Jesi Volley Cup: Milano and Civitanova set up an all-italian final as Dermaux and Nikolov take centre stage

The fourth edition of the Jesi Volley Cup has produced the final its Italian supporters could have hoped for: Allianz Milano and Cucine Lube Civitanova will meet for the trophy after both teams came through demanding four-set semi-finals, overcoming Olympiacos Piraeus and Japan’s Suntory Sunbirds Osaka respectively.
Yet the two victories followed markedly different paths: Milano relied on the extraordinary serving power of Basil Dermaux to overcome the Greek side, while Civitanova gradually dismantled Suntory’s resistance through a commanding display at the net.

Played at the PalaTriccoli in Jesi, the semi-finals offered an early indication of the competitive identities these teams are developing ahead of the new season.
Neither encounter was a straightforward exercise in superiority. Both required adjustments, resilience and the ability to seize control when the balance of a set began to shift.
For Milano, the headline belonged unmistakably to Dermaux. The Belgian opposite scored 27 points in a 3-1 (25:17, 19:25, 25:21, 25:22) victory over Olympiacos, combining 19 successful attacks with seven aces and a block. His 53% offensive efficiency underlined the completeness of a performance that went well beyond raw scoring numbers. At crucial moments, his serve became the instrument through which Guillermo Falasca’s side disrupted Olympiacos’ reception and established the initiative.
Milano started with authority, taking the opening set 25–17 after a sustained serving run helped open a substantial gap. Georgi Tatarov contributed at the net, while the Italian side maintained pressure through its attacking game and blocking. The first set suggested a team already capable of imposing its preferred rhythm, despite having had limited time to work together with a significantly renewed squad.
Olympiacos, however, responded with a reminder of its own quality. Under Alberto Giuliani, the Greek team tightened its blocking and began to limit Milano’s principal attacking options. Five blocks in the second set helped turn the momentum, while Erik Röhrs and Jake Hanes provided additional pressure from the service line and in attack. Milano’s offensive efficiency dropped, and Olympiacos levelled the match with a 25–19 win.
The response from Falasca’s side was revealing.
Rather than allowing the loss of the second set to unsettle the team, Milano found new solutions through its substitutions and a more effective combination of serving and blocking. Rotty remained on court and contributed important work at the net, while Davi Tenorio added a further dimension to the blocking game. Dermaux, meanwhile, continued to offer the decisive attacking reference.
Milano regained control with a 25–21 third-set victory before navigating a closely contested fourth set. With the teams level for long stretches, defensive work from captain and libero Damiano Catania helped create the opening for Tatarov to put Milano ahead 19–17. Dermaux then reinforced the advantage, and Milano closed out the match 25–22, securing its place in the final.
Tatarov finished with 12 points, while Filippo Bartolucci and Rotty added seven apiece. Rotty’s four blocks were particularly valuable as Milano recovered its defensive authority after the second-set setback. For Olympiacos, Hanes led the way with 19 points, followed by Röhrs with 11 and Alexandros Raptis with nine.
The result was an encouraging one for Milano, but the performance also offered a more nuanced assessment of the team’s development. With several new faces in the squad and Japanese outside hitter Tatsunori Otsuka having joined the group only shortly before the tournament, cohesion remains a work in progress. Nevertheless, the ability to recover after losing a set and to rely on different contributors at the decisive stages suggests that the team is beginning to establish a useful competitive foundation.

Civitanova’s route to the final was different in character, but no less instructive, ended also 3-1 (22:25, 25:18, 25:22, 25:20).
Facing Suntory Sunbirds Osaka in the first meeting between the two clubs, Giampaolo Medei’s team had to recover from a 25–22 opening-set defeat before finding a way to impose its physical advantages. The Japanese side began with speed and defensive discipline, exploiting inaccuracies in Civitanova’s service game to take the early lead.
The response came through a combination of improved attacking efficiency and greater control at the net.
The Nikolov brothers played central roles in the turnaround, with Alex providing the principal offensive threat and setter Simeon contributing both distribution and points of his own. Civitanova raised its attacking efficiency to 62% in the second set, turning a closely fought contest into a more comfortable 25–18 victory.
That improvement changed the character of the match. Civitanova began to find more effective solutions against Suntory’s defence, while the Japanese side struggled to maintain the same level of control in longer exchanges. Mattia Bottolo and the middle blockers offered important support, allowing Alex Nikolov to remain the focal point without having to carry the entire offensive burden.
The third set proved the most revealing phase of the encounter. Civitanova initially appeared to be moving towards a comfortable finish, building a five-point advantage, but Suntory refused to concede. Wassim Ben Tara helped drive a comeback that brought the Japanese side in front at 18–17, forcing Medei to adjust his rotation and search for a response.
Civitanova found it through its blocking game. At 22–20, the Italian side regained the initiative, and an ace from Klimeš created the opportunity to close the set. Alex Nikolov then delivered the decisive block for 25–22, completing a recovery that had demanded both tactical flexibility and composure under pressure.
By the fourth set, the difference between the teams had become increasingly apparent. Civitanova established an early advantage and extended it to 16–10, with Alex Nikolov, Klimeš and Miran Kujundžić contributing to a strong presence at the net. Suntory attempted to reduce the deficit, but the Italian side retained sufficient control to prevent another serious reversal. An attacking error on serve by Chitigoi brought the match to an end at 25–20.
The decisive statistic was Civitanova’s dominance in blocking: 14 winning blocks against just three for Suntory. The Italian side also recorded five aces to its opponents’ two, giving it a clear advantage in the two areas that most directly shaped the match. Alex Nikolov finished with 21 points, including four blocks and one ace, while Ben Tara led Suntory with 17. Chitigoi added 12 points for the Japanese team.
Beyond the numbers, Civitanova’s victory demonstrated the value of having several ways to influence a match. When its initial attacking rhythm faltered, the team found solutions through blocking, defensive coverage and service pressure. The ability to regain control after Suntory’s third-set surge was particularly significant, as it prevented the contest from becoming a test of endurance in a deciding fifth set.
For Suntory, the defeat nevertheless offered useful reference points against one of Italy’s leading clubs. Its opening-set performance showed the effectiveness of its speed and defensive organisation, while Ben Tara remained a consistent attacking threat. The challenge was sustaining that level once Civitanova began to establish a more effective presence at the net.

The two semi-finals therefore produced more than a simple pairing for the championship match. They highlighted two different routes to success: Milano’s reliance on a high-impact serving performance and the contributions of its key attackers, and Civitanova’s growing control through the middle and its ability to turn blocking into a decisive weapon.
On Sunday, October 11, the two Italian sides will meet at 18:00 for the Jesi Volley Cup title. The final will also bring familiar faces together across the net. Former Lube setter Santi Orduna and middle blocker Davi Tenorio now feature for Milano, alongside Filippo Bartolucci, who developed through Civitanova’s academy system.
For both teams, the trophy represents an opportunity to finish this stage of preparation with a meaningful result. Yet the value of the tournament extends beyond the final score. With the competitive season approaching, these matches have provided a chance to test new combinations, assess emerging roles and discover which solutions hold up under pressure.
Dermaux has already demonstrated that Milano possesses a formidable attacking weapon. Alex Nikolov, meanwhile, has shown that Civitanova can build its game around his scoring ability while drawing strength from a dominant collective blocking performance.
One final remains, and neither side arrives without questions to answer. But after two demanding semi-finals, the stage is set for a meeting between teams that have demonstrated both individual quality and the ability to adapt when the match demands it. At the PalaTriccoli, the Jesi Volley Cup will conclude with an all-Italian final—and with two very different, equally compelling cases for the title.

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