A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano sealed the top spot in Pool A and qualified for the quarterfinals of the 2023 CEV Women’s Volleyball Championship one round early.
With their fifth victory out of five matches, Imoco became the first team to progress to the knockout stage of the CEV Champions League Volley 2023 | Women. The Italian champion’s head coach Daniele Santarelli introduced a combined lineup to the away match against Hungary’s Vasas Óbuda Budapest given that it was scheduled only 48 hours after the Italian Cup final. It reflected in losing one set but not in an overall result. Dutch Robin de Kruijf was the best scorer on the winning side with 19 points (five blocks). American Kelsey Robinson had 80% reception (10 digs, 30% excellent). Her compatriot, Taylor Bannister top-scored Vasas with 21 points.
Such an outcome determined the fate of Developres Rzeszów. The Polish side no longer has a chance of directly qualifying for the quarterfinals, even though they swept France’s Volley Mulhouse Alsace on the road, also today, thanks to 19 points from Georgian Ann Kalandadze and five blocks from Weronika Centka. Developres are second in the pool ranking and will go to playoffs
Italy’s Vero Volley Milano dropped one set to the Ukrainian SC “Prometey“ Dnipro on the road in the Czech Republic but closed 3-1 (25-19, 25-18, 24-26, 25-14) and await the decisive match for the direct qualification to the knockouts against Volero Le Cannet in the last round (both are playoff participants for sure). Marco Gaspari’s ladies hold the leadership in Pool B firmly in their grip. However, in case Volero fail to beat Romania’s CS Volei Alba Blaj tomorrow, the Serie A vice-champions won’t need to defend first place in the group stage closing match in a week. Today, Milano (played in a combined lineup) were led by Belarusian Hanna Davyskiba (22 points), while American Dana Rettke made five blocks and 71% of her hits (12/17). Yevheniia Khober and Svitlana Dorsman scored 12 points each for Prometey.
Turkey’s VakıfBank İstanbul and Italy’s Igor Gorgonzola Novara will settle the issue of first place in Pool C and a direct progression to the top 8 in a head-to-head meeting on the last matchday, with both securing playoffs. In the penultimate round, the titleholders (American Chiaka Ogbogu 13 points, six blocks) defeated Serbia’s Crvena Zvezda Beograd 3-0, while the Italian team (Turk Ebrar Karakurt scored 22 points; Anna Danesi and Sara Bonifacio set up four blocks apiece) prevailed 3-1 against Germany’s SC Potsdam, who missed the last opportunity to interfere in the battle for the playoffs.
CEV Champions League Volley 2023 | Women, group stage, Round 5:
