With that, the Panthers got to nine points (three wins) and finished pool play in first place in Pool B, setting up a semifinal duel with the second-placed team from Pool A on Saturday. Praia also advanced in second place with six points (two wins, one loss) and will face the Pool A winners in the other semifinal. Ahead of the third round of matches later on Thursday, Italy's Savino Del Bene Scandicci are the only Pool A team guaranteed in the semifinals, while Brazil's Osasco São Cristovão Saúde, Peru's Club Alianza Lima and Kazakhstan's Zhetysu CV fight for the other spot.
The Italians are fighting to tie Turkish giants VakıfBank Istanbul as the most successful club at the Club World Championship. The winners of the 2019, 2022 and 2024 editions of the tournament, the Italians are looking for a fourth title in Brazil, which would tie the Turkish victories in 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2021.
After resting their starters on Wednesday against Zamalek, Conegliano brought their stars back to the court for the duel against Praia and saw Swedish opposite Isabelle Haak lead their victory with 16 points (15 kills, one block). Outside hitters Zhu Ting, with 14 (12 kills, two blocks), and Gabriela 'Gabi' Guimarães, with 12 (11 kills, one block), also played major roles in their triumph.
"It's only going to get harder from now on," Gabi said. "I think that we've been improving during the tournament, and today we struggled a little bit with our passing because Praia pushed us. So, we still had some ups and downs, but it was great play a strong team like Praia, and I believe this match has prepared us well for the semifinals."
