MVP Plotnytskyi guides Perugia to their second world title

Sir Sicoma Perugia will continue to reign supreme as world champions for another year as the Italian giants triumphed in the 2023 edition of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship, which came to an end on Sunday, in Bengaluru, India.

The Italians ended a perfect campaign of four wins against Itambé Minas on Sunday at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium and got to step at the top of the podium flanked by the Brazilians, who took silver, and Japan’s Suntory Sunbirds, who were third.

• Watch Men's Club World Championship matches on demand on VBTV.

The winners of the 2022 edition of the event, Perugia became just the third team to successfully defend their Men’s Club World Championship title, joining fellow Italians Itas Trentino (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) and Brazil’s Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei (2015, 2016). Their title also represented the 12^th victory of an Italian club in 18 editions of the event.

Perugia, who had made it to the final without dropping a set in Bengaluru, were able to complete their campaign in a perfect way, downing Minas 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-19) in the gold medal match.

Polish outside Kamil Semeniuk was Perugia’s top scorer in the final with 14 points (12 kills, one block, one ace), followed by Ukrainian outside hitter Oleh Plotnytskyi, who delivered 13 with nine kills and four aces.

"I thought we played very well and all of our players were able to find a good rhythm this week," Plotnytskyi commented. "In the final, we had a difficult moment in the second set, but we overcame it together. We're excited to be bringing the trophy back to Perugia."

Minas, who claimed their first World Championship medal in their third appearance in the event, got ten points from Cuban opposite Michael Sanchez and eight from each of outside hitters Paulo Vinicios Ferreira and Marcus Vinícius Coelho.

FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship - Results

The two finalists also formed the core of the Club World Championship Dream Team, with each sending three players to the ideal lineup – Perugia had MVP Plotnytskyi at outside hitter, Simone Giannelli at setter and Sebastian Solé at middle blocker, while Minas had Marcus Vinícius at outside hitter, Renan Michelucci at middle blocker and Maique Nascimento at libero. Sunbirds’ opposite Dmitriy Musersiky completed the selection.

Sunbirds claim historic bronze

An Olympic champion, Muserskiy played a key role in a big result for Japanese volleyball as he helped his team finish third with their second victory in a week over Türkiye’s Halkbank Spor Kulübü, this one coming back after being down two sets to win 3-2 (17-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-12), and become the first Japanese side to win a medal at the Club World Championship.

Muserskiy led the Sunbirds’ comeback with a match-high 30 points (29 kills, one block), getting help from Cuban outside hitter Alain Junior ‘AJ’ De Armas, who delivered 14.

Halkbank had four players scoring in double digits in the bronze medal match – outside hitter Earvin Ngapeth (17), middle blocker Mert Matić (16), outside hitter Gordon Perrin (13) and opposite Nimir Abdel-Aziz (13).

Next week, the women will be on the court in Hangzhou, China, from December 13-17. Will be competing for the world title Brazil’s Dentil Praia Clube and Gerdau Minas, China’s Tianjin Bohai Bank, Türkiye’s Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul and VakifBank Spor Kulubu and Vietnam’s Sport Center I Women’s Club.

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