Fabio Balaso to keep winning with Lube

Fabio Balaso wants to keep winning. And that’s what he said was the main reason for his decision to accept Cucine Lube Civitanova’s proposal for a four-year contract extension. His current contract was not due to expire before the end of the next season, which means that the powerful Italian club will be able to rely on the fabulous libero’s services through the end of the 2026-2027 season.

The 26-year-old Italian international, last season’s Best Libero in the SuperLega, is already in his fourth year wearing the Lube jersey. Since he joined the club in 2018, Balaso has won three FIVB Volleyball Club World Championship medals, a gold in 2019 and silvers in 2018 and 2021. He also won the 2019 CEV Champions League title, two national championship titles and two national cup trophies. At December 2021's Club World Championship in Brazil, he topped the chart for best diggers and earned a spot on the tournament’s Dream Team for the second time, after his Best Libero award at the 2019 edition.

As a member of the Italian national team since 2017, the 1.78m-tall libero won silver at the 2017 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Champions Cup and gold at the CEV European Championship in the late summer of 2021. Balaso was named EuroVolley’s Best Libero. He was also the best digger of the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League.

“I am very happy because my desires align well with the club's. I feel very comfortable at this club. The trust of the management and the efforts of Lube to always select a competitive roster were fundamental in my choice,” Balaso told lubevolley.it.

“I want to keep winning in the white-and-red jersey and win as many titles as possible. My first seasons at Civitanova gave me a better awareness of my abilities, increasing my confidence and helping me grow as an athlete and as a human being,” he added.

Balaso and his teammates are gradually approaching the culmination of the club season, fighting for honours in both the Champions League and the Italian championship.

“We take to the court to win on all fronts,” the libero commented. “Sure the greatest continental event exerts a great fascination on me. I have many exciting memories here, but I will never forget the first national title won by the White-and-Reds against Perugia.”

• Watch all the matches of the Italian men's and women's top-division leagues live or on demand on Volleyball TV.

• Get all the results, statistics, schedules and more on Volleyball World’s SuperLega 2021-2022 site.