A sensational day unfolded in Bologna on Saturday! Played in front of nearly eight thousand spectators on the stands, both men’s Del Monte Coppa Italia semifinals were dramatically pushed to tie-breaker resolutions, both big favourites were knocked out of contention, while Rana Verona and Cucine Lube Civitanova advanced to Sunday’s trophy showdown at 15:15 local time (14:15 UTC), which will determine the winner of the 47th edition of Italy’s national cup competition.
Del Monte Coppa Italia SuperLega 2024/2025
Favourites knocked out! Verona against Lube in Sunday’s Coppa Italia final
Watch the Italian men’s national cup live on VBTV
Published 04:15, 26 Jan 2025

Rana Verona’s Noumory Keita in attack against Sir’s three-man block
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Keita and Mozic drive Verona’s furious comeback from two sets down against Sir
Sensationally, the heavy favourites for the trophy, defending cup laureates, reigning Italian champions and SuperLega leaders Sir Susa Vim Perugia were knocked out of contention. Rana Verona, for whom advancing to the Final Four was already a historic achievement, mounted a furious comeback from two sets down to celebrate a stunning 3-2 (22-25, 26-28, 25-14, 25-19, 15-12) victory and progress to their first ever Coppa Italia final.
After losing the first set, Bulgarian coach Radostin Stoytchev’s players were the first to reach set point in the second set, but after being denied two of those, they found themselves with a two-point deficit. From the third set on, however, Verona completely dominated on the court to snatch the win.
🔥 COPPA ITALIA 🇮🇹
— Volleyball World (@volleyballworld) January 25, 2025
History in the making! Verona has reached the FINAL for the first time ever, powered by an unstoppable Noumory Keita, who scored an incredible 30 points in the semifinal against Perugia. Congrats, Verona! 👏🏐
📺 Watch the replay on VBTV:… pic.twitter.com/ZgQk8ejLPD
Malian opposite Noumory Keita, who was in the role of an outside hitter in this match, led the way with a match-high 30 points for the winners. He fired three aces, put up one kill block and spiked 26 kills at a 52% success rate in attack. His Slovenian cross-court teammate Rok Mozic was on fire, producing four kill blocks, two aces and swinging at a 56% success rate to finish with 28 points. Danish opposite Mads Kyed Jensen also reached the double digits with 15 points, including three aces, while Russian setter Konstantin Abaev was not only instrumental in conducting Verona’s offence, but also raised as many as five of the team’s 14 kill blocks during the match.
Japanese star Yuki Ishikawa led Sir’s effort with 15 points. Middle blocker Roberto Russo added another 13, while Polish outside Kamil Semeniuk finished with 10 points to his name.
Lube stun Trentino in five-set rollercoaster
A five-set battle unfolded in the second semifinal as well, as Cucine Lube Civitanova persevered to deliver the second upset of the day in Bologna, a 3-2 (24-26, 26-24, 25-14, 22-25, 15-13) victory over reigning European club champions and FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship silver medallists Itas Trentino Trento.
The first two sets were pushed to overtime. Trentino took set one after denying Lube’s first set point. Lube redeemed themselves in set two. Although they wasted a triple opportunity to close it off at 24-21, this time they were able to convert their fourth set point to level the score. The two sides exchanged the next two sets to prompt a tie-breaker. It was level at 13-13, when two points in a row brought in the victory for Lube.
Canadian outside Eric Loeppky and Turkish opposite Adis Lagumdzija shared the top scorer honours with 18 points apiece for Lube. Mattia Bottolo added another 16. As many as five players reached the double digits on Trentino’s side: outsides Daniele Lavia with 16 and Alesandro Michieletto with 15 (four aces), middles Flavio Gualberto of Brazil with 15 and Bela Florian Bartha of Romania with 13, and American opposite Gabriel Garcia with 11.
“Advancement to the final was achieved with great heart by everyone, from the starters to each member of the bench,” said Lube’s libero and captain Fabio Balaso after the match. “It was a magnificent evening, the result of extraordinary teamwork, but we must not rest on our laurels now. Another battle awaits us tomorrow.”
Rana Verona v Cucine Lube Civitanova
Rana Verona will take on Cucine Lube Civitanova in Sunday’s Coppa Italia final starting at 15:15 (14:15) at the Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno, Bologna. It will be the first ever final for Verona, while Lube will be playing in the cup showdown for the 12th time in the history of the club, aiming at their eighth trophy. The last time they played in the final was in 2021, in their previous Final Four appearance, when they beat Sir Safety Conad Perugia for the trophy in four sets.
The head-to-head series is also heavily tilted in favour of the Civitanova club. Lube have won 44 of the previous 54 encounters with Verona. This SuperLega season, the two sides exchange victories. Verona claimed a four-set home win in October, but then they were shut out upon their trip to Civitanova earlier this month.
Del Monte Coppa Italia 2024-2025 final:
Jan 26, 15:15 local (14:15 UTC): Rana Verona v Cucine Lube Civitanova
SuperLega Credem Banca 2024-2025 18th leg:
Feb 02, 16:00 local (15:00 UTC): Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza v Cucine Lube Civitanova
Feb 02, 16:00 local (15:00 UTC): Rana Verona v Itas Trentino Trento
Feb 02, 17:00 local (16:00 UTC): Mint Vero Volley Monza v Sonepar Padova Padua
Feb 02, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina v Allianz Milan
Feb 02, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Sir Susa Vim Perugia v Gioiella Prisma Taranto
Feb 02, 19:00 local (18:00 UTC): Cisterna Volley v Valsa Group Modena