Pool stage of the CEV Women’s Champions League has wrapped up with 11 teams advancing to the knock-out rounds. Last season’s finalists, Eczacıbaşı Dynavit Istanbul and VakifBank Istanbul, unexpectedly missed the top spot in their pools, adding unpredictability to their play-off challenges.
The top teams, including three from Italy – A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano, Savino del Bene Scandicci, and Allianz Vero Volley Milano – secured direct quarter-final berths. Fenerbahçe Opet Istanbul dominated Round 4 with six consecutive wins. Vero Volley Milano will face ŁKS Commercecon Łódź in the quarter-finals.
Defending champions VakifBank, finishing second in their pool, will play against PGE Rysice Rzeszów in the play-offs. Eczacıbaşı Dynavit Istanbul, despite a setback against Scandicci, are favorites against SC “Prometey” Dnipro in their play-off match.
The remaining play-off fixture is an all-German clash between SC Potsdam and Allianz MTV Stuttgart, with the winner facing Fenerbahce in the quarter-finals. The play-offs will occur over two legs, scheduled for the last week of January and the first week of February.
