite an impressive record on the national side as well: Winning all seven games, Trentino is currently the only undefeated team in the league. Lube had some ups and downs in previous weeks and suffered two failures, which places them in the fifth position.
Winning this clash will surely mean more than just a victory for both clubs: Trentino will continue their invincibility and take the psychological advantage over their strong opponents, and Lube also aim to show that the good record is not a coincidence and they are an important candidate for the national title.
Other squads that showed an impressive performance in the second leg of the group stage were the Turkish participants of #CLVolleyM, Halkbank Ankara, and Ziraat Bankasi Ankara. After beating BR Volleys in a thrilling five set, Halkbank took top place in Pool C. Now, they will visit Alanya Belediyespor in the tenth round of the Turkish Efeler League.
Alongside the CEV Cup squad Fenerbahce HDI Sigorta, Halkbank is one of the two teams that continue their way undefeated in Türkiye. Their opponent, Alanya also showed a performance that is worth mentioning, as they are currently in third place with only one defeat in nine clashes. Therefore, completing the weekend with a victory will increase the gap between the top two clubs and their closest followers.
Ziraat Bankasi took a surprising but well-deserved victory over the reigning champions of #CLVolleyM, Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle, in five sets in Pool A. This weekend, they will meet Develi Belediyespor, and the aim is undoubtedly a clear victory. They are currently ranked fourth, and since two teams in front of them will face off, Ziraat will definitely want to use this opportunity to become closer to the leaderboard.
After important victories in #CLVolleyM, the group leaders will start fully focusing on their next domestic clashes. If you want to spend some time watching volleyball this weekend, you can especially have a look at Italy and Türkiye.