The first round of the group stage of the CEV Volleyball Champions League in 2026 brought spectacular clashes and several historic results, with the triumph of ACH Volley from Ljubljana, which, under the leadership of Igor Kolaković, defeated the French Tour with a maximum score of 3:0 (26:24, 25:19, 25:22), writes odbojka.me.
In a packed Tivoli Hall, the Slovenian champion achieved its first ever victory against the French team, after six previous losses, thus taking an important step in Group A. In a duel between two coaches of the same name, Montenegrin Kolaković outsmarted Croatian Juričić, and his team showed discipline, patience and tactical maturity.
"This was a high-stakes match for both teams and this victory keeps us in the game. There was a lot of nervousness in the first set, but we solved a few difficult balls. Later we raised the level and played patiently. It may seem like an easy victory, but we had to fight for every point," said Kolaković, reported the newspaper Ekipa.
Tonček Štern dominated the field, and with 24 points and 73% success rate in the attack, he was named the MVP of the game, while Tour was led by Nik Mujanović with 16 points.
ACH Ljubljana is third, in a difficult group, and needs another triumph - perhaps to try to reach the round of 16 as the best third-placed team from five groups.
Zirat crushes Trentino, Poles relentless
In the same group, the biggest surprise of the round was Zirat Banka, which defeated Italy's Trentino 3-0 in the derby of the undefeated in Ankara, achieving the first victory of a Turkish club over an Italian rival in the Champions League after nine consecutive triumphs by teams from the Apennines.
Nimir Abdel-Aziz was the MVP with 21 points.
"A great win against one of the best teams in the world. We played great volleyball and that's very encouraging. We're first in the standings, there are three rounds left, but that doesn't mean much yet. We have to stay focused and keep winning," said Abdel-Aziz.
In Group B, Polish champions Lublin continued their impressive run, defeating Galatasaray 3-1 in Istanbul. Wilfredo Leon led the visitors with 21 points and deservedly took home the MVP award. In the other group match, Belgium's Roselare won in five sets against Halkbank in Ankara, in a marathon 130-minute match. Basil Dermo shone, finishing with 39 points.
Drama in the Canary Islands, routine in Perugia
Group C offered a real volleyball drama in Las Palmas, where the Canaries defeated Prague in five sets. Brazilian setter Bezera Souza was an unsolvable enigma for the Czechs with 28 points. On the other hand, defending champions Perugia routinely defeated Berlin 3-0, confirming their status as one of the main favorites for the title. Wassim Ben Tara was the MVP, while coach Angelo Lorenzetti emphasized the importance of stable reception and serve.
"We knew that Berlin was less dangerous away from home, but we approached the match in the right way. Technically, the guys pleased me, especially in terms of reception. Berlin has cunning players, very smart servers who send spin with a slightly strange rotation. These are players we don't know well and therefore it can be dangerous. We had a little difficulty getting used to it, it's a different game from those we encounter in the Italian championship, but what was asked of the guys was done," said Lorenzetti.
Rešovija secure, Lube dominated in Warsaw
In Group D, Reşovija had no problems against Sporting Lisbon, winning 3-0 with a dominant performance in all elements. Yasin Luati was the most efficient with 19 points.
Lube Civitanova maintained its top performance in Group E, defeating Poland's Projekt 3-0 in Warsaw. Young Aleksandar Nikolov took home the MVP award with 19 points, while Lube showed breadth and stability even when he wasn't brilliant on serve.
Results
GROUP A
Zirat Banka - Trentino 3:0
ACH Ljubljana - Round 3:0
Table: Zirat Bank 9, Trentino 6, ACH Ljubljana 3, Tur 0.
GROUP B
Halkbank - Roselar 0:3
Galatasaray - Lublin 1:3
Table: Lublin 8, Roselar 4, Galatasaray 3, Halkbank 3.
GROUP C
Perugia - Berlin 3:0
Las Palmas - Prag 3:2
Table: Peruđa 8, Berlin 5, Las Palmas 3, Prag 2.
GROUP D
Luneburg - Zavjerce 0:3
Rešovija - Sporting 3:0
Table: Zavjerće 9, Rešovija 6, Luneburg 3, Sporting 0.
GROUP E
Montpellier - Leuven 3:0
Warsaw - Lube Civitanova 0:3
Table: Lube Cittanova 9, Montpellier 5, Warsaw 4, Leuven 0.
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