One step to the big trophy for both Ziraat Bank and Asseco Resovia in the CEV Volleyball Cup Men final

Ziraat Bank Ankara is just three sets away from their maiden European title, after securing a 3:2 away win in the first leg of the CEV Volleyball Cup Men final against reigning title holders Asseco Resovia Rzeszów.

This time around, the two sides will meet in Ankara (Wednesday, 9 April, 17:30 CEST), in a winner-takes-all scenario, with no room for mistake from either the Turkish side, nor from the Polish team, which conceded their maiden loss in 11 matches in the competition in the first leg.

The first leg was a cat-and-mouse match, spanning 147 minutes, where Rzeszów took the first and the third sets, in a high-pressure setting, only for Ziraat Bank Ankara to create a better run to end the match and take the 3:2 win.

In the first set, Rzeszów clinched a 27:25 win, which was followed by Ziraat Bank’s comeback, 25:21, to tie the score, but the next two sets had very fine margins, going in each team’s way, 25:23.

But in the end, the Turkish side looked sharper and had the decisive push in the fifth set, despite taking a 5:1 and a 12:9 leads, only for the hosts to come back, but eventually concede a 17:19 loss and, subsequently, the match.

Stephen Boyer had 22 points and Lukas Vasina added 20 points for Asseco Resovia, but the Polish side missed Bartosz Bednorz, one of their most experienced players. Nevertheless, the Polish ace is back in the squad and will try to make a difference in the second leg.

“I expect a tough fight before the rematch. Resovia had a difficult start to the season, but then won almost 20 games in a row. The Polish league is strong, they face strong opponents every week. They will certainly be ready for the fight, we have to be too,” said Ziraat Bank Ankara’s Matthew Anderson, the MVP of the first leg.

Anderson and Wouter ten Maat each had 28 points for their team, being by far the best scorers for Ziraat Bank Ankara, while the hosts for the second leg had a 51% attacking efficiency, as opposed to Asseco Resovia’s 43%.

Any win for Ziraat Bank Ankara, irrespective of the score, will see them lift the trophy, while Asseco Resovia Rzeszów need a 3:0 or 3:1 win to secure the trophy, while a 3:2 win for the Polish side will push the final and decide the winner in a golden set.

The Polish side can become the first team in the new format of the CEV Volleyball Cup Men to retain their trophy and also be the second Polish side to secure an European trophy, after earlier this season, Bogdanka LUK Lublin emerged victorious in the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup Men.

On the other hand, the last Turkish side to clinch a title in the CEV Volleyball Cup Men was Halkbank Ankara, in the 2012/13 season.