Italians start strong and make it to the semis in Betim

The winning debuts of Italian giants Trentino Itas and Sir Safety Susa Perugia on Thursday have set the scene for the 2022 Men’s Club World Champs semifinals as the Europeans have not only advanced to the medal round, but also confirmed the presence of two Brazilian teams in the final stage of the tournament.

Following Trentino’s 3-1 win over Iran’s Paykan Club and Perugia’s sweep of Brazil’s Vôlei Renata at the Divino Braga Stadium in Betim, defending champions Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei and fellow Brazilians Itambé Minas, who had defeated the same opponents on Wednesday, are also guaranteed places in the semifinals of the 17th edition of the tournament.

The semifinal matchups will be determined on Friday, at the conclusion of the first phase, with Trentino and Minas clashing for the top spot in Pool A at 18:15 local time (21:15 GMT) and Perugia and Sada Cruzeiro battling for first place in Pool B three hours later. The semifinals will take place on Saturday while the medal matches will be played on Sunday.

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The winningest side in the Men’s Club World Championship with five titles, Trentino dropped a set, but overcame Paykan 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 25-27, 25-19) in the second match in Pool B.

The Most Valuable Player of the 2009 Men’s Club World Championship, veteran Bulgarian Matey Kaziyski led Trentino’s offence against the Iranians. Playing as an opposite this season, the team captain tallied 23 points with 19 kills and four blocks.

“Both teams were really well-prepared and played at a good level,” he told Volleyball World. “We had the control of the first two sets, but in the third, although we did a good job in recovering from a slow start, we didn’t finish it well. For us, I think it’s important that we continue to adapt. We’re coming from the European winter and it’s very hot here. I also think our serves will get better once we become more familiar with the stadium. From now on, every match will get harder, not only because the opponents will be stronger, but also because we’ll have to deal with the challenge of playing on consecutive days.”

Trentino’s four other starting hitters also reached double digits in scoring, with world champion outside hitters Alessandro Michieletto and Daniele Lavia producing 16 and 13 points respectively and Serbian middle blockers Srecko Lisinac and Marko Podrascanin contributing 14 and 11.

On Paykan’s side, Iranian star opposite Amin Esmaeilnezhad matched Kaziyski’s production with 23 points (20 kills, one block, two aces), while veteran outside hitter Purya Fayazi added another 11, all in kills, in the team’s last match in the tournament.

Club World Champs Betim 2022 - Match schedule and results

Perugia had a smoother first match in Betim as the reigning Italian Supercoppa champions cruised to a three-set (25-22, 25-16, 25-21) victory over Vôlei Renata in Pool A. The Italians are making their first appearance in the tournament.

Led by 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship MVP and team setter Simone Giannelli, Perugia’s offence had three players scoring in double digits, including Polish outside hitters Wilfredo Leon, who had 13 points (ten kills, three aces), and Kamil Semeniuk, with 11 (ten kills, one block), and Luxembourg’s opposite Kamil Rychlicki, who tallied 12, all in kills.

“Considering it was our first match in the tournament, I’d say we did OK,” Leon reflected. “We know there are some areas of the game in which we have to improve for our next match but what we did tonight was enough for us to secure the win. It was an important first step for us, but we need to remain focused during the entire match, which we didn’t manage to do today. We hope we can continue winning.”

Vôlei Renata, who couldn’t count on their leading scorer, Brazil national team opposite Felipe Roque, who was injured, played opposite Lucas Borges, who chipped in nine points. Outside hitters Adriano Xavier and Nicolas Lazo, who added eight each, were the second and third most productive players in their team's final match in Betim.

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Volleyball Club World Champs - Betim 2022
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