Yoandy Leal gets through the triple block of Modena's Tine Urnaut, Danielle Mazzone and Micah Christenson as Cucine Lube Civitanova open their Champions League campaign with a thrilling win, ahead of next week's FIVB Club World Championship.
Lausanne, Switzerland, November 22, 2018 - Cucine Lube Civitanova of Italy head off to Poland for the 2018 FIVB Men's Club World Championship which begins on Monday, propelled by a stunning sweep, Thursday night, of Azimut Leo Shoes Modena in the Italian derby of the European Champions League.
On the back of 19 points from Osmany Juantorena and 13 from Yoandy Leal, Lube opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 (25-22, 30-28, 25-22) win over Modena at home in Civitanova's Eurosole Forum before 4,100 fans.
Lube, last year's runners-up, are in Pool A of the Club World Championship in the Polish city of Plock, alongside defending champions Zenit Kazan of Russia, a second Russian entry of Fakel Novy Urengoy and hosts PGE Skra Belchatow.
Pool B, in Rzeszow, features local side Asseco Resovia, reigning South American champions Sada Cruzeiro and Italy's four-time world champions Itas Trentino.
The top two teams of each pool will gather in Czestowchowa for the semifinals and medals matches, on 1 and 2 December.
Earlier in the opening week of the Champions League, Zenit Kazan had defeated Germany's United Volleys of Frankfurt 3-0 and Skra had downed Polish rivals Trel Gdansk 3-1. In the second-tier CEV Cup, Trentino had entered the competition with a 3-0 win over Switzerland's Lausanne UC.
Meanwhile, Sada Cruzeiro embarked already today on their long trip from Belo Horizonte via Sao Paulo and Amsterdam to Krakow and then Rzeszow.
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