It’s going to be a busy week, so stay tuned.
What's On: Your guide to the week
The week of January 30-February 5 in volleyball and beach volleyball
Publicado 10:30, 30 jan. 2023
The Italian League duel between Perugia and Piacenza is one of the highlights of the week
Beach volleyball remains in the spotlight with the second edition of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour set to begin in Doha, Qatar at the highest possible level, with an Elite16 event that will reunite the top teams in the world at the Aspire Park sports complex between Wednesday and Sunday.
The volleyball club season continues to progress around the world and is reaching money time in Italy, with the regular season entering its final stages. The French Cup and the Turkish, Brazilian and Korean leagues are among the ones to watch this week too.
Here’s all you need to know about the week ahead.
Monday
Turkish Men’s League: Halkbank Ankara vs. Galatasaray HDI Istambul – 15:00 local time (12:00 UTC)
Turkish league leaders Halkbank will try to secure their 16th victory in 17 matches against fourth-place Galatasaray. The team of Dutch star opposite Nimir Abdel-Aziz and Argentinean Olympic medallist Nicolas Bruno is undefeated in its last six matches ,while Galatasaray, who have Australian opposite Thomas Edgar as their main scorer, have won their three most recent matches.
Tuesday
Men’s French Cup: Tourcoing Lille Métropole vs. Tours Volley-Ball – 20:00 local time (19:00 UTC)
Six of the eight matches of the Round of 16 of the Men’s French Cup will take place on Tuesday. The duel between Tourcoing Lille Métropole and Tours Volley-Ball will oppose two members of the French national team that won gold at the 2022 Volleyball Nations League - Tourcoing’s middle blocker Daryl Bultor and Tours’ libero Benjamin Diez. Tourcoing also have Canadian internationals Jay Blankenau and Lucas Van Berkel in their squad while Tours count on Argentinean outside hitter Luciano Palonsky.
Wednesday
Beach Pro Tour Doha Elite16 - Qatar
Watch on Volleyball TV
The 2023 season of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour begins this week, with an Elite16 event held in Doha, the same location as last week’s 2022 Beach Pro Tour Finals. All 20 teams that competed in the Qatari capital for the Finals will be back for more, while other top duos will also take part in the season opener, such as European champions David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden and the new Canadian team of Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson.
Thursday
CEV Women’s Champions League
The fifth round of matches of the CEV Women’s Champions League will be completed on Thursday with two matches involving Turkish teams. Undefeated in Pool E, 2022 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship bronze medallists Eczacıbaşı Dynavit will face Romania’s CSM Târgoviște. In Pool D, third-placed Fenerbahçe Opet will need to top Spain’s La Laguna to remain in contention for a spot in the elimination round.
Friday
Women’s Korean League: Daejeon Korea Ginseng Corp vs. Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders – 19:00 local time (10:00 UTC)
Korean superstar Kim Yeon-Koung will face a pair of former national team teammates in the country’s league when her team Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders face Daejeon Korea Ginseng Corp, who have setter Yeum Hye-Seon and middle blocker Han Song-Yi in their squad. The Pink Spiders are second in the standings while Daejeon rank fourth.
Saturday
Rupay Prime Volleyball League Powered by A23
The RuPay Prime Volleyball League Powered by A23 begins on Saturday. An exciting and unprecedented format makes India's pro league a unique proposition for fans. One you can get to know in February and March, when it takes place in cities across India. From February 4 to March 5, head to Volleyball World for all the latest from the Prime Volleyball League. The entire second season of India’s Prime Volleyball League will also be streamed live on Volleyball TV (for viewers outside India).
Brazilian Men’s Superliga: Itambé Minas vs. Sada Cruzeiro – 21:30 local time (Sunday, 3:30 UTC)
Two of the top men’s teams in Brazil, Minas and Sada Cruzeiro, who both recently competed at the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship, will clash in the 16th round of the country’s Superliga. Minas, who have setter William Arjona, opposite Leandro Vissotto and libero Maique Nascimento as their key players, are third in the standings while Sada Cruzeiro, who count on opposite Wallace de Souza, middle blocker Lucas Saatkamp and outside hitter Miguel Angel Lopez, sit at the top of the table.
Sunday
SuperLega Credem Banca – Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza vs. Sir Safety Susa Perugia – 18:00 local time (17:00 UTC)
Watch on Volleyball TV
All 12 teams of the Italian Men’s League will be in action as the regular season gets to its 18th week and the duel between Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza and league leaders Sir Safety Susa Perugia promises to be the most exciting. Besides reuniting four members of the Italian national team that won gold at the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, the encounter will also feature international stars like Piacenza’s Robertlandy Simon and Antoine Brizard and Perugia’s Wilfredo Leon and Oleh Plotnytskyi.
Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile: Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore vs. Savino Del Bene Scandicci – 17:00 local time (16:00 UTC)
Watch on Volleyball TV
A full round of encounters is set to take place in the Italian Women’s League as the teams will all complete their 17th match in the regular season. Among the seven duels, the one between sixth-placed Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore and second-placed Savino Del Bene Scandicci is perhaps the most intriguing. Both teams have setter/hitter duos that are used to shine at the international level with Casalmaggiore featuring Americans Lauren Carlini and Alexandra Frantti and Scandicci led by China's Zhu Ting and Yao Di.
