Europe
Trento and Ravenna in semis
Trento will play its CEV Cup semi-final with the euphoria that followed the victory in Modena which took them at the top of the Italian league table. The group will need to focus again on another big game, this time in Poland against Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle. This is yet another Polish team for the Italians following the ones met by Treia and Perugia. In the opposite side there will be former Trento star Kay Van Dijk. Other players have been in Italy in the past like Dick Kooy (Modena, Macerata) and Nimir Abdel-Aziz (Treviso, Cuneo). Coach Sebastian Swiderski also boasts the world champion Zatorski in his roster. The other semi-final put face to face the Russians of Dinamo Moscow and the Belgium team of Asse-Lennik.
2015 CEV Cup
Semi-final first leg
Tuesday March 24 at 5pm (Italian time)
Dinamo Moscow (RUS) – Volley behappy2 Asse-Lennik (BEL)
Tuesday March 24 at 8.30pm
Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle (POL) – Energy T.I. Diatec Trentino (ITA)
Semi-final return leg
Saturday March 28 at 8.30pm
Energy T.I. Diatec Trentino (ITA) – Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle (POL)
Volley behappy2 Asse-Lennik (BEL) – Dinamo Moscow (RUS)
The Ravenna squad is off to Portugal where they will play the Challenge Cup semi-final first leg against Benfica Lisboa. In the last round of the Italian league, they secured their participation in the playoffs thanks to a point taken in Molfetta. If Ravenna was to go through, they’d meet the winner of Stroitel Minsk versus Vojvodina NS Seme Novi Sad. Kantor’s men will have the advantage of playing the return leg at home, which was crucial in the quarter-finals. They had indeed turned things around against Belgrade with a 3-0 win after losing the first leg 3-2. Some of the Benfica stars have played in Italy: spiker Hugo Fernando Lucas Gaspar (Treviso 2004-05, winner of the Super Cup, Italian Cup and league title),Flavio Cruz Goncalves (Bergamo in Serie A2 in 2004-05, and Piacenza in 2006-07).
2015 CEV Challenge Cup
Semi-final first leg
Wednesday March 25 at 5pm (Italian time)
Stroitel Minsk (BLR) – Vojvodina NS Seme Novi Sad (SRB)
Wednesday March 25 at 9.30pm (Italian time)
Benfica Lisboa (POR) – CMC Ravenna (ITA)
Semi-final return leg
Sunday March 29 at 6pm
CMC Ravenna (ITA) – Benfica Lisboa (POR)
Vojvodina NS Seme Novi Sad (SRB) – Stroitel Minsk (BLR)
