VolleyBar13# : Wednesday June 3, 2026

Following the various shocking cases of plagiarism, we invite our readers to be wary of imitations and Italian-language translations, as this is the only original article. Journalism is not about copy-pasting — nor, in our case, simply translating content into Italian.

In Italy, the transfer market continues for Allianz Milano, who have signed young middle blocker Filippo Bartolucci, widely regarded as the best player in Italy’s Serie A2. Last season, he scored 319 points in 31 matches, including 207 kills, 84 blocks, and 28 aces. He will join fellow middle blockers Robertlandy Simon, Gabriele Di Martino, and promising youngster Alessandro Benacchio.

Speaking of middle blockers, Cisterna Volley have officially parted ways with Enrico Diamantini, while Sonepar Padova have signed German international Joscha Kunstmann, a CEV Cup finalist with SVG Lüneburg.

“I have always dreamed of playing in the SuperLega and I have heard many positive things about this club. Everyone seems very welcoming and professional. I can’t wait to meet them! For me, this is a great opportunity to fulfil a dream I’ve had since childhood,” he said.

Staying in Italy, Vero Volley Monza have promoted young Ukrainian-born outside hitter Hryhorii Khotsevych, now naturalized Italian, to their SuperLega roster. He has already won three youth national titles and two Junior League trophies with the club!
And setter Francesco Zoppellari joined Cucine Lube Civitanova, spending last season in Sonepar Padova.

In Poland’s PlusLiga, Asseco Resovia Rzeszów have said goodbye to opposite hitter Jakub Bucki after five seasons defending the club’s colours.

Meanwhile, PGE GiEK Skra Bełchatów have thanked Daniel Chitigoi, who will leave the team ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Much of his career has been connected to Poland. After starting out in Romania with Olimpia Titanii Bucharest and later Rapid Bucharest, he joined ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle in 2022. Over two seasons with ZAKSA, he scored 245 points and helped the club win the Polish Super Cup in 2023.
Ahead of the 2025/26 season, he joined PGE GiEK Skra Bełchatów and, wearing the yellow-and-black jersey, he played 20 matches and scored 259 points, including 217 kills, 16 aces, and 26 blocks.
He was named MVP of the match four times during the season, including in his final appearance, where he played as an opposite and scored 26 points, matching his career-high. He finished third in Skra’s scoring rankings for the 2025/26 season, behind Bartłomiej Lemański and Antoine Pothron.

As Chitigoi himself emphasized, the season was extremely important for him:
“It was a breakthrough year. I enjoyed playing here tremendously and being part of a team with such great guys. PGE GiEK Skra will always have a special place in my heart.”

“Daniel leaves a very positive impression at PGE GiEK Skra, not only as a player but also as a person,” said Bełchatów President Michał Bąkiewicz. “Even though he spent only one season with us, he showed tremendous character, ambition, and quality. Time and again, he provided energy and crucial points in important moments. We greatly appreciated his fighting spirit and the passion he brought to the court. I am pleased that he was able to take another important step in his career while representing our club. We wish him health, continued development, and success in his future challenges.”

In Turkey, Polish star Tomasz Fornal has officially bid farewell to Ziraat Bankkart following an outstanding season in which he won three of the four major competitions the club participated in: the Turkish Championship (SMS Grup Efeler Ligi), defeating Galatasaray in the playoff finals; the Turkish Cup (AXA Sigorta Kupa Voley 2026), with a 3–0 victory over Galatasaray in the final; and the 2025 Turkish Super Cup (AXA Sigorta Şampiyonlar Kupası), won at the start of the season. Ziraat also reached a historic CEV Champions League Final Four, eventually claiming the bronze medal by defeating PGE Projekt Warszawa.

It was also farewell time at Halkbank, who thanked Aleksander Śliwka, Arda Bostan, Marek Šotola, Tsvetan Sokolov, Ulaş Kıyak, Yoandy Leal, and Yunus Emre Tayaz for their contributions to the club.

In France, Tourcoing announced their final signing of the offseason after adding Raphaël Pascal (middle blocker, from Plessis Robinson), Robbert Andringa (outside hitter, from Piacenza, Italy), Julian Debes (libero, from Plessis Robinson), Matias Giraudo (setter, from Modena, Italy), Nathan Canovas (outside hitter, from Plessis Robinson), Joaquin Gallego (middle blocker, from Ślepsk Malow Suwałki, Poland), Oussama Ben Romdhan (outside hitter, from AS Illac Volley), Madhi Ben Tahar (middle blocker), Robin Wisniewski (outside hitter, from Harnes Volley-Ball), and Ruben Gomes (setter, from AS Illac Volley). The latest addition is 19-year-old middle blocker Jules Okambawa, who played last season for ACBB Volley Seine West.
And German opposite Yann Bohme, last season in Turkey’s Gaziantep, is a new player of Saint Nazaire.

In Greece, Olympiacos have officially signed Bulgarian outside hitter Martin Atanasov, adding another chapter to an impressive European career that includes spells in Turkey (including a successful campaign with Ziraat Bankkart, where he won three Turkish league titles and two Super Cups, and Galatasaray), Italy (Monza), Russia (Lokomotiv Novosibirsk), France (Chaumont), and Germany (Friedrichshafen).

In Montenegro, Budva Volley have announced the signing of legendary Russian setter Aleksandr Butko. The Olympic champion from London 2012 has also won the World League, the European Championship, and the CEV Champions League, in addition to numerous domestic league and cup titles in his homeland. This transfer ranks among the most significant in the club’s recent history!

On the international stage, Gianlorenzo Blengini will remain head coach of the Bulgarian National Team until 2028, leading the team all the way to the Los Angeles Olympic Games.

And, again, see you tomorrow, as always, at 8 PM. And, again, if you’d like the Italian translation of this article, you can always ask us directly instead of waiting for someone else to publish it!

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