PIACENZA chase #CEVCupM final spot in Ljubljana

After securing their spot in the semis of the Italian national league by winning their fifth matchup with neighbours and rivals Modena, Gas Sales Bluenergy PIACENZA resume their campaign in the CEV Cup. On Thursday evening they will take to the court at the Tivoli Hall in Ljubljana to play the second leg of the semis with ACH Volley. There is a much-desired place in the final of the competition at stake. In the first leg, played last week at the PalabancaSport, Gas Sales Bluenergy PIACENZA won 3-2 (30-28, 25-20, 27-29, 20-25, 15-4). The ‘Biancorossi’ will secure their place in the final with a win by any score, whilst a 0-3 or 1-3 defeat would see the Slovenians progress further. Should the home side win 3-2, a Golden Set will be played.

Having arrived in Ljubljana on Tuesday late afternoon, the red-and-white team completed a weight training session before testing the court at the Tivoli Hall.

In the regular season of the Slovenian league, ACH Volley finished top of the table after 21 matches with 62 points from 21 wins. Only one match went to a tie-break. And for the past ten days or so, they have secured their place in the semi-finals of the Slovenian Championship after beating Funizar Ravne. It was a single-match tie rather than the two originally scheduled, following a decision by the Slovenian Volleyball Federation to facilitate ACH Volley’s European campaign. Therefore, the Slovenian side played their last match in Piacenza eight days ago. 

In Europe, ACH Volley began the season in the CEV Champions League, drawn in Group A alongside TRENTINO Itas, among others, and finished third in the pool, thereby subsequently dropping down to the CEV Volleyball Cup, where they beat the Turkish side Fenerbahçe Medicana ISTANBUL in the quarter-finals, winning the first leg at home 3-2 (25-17, 21-25, 25-16, 23-25, 16-14) and the return match played in Türkiye 3-1 (19-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-16).

Gas Sales Bluenergy PIACENZA secured their place in the CEV Volleyball Cup semi-finals by defeating the German side BERLIN Recycling Volleys 3-0 in both the first and second legs of the quarter-finals. The club, led by president Elisabetta Curti, is making its second appearance in the CEV Volleyball Cup: its first was in the 2022/2023 season, when it was knocked out in the semi-finals by Knack ROESELARE of Belgium. 

Gianluca Galassi, middle blocker of Gas Sales Bluenergy PIACENZA: “We are up against a strong team, and they proved that in the first leg. What’s more, we will be playing in a venue that will be a real cauldron, but we are ready and prepared for this even more so after our last play-off match a few days ago in Modena. We know very well that we mustn’t let our guard down for even a single rally and that, right from the opening minutes, we must impose our rhythm and style of play without giving our opponents too much space – we are well aware of their strength and skills. The CEV Cup is a competition we all care deeply about; we want to reach the final.”