CEV Cup 2022

    Quote from jader

    when is that match?🧐

    First matches of 1/4 finals are scheduled for late January and second for February.

    Before that Eczacibasi should pass Calcit Kamnik tommorow. :lol: #jk

    ŁKS Commercecon Łódź – CV Gran Canaria 3:0(25:23, 25:17, 25:23)

    ŁKS: Grajber (6), Witkowska (9), Colombo (10), Ratzke (2), Alagierska (11), Jones-Perry (9), Maj-Erwardt (libero) oraz Pacak, Jukoski (4), Sobiczewska, Gajer, Piasecka (3)
    CV: Marques (8), Manzano (6), Garreau (5), Varela (7), Matienzo (6), Alvarez (2), Sanchez (libero) oraz Priante, Montoro, Gonzalez (4), Castellano (5), Hernandez (libero

    Of course I was in the hall SCHARRena in Stuttgart yesterday on my usual seat (more difficult than usual due to Corona restrictions), to see the clash of my both favourite teams - and I can still hardly believe, what I witnessed there with my own eyes...


    To call this match an uphill battle for Stuttgart without an ill main attacker Rivers is kind of English understatement, after the three-set whitewash in Busto Arsizios Pala e-work (formerly Pala Yamamy) one week ago, that first result came as no surprise.


    They dreamed of a magical evening and delivered just that, against butterfiles, which looked somewhat absent in the first two sets, while Stuttgart played on its absolute limit. The team from the superiour Italian league may have been surprised too by the absence of Stuttgarts easily identified main attacker Rivers (my first reaction when I recognized her absence was like "now we have really no chance at all"). But after beating some formally stronger teams in European competitions in the last years (Novara, Moscow, current Russian champions Kaliningrad) occasionally this time they could count such a surprise win with positive outcome for the first time ever (pool match wins were useless in CL at the end).


    Indeed they are now favourites in the lower half, being much better than Schwerin currently (strange German league duel in the quarters) and for sure also as LKS Commercecon Lodz from our Polish partner city, a team they have defeated already in the past and current shapes are clearly in favour of Stuttgart.


    Still to expect is Eczacibasi from Istanbul as the other finalist, against them they lost two times in CL but only in tie-break. It will be still important for German league, to exploit this rarely seen chance to get to the CEV cup finals.


    And regarding Busto: they didn't follow their plan to play more aggressively as in the first match, where they counted well the too many mistakes by Stuttgart, which were simply not happening yesterday.

    Eczacibasi with this players doesn't deserve Maja and Boskovic. Horrible mistake by Maja signing two year contract. The CEV CL will remain an unfulfilled dream. Even if they enlist better foreing OH, locals? , and on that aspect i don't expect much from them. Some locals could be solution, but even for that way of development years are neded. Only if Zehra could be multiplied,....