Written by Danijel for Volleytimes©️.
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After Ziraat Bankkart who claim Bronze Medal, a thrilling repeat of the 2024/25 Gold Medal Match between the defending Champions Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia, who enter the Final on an unprecedented 13-match Champions League winning streak, led by 62-year-old Angelo Lorenzetti, the oldest coach to ever reach a Champions League Volley Final, chasing back-to-back titles, and Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie.
Fresh off winning their first Polish Plus Liga title, they aimed to claim their first European trophy, led by head coach Michal Winiarski, who had the chance to become the very first Polish head coach to win the Champions League.
However, after an amazing first set, they collapsed 3-0 (29:27, 25:18, 25:15).
After a dramatic battle in first set, the Italian champions took full control of the match in the following two sets, with Wassim Ben Tara who once again led the charge with 24 points through 58% in attack, 3 blocks and 3 aces.
In the last dance of his remarkable career, legendary libero Massimo Colaci not only lifted his third Champions League trophy, but was also named MVP of the Final Four in Torino!
Just like last year in Łódź, Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia and Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie faced each other in final, this time at the Inalpi Arena in Turin. Twelve months earlier, the Italian side had needed five sets to claim the club’s maiden European title.
In first set, the clash delivered high-level volleyball from the very beginning, with both teams battling intensely for every point. Although Perugia briefly take a two points lead at 9-7, the rivals responded immediately and the teams stayed neck and neck through the entire set. Wassim Ben Tara and Oleh Plotnytskyi led Perugia’s offence with 7 points each in the opener, while Mateusz Bieniek and Aaron Russell paced Zawiercie with 6 and 5 points respectively. After a spike from Plotnytskyi that gave Perugia a set point, 24-23, Zawiercie responded through Jurii Gladyr to stay alive. The Polish side also saved a second set point and even earned their own at 27-26 with an attack from Russell, but they were unable to convert it as, in the end, Perugia edged the set 29-27 with a point from setter Simone Giannelli.
The defending champions kept their momentum also into the second set with a strong start. A block from Wassim Ben Tara followed by an ace from Agustín Loser helped them to move ahead 5-2, before extending the advantage further to 10-5. The team coached by Angelo Lorenzetti took full control from that point on and never looked back, dominating in every aspect of the game and building a commanding 20-13 lead. Ben Tara once again led the charge with 7 points in the set, while Kamil Semeniuk and Roberto Russo each added 4. Perugia eventually closed the set 25-18.
But the game is over and an unrecognizable Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie, despite a 4-1 lead in third set led by Captain Mateusz Bieniek, succumbed to Perugia who quickly recovered and began to regain control through successful attacks from Roberto Russo and Oleh Plotnytskyi. And then three aces in a row from Wassim Ben Tara marked a nine-point run and pushed the Italian side into a commanding 10-4 lead. Coach Michał Winiarski used both of his time-outs in an attempt to regroup his team, but Perugia maintained their rhythm and continued to dominate at 13-6, with an unstoppable Ben Tara who recorded other 10 points in this set! Despite a long serve from setter Miguel Tavares, in a desperate attempt to re-open the game, eventually Perugia sealed the set 25-15, to successfully defend their crown and became only the second Italian club in history to win back-to-back titles after Itas Trentino!
“It’s incredible. I’m very happy — happy for myself, for my teammates, for our supporters and our fans. It’s hard to find the right words to describe how incredible and how fantastic this feels. I’ve had a great career, a long journey. This is absolutely incredible,” said MVP Massimo Colaci.
His teammate Wassim Ben Tara added: “It feels amazing! To finish the season once again with the Champions League title, especially in the way we did it, is something special. Maybe some people will say it’s because we have amazing players — and of course we do — but the way we achieved it, losing only three matches during the entire season, makes it a historic season for Perugia. I’m very proud of this team. In matches like today, everyone needs to be fully present and give their best, and I think that was the key for us.”
“It’s a great feeling to win the Champions League gold medal again. Last season it wasn’t easy watching the final from the bench, but this time I was healthy, able to show my best and help the team on the court, so I’m extremely happy. I think the first set was crucial. The match could have looked completely different if Zawiercie had won the opener, but we stayed calm under pressure and managed to take it. After that, we continued to play our game. Later, Wassim Ben Tara showed his power on the service line, and we stayed focused until the very end,” said Kamil Semeniuk.
Mateusz Bieniek, captain of Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie: “Perugia were unstoppable today. I’m not sure if winning the first set would have changed anything – maybe yes, maybe no – but Perugia showed they were the better team today. Still, I’m very proud of my team. We won the domestic league and reached the Champions League final again. Playing back-to-back finals is a huge achievement. I hope the third time will be the charm.”
Jurii Gladyr, middle blocker of Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie: “We need to appreciate this silver medal. I still remember how painful it was to lose here in Turin three years ago, when I was a player for Jastrzębski Węgiel and we lost 3-2 to Zaksa. Defeats like that really hurt, and today’s loss feels different because Perugia were simply the better team. We can still be proud of the season we had. It was a great year for us and brought many achievements. We did our best – it wasn’t enough this time – but we are leaving with silver medals.”
🏐| Dream Team 2026
Opposite: Wassim Ben Tara (Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia)
Setter: Simone Gianneli (Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia)
Libero: Massimo Colaci (Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia)
Middle blockers: Mateusz Bieniek (Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie) and Jurii Gladyr (Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie)
Outside hitters: Oleh Plotnytskyi (Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia) and Tomasz Fornal (Ziraat Bankkart Ankara)
Head coach: Angelo Lorenzetti (Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia)
MVP: Massimo Colaci (Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia)
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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) 3-1 (25:19, 24:26, 25:19, 25:19)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
FINALS
Sunday March 17, 2026
• BRONZE MEDAL MATCH | 17.00 (Local Time) | PGE Projekt Warszawa (POL) – Ziraat Bankkart Ankara (TUR) 2-3 (25:20, 23:25, 25:13, 23:25, 11:15)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
👉🏼 GOLD MEDAL MATCH | 20.30 (Local Time) | Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia – Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie (POL) 3-0 (29:27, 25:18, 25:15)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
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