Resovia, Trentino complete all-European top four

Plock, Poland, November 28, 2018 - For the first time in 26 years the final four of the FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship will be a wholly European affair, after Italy's Diatecx Trentino and Poland's Asseco Resovia Rzeszow scored convincing wins on Tuesday at Rzeszow to complete the semifinals lineup in this year's edition.

Trentino, the most decorated club in the history of the competition with four gold medals, edged reigning South American and Brazil champions Sada Cruzeiro 3-1 (17-25, 28-26, 25-23, 27-25) to claim the first of the day's ticket.

Hosts Resovia followed suit with a solid 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-11) over reigning Asian champions Khatam Ardakan to complete the semifinals puzzle.


Diatecx Trentino players celebrate, as they beat Brazil's Sada Cruzeiro to make the semifinals of the 2018 FIVB Men's Club World Championship.

Wednesday highlights in Rzeszow:
• Sada Cruzeiro blew four set points in the second and missed the chance to extend their lead after having won the first set, before Gabriele Nelli aced on Serginho for Trentino to tie the overall score.
• Sada Cruzeiro also had another two opportunities in the fourth, to take the match into a tie-break but blew both again, before Srecko Lisinac stuffed Evandro for Trentino's match point.
• The third set score of 25-11 in the Resovia v Ardakan match was just a point short of the all-time lowest scoring set in the history of the competition. The record of 25-10 is still jointly held by PGE Skra Belchatow from 2010 and Sada Cruzeiro Contagem from 2016.
• Evandro Guerra was top scorer of the day, Wednesday in Rzeszow, with 25 points for Sada Cruzeiro in their defeat from Trentino. Leading the overall scorers table is still Egor Kliuka of Fakel Novy Urengoy with 40 points, three ahead of Evandro.

Results & Match Centres of Wednesday:
• Sada Cruzeiro Contagem (BRA) - Diatecx Trentino (ITA) 1-3
• Khatam Ardakan (IRI) - Asseco Resovia Rzeszow (POL) 0-3

Last time the top four of a Club World Championship was totally dominated by European sides was in 1992 at Treviso, when Misura Milan beat Sisley Treviso 3-0 in an all-Italian final. Greece's Olympiacos Piraeus shut out Il Messaggero Ravenna for bronze, denying Italy a complete sweep of the medals.



The top two teams from each pool travel to Czestochowa on Friday, ahead of crosswise semifinals on Saturday and the medals matches on Sunday.

All eight participating teams are back in action on Thursday, the last day of pool play in Plock and Rzeszow.

Thursday's Match Centres in Plock and Rzeszow:
• Fakel Novy Urengoy (RUS) v Cucine Lube Civitanova (ITA), in Plock at 17:30 local time (16:30 GMT)
• Asseco Resovia Rzeszow (POL) v Diatecx Trentino (ITA), in Rzeszow at 17:30 local time (16:30 GMT)
• PGE Skra Belchatow (POL) v Zenit Kazan (RUS), in Plock at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT)
• Khatam Ardakan (IRI) v Sada Cruzeiro Contagem (BRA), in Rzeszow at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT)

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