Weekend Review: Everything you missed and should know

Club national leagues continue to be completed around the world and this week some of the highlights were the victories of the NEC Red Rockets and the Wolfdogs Nagoya in the Japanese V-League and the first triumph of Ciudad Voley in the Argentinean Men’s League.

The semifinals of the SuperLega Credem Banca continue to deliver and after a week of big matches, the duels Itas Trentino vs. Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza and Cucine Lube Civitanova vs. Allianz Milano are both set to go to a decisive match five.

The Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile also continues to progress and now the field is set for the semifinals, with Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano, Savino del Bene Scandicci, Vero Volley Milano and Igor Gorgonzola Novara claiming the four spots available.

The Beach Pro Tour held a Futures event in Thailand this week, but the action on the sand wasn’t limited to it, with continental events going on in Asia, South America and the NORCECA region.

Here’s all you need to know to be up-to-date when it comes to volleyball and beach volleyball:

Volleyball

Red Rockets and Wolfdogs triumph in the Japanese V-League

The NEC Red Rockets and the Wolfdogs Nagoya claimed the titles of the Japanese V-League, which had both finals held this weekend in Tokyo. The Red Rockets counted on 24 points from Japanese star Sarina Koga, who was the match’s MVP, to beat the Toray Arrows 3-2 on Saturday, while the Wolfdogs had Polish star Bartosz Kurek tallying 32 in their three-set victory against last year’s champions Suntory Sunbirds. Know more in the women’s and men’s articles provided by the V-League.

Lube and Piacenza win and force match five for SuperLega semis

With excellent performances on Saturday, Cucine Lube Civitanova and Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza tied their SuperLega Credem Banca semifinal series against Allianz Milano and Itas Trentino and took both duels to a fifth and decisive encounter on Tueday. Lube were down 2-0 against Milano but came back to win in five sets while Piacenza were dominant at home against Trentino, sweeping their opponents. Here’s our story about the matches.

Conegliano, Scandicci, Novara and Milano on to Lega Femminile semifinals

The four semifinalists of the Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile were determined during the week, with the conclusion of the quarterfinal round. Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano, Savino del Bene Scandicci and Igor Gorgonzola Novara won their series against E-Work Busto Arsizio, Volley Bergamo 1991 and Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri in two matches while Vero Volley Milano were pushed to three by Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore, but also advanced.

Conte leads Ciudad to first Argentinean title

Argentinean star Facundo Conte had a successful first season with Ciudad Voley as the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist led his new team to its first national title, secured on Friday, with Ciudad’s third victory against rivals UPCN Voley in their best-of-five final series. The outside hitter, who scored 21 points in the match, was also awarded as the Most Valuable Player of the encounter. Here’s the recap provided by the Argentinean League website.

Beach Volleyball

Germans and Australians triumph at Beach Pro Tour Satun Futures

The Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour was in Satun, Thailand, this week, and duos from Germany and Australia took the titles of the third Futures event of the season. The men’s final in Satun saw two German duos battling, with Philipp Huster and Simon Pfretzschner overcoming Sven Winter and Paul Henning. In the women’s tournament, Australians Nicole Laird and Brittany Kendall took the title with a victory over Lithuanians Erika Kliokmanaite and Ieva Vasiliauskaite in the gold medal match. Here’s our recap of the action.

Chinese make the double at Asian Tour stop in Samila

Earlier in the week, Thailand also hosted the opening event of the 2023 Asian Tour in Samila. The tournament had Chinese teams at the top of the podium on both genders on Monday. Beach Pro Tour regulars Fan Wang and Jie Dong defeated Japanese Akiko Hasegawa and Yurika Sakaguchi to take the women’s title while Likejiang Ha and Jiaxin Wu were the winners among the men after they topped the home team of Pithak Tipjan and Poravid Taovato in the final. Here’ the Asian Volleyball Confederation report for the event.

Chile and Brazil take South American Tour golds in Argentina

Teams from Chile and Brazil were the winners of the fifth and last stop of the South American Beach Volleyball Tour, which was held in Río Hondo, Argentina, this weekend. Chileans Noe Aravena and Vicente Droguett secured the men’s title, overcoming the home team of Julian Azaad and Maciel Bueno in the final. Brazilians Carolina Horta and Ana Luiza Mohr topped Paraguayans Erika Bobadilla and Michelle Valiente to become the champions among the women. The South American Volleyball Confederation has all the details about the event.

Mexicans and Americans victorious at NORCECA Tour event

The first event of the NORCECA Tour, held this weekend in Aguascalientes, Mexico, ended with a team from the home country and another from the United States at the top of the podium. Atenas Gutierrez and Abril Flores defeated Americans Geena Urango in the women’s final, but the USA hit back in the men’s gold medal match, with the victory of Chase Frishman and Cody Caldwell over Mexicans Juan Virgen and Miguel Sarabia.