#CLVolleyM: Perugia sweep Warszawa to take first ticket for Final in their 100th appearance!
5 min read
Written by Danijel for Volleytimes©️.
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At Turin’s InAlpi Arena, defending champions Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia open 2025/26 CEV Champions League Final Four with a clean 0-3 (19:25, 20:25, 24:26) over No.3 in Plusliga PGE Projekt Warzawa.
The winners celebrated their 100th Champions League match in style to secure a place in their second consecutive final. The defending champions were in complete control throughout the first two sets, while the third one, in its final, delivered lot of drama before Perugia eventually closed out the match, backed by another powerful and efficient team performance. On Sunday, Angelo Lorenzetti’s side will have the chance to fight for the second Champions League title in the club’s history, as well as their second in a row and defend their crown, facing the winners between champions of Poland Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie and champions of Turkey Ziraat Bankkart Ankara.
Perugia started strong in first set, with a powerful counterattack from Oleh Plotnytskyi and, after a balanced start, the Italians edged ahead early at 8-6 and extended their lead to 12-9 after another strong finish from Plotnytskyi. Warszawa responded well after a timeout, trying to close the gap and staying within touching distance at 13-12, 16-15 and 19-18 thanks to key contributions from Kevin Tillie and Bartłomiej Gomułka, who left the court with 5 and 6 points respectively in this set.
However, Perugia’s composure and efficiency in attack proved decisive and Perugia rebuilt their advantage with an impressive performance from Wassim Ben Tara with 8 points through 80% in attack. Entering the closing stages, Perugia stretched the lead to 22-18 to the closed out the set 25-19.
Again, after a balanced start also in the second set, Perugia gradually started to take control, moving ahead 9-6 with Wassim Ben Tara once again leading the charge, recording other 5 points in this set. The rivals tried to respond with Bartosz Gomułka and Kevin Tillie, but the defending champions quickly restored their lead at 13-9. Perugia then kept their advantage thanks to a strong serving run from Agustín Loser, 5 points in the set, which included an ace and helped extend the lead to 16-10, while Kamil Semeniuk also recorded a ace, while Warszawa struggled to find solutions. After a successful attack from Brandon Koppers, the Polish side cut the deficit to 3 points at 20-17 but any hopes of a comeback, however were short-lived, as Perugia replied immediately, regaining control at 23-18 before closing the set 25-20.
Perugia started strong the third set, earning an early 6-3 lead. The rivals called a timeout, but the players around head coach Angelo Lorenzetti continued to build their advantage, helped by strong serving from Oleh Plotnytskyi. Warszawa refused to surrender and, after a spike from Jakub Kochanowski, the Polish side reduced the gap to 11-9, but Wassim Ben Tara, Agustín Loser and Plotnytskyi the Italian champions quickly regrouped to regain control at 16-10. However, Strong serving from Kochanowski, combined with effective attacks from Kevin Tillie and Bartosz Gomułka, helped cut the deficit again to 17-14, before Gomułka himself added a great ace that is worth the 18-16, followed by Bartosz Firszt for the 19-18. The closing stages turned into a dramatic battle, with Warszawa refusing to surrender and eventually level the score 22-22. A triple block on Plotnytskyi even earned the Polish side a set point at 24-23. But Perugia responded under pressure: Loser put down a powerful spike before Plotnytskyi sealed the victory with an ace, sending the defending champions into Sunday’s final.
Wassim Ben Tara led the winners with 18 points, all in attack at an impressive 62% efficiency, well supported by Agustín Loser, Kamil Semeniuk and Oleh Plotnytskyi, who added 10 points each.
For Warszawa, Bartosz Gomułka led all scorers in the match with 19 points at 61% attacking efficiency, while Kevin Tillie added 12 points.
“I’m very happy because tonight was not easy match. We played against a very strong team in Warszawa, who won bronze in the Polish league, and we knew it would be a difficult. This was a very important game for us, and I’m pleased with the way we approached it emotionally from the very beginning. I’m very happy and proud. Now, though, our focus has to be fully on the final,” said Perugia’s captain Simone Giannelli after the match.
Kamil Semeniuk: “We are very happy with this victory, although we had some problems in the third set. We built a big advantage, but then lost a bit of focus, while Warszawa took their chance and started playing really well to come back and level the score. That pushed the set into a very intense finish, but it was important that we eventually closed the match in three sets.”
“It was a difficult match for us. They received very well and we didn’t put enough pressure on them with our serve, which allowed them to play their game. In attack, they performed really well. Towards the end of the third set, we managed to become more aggressive and serve better, and that’s where we came back and almost took the set. It’s a pity we couldn’t win it and try to get back into the match. Tomorrow, we just need to play a bit better — more aggressively and more freely. It’s our first Final Four, so it wasn’t easy for us,” said Kevin Tillie.
“We were missing a bit of aggression on serve, which allowed Perugia to play comfortably, with the ball often delivered perfectly into the third meter. Tactically, though, I think we played a very good match. We knew Ben Tara would receive the highest number of balls, and although we managed to get touches on many of his attacks, we couldn’t stop him consistently. He played a great match, especially in first-tempo situations and on the pipe,” said Kamil Nalepka, head coach of PGE Projekt Warszawa.
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🏆| 2025/26 CEV Champions League | Final FOUR
📍InAlpi Arena Turin
SEMIFINALS
Saturday May 16, 2026
👉🏼 17.00 (Local Time) | PGE Projekt Warzawa (POL) – Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia (ITA) 0-3 (19:25, 20:25, 24:26)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
• 20.30 (Local Time) | Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie (POL) – Ziraat Bankkart Ankara (TUR)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
FINALS
Sunday March 17, 2026
• BRONZE MEDAL MATCH | 17.00 (Local Time) | TBD – TBD
• GOLD MEDAL MATCH | 20.30 (Local Time) | TBD – TBD
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