Weekend Review: Everything you missed and should know

It was a big week for volleyball at the club level, with the Turkish Women’s National League returning to action a month after the severe earthquake that hit the country with a big match, that saw giants Eczacibasi Dynavit Istambul and VakifBank Istanbul clash.

In South America, four-time world champions Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei claimed their seventh Men's Brazilian Cup title with a victory over Farma Conde São José. In India, the RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 also came to an end, crowing the Ahmedabad Defenders as its second-ever champions.

European clubs also had a lot to play for, with the SuperLega Credem Banca and the Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile both featuring decisive matches in Italy and the CEV Women’s Champions League completing its quarterfinal lineup.

Here are the most important results from around the world in the last few days:

Eczacibasi in top form as Turkish League returns to action

After a break of one month caused by the earthquake that hit the country at the beginning of February, the Turkish Women’s League resumed this weekend with six matches taking place on Saturday. In one of them, Eczacibasi Dynavit Istambul smashed four-time defending champions VakifBank Istanbul, securing a 3-0 (25-21, 28-26, 25-21) victory. The team of Serbian superstars Tijana Bošković and Maja Ognjenović remains undefeated with 18 wins and leads the league. Here's the Turkish Federation’s match report.

Sada Cruzeiro claim seventh Men's Brazilian Cup title

Brazilian giants Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei won the Men's Brazilian Cup for a seventh time on Sunday. Playing in Jaraguá do Sul, the four-time world champions downed Farma Conde São José in straight sets to lift the trophy. Cuban star outside hitter Miguel Angel López was Sada Cruzeiro's top scorer in the gold medal match with 17 points. The Women's Brazilian Cup will be played from Monday to Tuesday with Dentil Praia Clube, Gerdau Minas, Fluminense and SESC RJ Flamengo in contention. Here's what the Brazilian Federation's website had to say about it.

Ahmedabad Defenders win second Prime Volleyball League

The Ahmedabad Defenders were the winners of the second edition of India’s RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23, which came to an end on Sunday in Kochi. The team, which had finished second last season, climbed another step in the podium with a dramatic 3-2 (15-7, 15-10, 18-20, 13-15, 15-10) victory over the Bengaluru Torpedoes in the gold medal match. Opposite Angamuthu Ramaswamy was a big name in their triumph and was selected as the match’s Most Valuable Player. Find out all the details in our recap.

Conegliano and Scandicci victorious in big Lega Femminile matches

The two best-ranked teams in the Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile, Prosecco Doc Imoco Volley Conegliano and Savino Del Bene Scandicci won the biggest matches of the week in Italy. Defending champions Conegliano went on the road and topped third-placed Vero Volley Milano 3-0 while second-placed Scandicci got the sweep over fourth-placed Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri in front of their home fans.

Cisterna push SuperLega’s playoff definition for next week

Ninth-placed Top Volley Cisterna scored a big win over recently-crowned Coppa Italia champions Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza and kept the race for the final two spots in the 2022-2023 SuperLega Credem Banca open until the last round of the regular season. Cisterna is battling Allianz Milano, who lost to defending champions Cucine Lube Civitanova, for the final berth in the postseason. Take a look at what the situation is right now in our article.

CEV Champions League quarterfinals set

The three remaining spots available in the quarterfinals of the CEV Women’s Champions League were taken this week, with Türkiye’s Fenerbache Opet Istanbul and VakifBank and Poland’s Developres Rzeszów winning their series in the first round of the playoffs. In the quarterfinals, they will join Italy’s Vero Volley Milano, Prosecco Doc Imoco Volley Conegliano and Igor Gorgonzola Novara, Türkiye’s, Eczacibasi and Germany’s Allianz MTV Stuttgart. Here are the details provided by CEV.