Weekend Review: Everything you missed and should know

Club competitions around the world continue to progress and the field in the CEV Men’s Champions League is reduced to just two teams, both from Poland, after Jastrzebski Wegiel and Grupa Azoty ‘Zaksa’ Kędzierzyn-Koźle advanced to the Super Final and will decide the title in Turin, Italy, on May 20.

In Italy, the playoffs are now set in the Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile, with the four quarterfinal duels confirmed after the conclusion of the regular season this weekend. Among the men, defending champions Cucine Lube Civitanova joined Itas Trentino and became the second team guaranteed in the semifinals of the SuperLega Credem Banca.

There were some important happenings at the club level outside of Europe too, with Incheon Korean Air Jumbos and Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-Pass claiming the titles of the Korean V-League and four teams advancing to the semifinals of the Brazilian Men’s Superliga.

The Beach Pro Tour had another Challenge tournament this week in Itapema, Brazil, with China's Chen Xue/Xinyi Xia and Brazil's Andre Loyola/George Wanderley emerging as the winners. In Tahiti, Italians Tiziano Adreatta and Andrea Abbiati triumphed in the Futures tournament held in the French Polynesia.

Here’s our summary of the most relevant results around the world:

Volleyball

Polish rivals advance to CEV Champions League Super Final

The 2022-2023 CEV Men’s Champions League will have an all-Polish final for the first time after rivals Jastrzebski Wegiel and Grupa Azoty ‘Zaksa’ Kędzierzyn-Koźle both won their semifinal series. Wegiel lost to Türkiye’s Halkbank Ankara 3-2 in the second leg of their series, but, as the Polish had won the first duel 3-1, they still advanced. Defending champions Zaksa were dominant against reigning world champions Sir Safety Perugia of Italy, winning 3-1 on both legs. Check out the match recaps provided by CEV.

Lega Pallavollo Femminille playoff bracket set

The regular season of the Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile came to an end this weekend and now the four duels set to take place in the quarterfinals of the Italian League are set – Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano (1^st) vs. E-Work Busto Arsizio (8^th), Savino Del Bene Scandicci (2^nd) vs. Volley Bergamo 1991 (7^th), Vero Volley Milano (3^rd) vs. Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore (6^th) and Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri (4^th) vs. Igor Gorgonzola Novara (5^th). On the lower side of the standings, Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia and Cbf Balducci Hr Macerata were relegated to the country’s second division. Find all the info in our weekly recap.

Lube makes it to SuperLega semis

Defending champions Cucine Lube Civitanova recovered from a difficult start on their SuperLega Credem Banca quarterfinal series against WithU Verona and completed a fantastic comeback, winning it 3-2. The Italian giants were at home on match five on Saturday and secured a three-set victory over Verona with young outside hitters Aleksandar Nikolov and Marlon Yant tallying 15 points each. Lube join Itas Trentino in the semifinals and will face the winners of the series between Valsa Group Modena and Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza.

National Champions crowned in Korea

Incheon Korean Air Jumbos and Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-Pass lifted the trophies of the 2022-2023 Korean V-League. The team com Incheon claimed the Korean League title for a third-straight season in a strong way, winning the first three matches of their best-of-five series against the Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers. Gimcheon, on the other hand, made a spectacular comeback in the final series against the Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to win it 3-2 and become national champions for the second time. Here's the info on both Finals, provided by the Korean Federation.

Four teams standing in Brazilian Men’s Superliga

Only four teams continue on the hunt for the title of the Brazilian Men’s Superliga after the quarterfinals were completed this week. The best team in the regular season, defending champions Sada Cruzeiro overcame Apan Eleva Blumenau and will now face Farma Conde Vôlei, who eliminated Vôlei Renata. The other series will have Itambé Minas, who knocked SESI-SP out, and dark horses Suzano Vôlei, who topped the second-best team of the regular season, Vedacit Vôlei Guarulhos. Take a look at all results on the Brazilian Federation website.

Beach Volleyball

Xue/Xia and Andre/George prevail at Itapema Challenge

The second Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge event of the season was held in Itapema, Brazil, and had teams from China and the host country as the winners. Olympians Chen Xue and Xinyi Xia were the women's champions, topping the home team of Bárbara Seixas and Carol Salgado in the gold medal match. Among the men, Brazilians Andre Loyola and George Wanderley won in Itapema for a third-straight season by overcoming French Youssef Krou and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat in the final. Know more about how the Chinese took gold and the Brazilians dominated at home again.

Italians at the top of the podium at Tahiti Futures

Italians Tiziano Andreatta and Andrea Abbiati were the winners of the first-ever international beach volleyball event held in Tahiti, a men-only Beach Pro Tour Futures event played in French Polynesia. The Europeans overcame Japanese Kensuki Shoji and Jumpei Ikeda of Japan in the gold medal match and were also joined by Germans Simon Kulzer and Bennet Poniewaz, who finished third, at the podium. Here’s our recap with all the details.