BELGIUM / NETHERLANDS
The second edition of the cross-border men’s BeNe Conference, with four Belgian and four Dutch teams participating, came to an end on April 3. Belgian teams swept the entire podium. Defending champions Knack Roeselare secured their second title well before the end of the competition and topped the final standings with 38 points and a 13-1 win-loss record. Greenyard Maaseik picked up their first medal after finishing runners-up on 33 and 11-3. Decospan Menen finished third on 25 and 8-6, and took bronze.
CHINA
Tianjin Food Group won the best-of-three final series in China and claimed a historic first national title for the club. In the crucial third match (pictured in the main photo; source: volleyballchina.com) of the championship playoff against Baoding Woli on April 5, they celebrated a 3-1 (16-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23) road victory. Defending champions Shanghai Guangming settled for bronze. Tianjin’s 24-year-old outside hitter Xue Zhihong was named the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).
ENGLAND
London Giants defended the men’s volleyball champions’ crown of England they conquered last year. In Sunday’s final, played as part of the Final 4 weekend in London, they hammered out a convincing 3-0 (25-22, 25-13, 25-21) win over Newcastle Knights. Giants’ 29-year-old Senegalese outside hitter Amadou Samb received the Most Valuable Player (MVP) nomination. Malory Eagles London earned the bronze medals.
ISRAEL
Hapoel Galil Mate-Asher Akko Acre won both games of the championship series in Israel against Maccabi Yeadim Tel Aviv to collect their 21st national title. The second match of the deciding playoff on Thursday of last week was extended to five sets before Hapoel could claim a 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-11) away win.
KOREA
The best-of-five championship series in Korea took five matches to complete. In Friday’s crucial fifth game, Incheon Korean Air Jumbos achieved a 3-1 (25-18, 25-21, 19-25, 25-23) home victory over Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers and conquered the crown for the sixth time in the club’s history. The bronze medals went to Seoul Wooricard Woori Won. Jumbos’ 40-year-old setter Han Sun-Soo picked up the MVP award.
LATVIA
Robezsardze / RSU Riga triumphed as Latvian volleyball champions for the second time in a row. On Saturday, they closed the best-of-five final series against Ezerzeme / Daugavpils Universitate by 3-0 in wins after winning each of the three matches in four sets. In the last one, they put together a 3-1 (24-26, 27-25, 25-23, 25-20) home victory to successfully defend the crown. Their 22-year-old outside hitter Janis Teikmanis was named MVP of the final series. The bronze was claimed by Jekabpils Lusi.
MOLDOVA
CNSM-USM Chisinau added Moldova’s national title to the national cup trophy they earned earlier this season. They closed the best-of-five championship series against DOR-UTM Chisinau after four matches. In the last game on April 4, decided after a five-set battle, CNSM-USM delivered a 3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 13-25, 25-19, 15-11) home victory. Speranta-Gagauzia Vulcanesti won the bronze medal series.
SWITZERLAND
Defending Swiss champions Volley Amriswil earned their seventh national title. They swept the first two matches of best-of-five championship series against Volley Naefels in straight sets, but in the third one on Sunday, they were pushed to a tie-breaker resolution before getting the job done with a 3-2 (20-25, 25-18, 25-17, 31-33, 15-12) away victory. Volley Schoenenwerd completed the podium. Their 23-year-old outside hitter Cyril Kolb was voted MVP by the league’s coaches.
THAILAND
Nakhon Ratchasima QminC collected their fourth consecutive and 11th overall national title in Thailand. In the championship showdown in Bangkok on April 5, they mastered a 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-23) shutout of Diamond Food Fine Chef Samut Sakhon. The bronze medals went to PSNKK Bueng Kan. Nakhon Ratchasima’s 28-year-old setter Boonyarid Wongtorn earned the MVP honors.
UKRAINE
Epicentr-Podolyany Horodok lifted the Ukrainian champions’ trophy for the third time in the club’s history. They defended the title in a best-of-five final series against Ukraine’s U20 national team, which they won in three games. In Saturday’s third match, however, they were pushed to five sets by their young opponents before signing off with a 3-2 (25-19, 19-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-12) home victory. Reshetylivka claimed the third place and the bronze medals. Epicentr’s 34-year-old setter Vitaliy Shchytkov picked up the MVP award.
