The ten men’s volleyball champions crowned in Europe and Asia last week

From Japan in Asia to Ireland in Europe – as many as 10 countries named their 2023 men’s national volleyball champions last week, while the national cup winners of England also became known.

Albania

Defending champions Tirana claimed their 11th title in Albania after winning the best-of-five final playoff against city rivals Partizani Tirana by three victories to one. Third in the standings after the regular season, they started the championship series with a 3-1 (25-17, 14-25, 28-26, 25-23) away win on 14 April and a 3-2 (28-30, 25-18, 16-25, 25-19, 15-13) home victory on 17 April, before Partizani struck back with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-20) shutout in the third match at home last Thursday.

A five-set battle unfolded in Sunday’s fourth game, before hosts Tirana could celebrate with a 3-2 (18-25, 25-22, 24-26, 25-21, 15-5) victory and the trophy. Tirana’s opposite Ledion Martiro, who was the team’s best scorer in each of the previous three matches, erupted with 37 points towards Sunday’s win.

Tirana’s team roster

Austria

Hypo Tirol Innsbruck closed the best-of-seven final series in the Austrian league to triumph as national champions for the 11th time in the club’s history and earn a 2023 golden double, after winning the national cup back in February. It was their first national crown since 2017. The championship playoff against Zadruga Aich/Dob started on 5 April, when Hypo Tirol took the lead with a 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 25-22) home win. Three days later, Zadruga leveled it up with a 3-1 (15-25, 29-27, 25-17, 25-20) victory at home, in Bleiburg. Back in Innsbruck for the third game on 15 April, Hypo Tirol squeezed out a hard-fought 3-2 (25-19, 18-25, 25-15, 17-25, 15-13) win to regain control of the series and never looked back. Four days later, they hammered out an away 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-23) sweep of game four, and finished the job on Saturday in front of 1,200 fans at home with a 3-1 (25-19, 18-25, 25-21, 25-13) victory. Their Brazilian opposite Luan Weber was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season. TSV Raiffeisen Hartberg swept the best-of-three bronze medal playoff to complete the podium.

Hypo Tirol Innsbruck’s team roster

Denmark

Marienlyst-Fortuna Odense achieved a golden double in Denmark after adding the national championship title to the national cup they won earlier in the season. They swept the best-of-five championship series against Nordenskov UIF in three matches. On 15 April, they started with a hard-fought 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 21-25, 31-29, 15-13) win at home, and then doubled their lead with a 3-1 (25-15, 25-22, 20-25, 25-23) away win last Tuesday. Back in Odense for the third game on Friday, Marienlyst managed another 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-23) victory to close the series and celebrate their 11th title. Contributing a total of 78 points (28 + 25 + 25), opposite Sigurd Varming was the best scorer of each of the three matches. The bronze medals went to Ikast KFUM, who swept the best-of-three third place playoff with two wins over Middelfart.

Marienlyst-Fortuna Odense’s team roster

England

Malory Eagles London claimed their 16th England Cup trophy, but the first in 13 years, in Kettering on Saturday, when they mastered a 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-23) shutout of Essex Rebels Colchester in the final. Eagles’ Bulgarian outside hitter and coach Mihail Stoev was named MVP.

Malory Eagles London’s team roster

Japan

Wolfdogs Nagoya Inazawa (pictured above, photo credit: Wolfdogs Nagoya) claimed their second national title in Japan seven years after the first one back in 2016. In Sunday’s big V-League final in front of well over seven thousand spectators in Tokyo, Wolfdogs hammered out a 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 28-26) shutout of Suntory Sunbirds Osaka to triumph as champions. Their Polish star opposite Bartosz Kurek delivered 32 points, including four kill blocks and an ace, to top the scorers’ chart of the match and claim the MVP of the season award. The team of Panasonic Panthers Hirakata took the bronze medals.

Wolfdogs Nagoya Inazawa’s team roster

Luxembourg

Defending champions Stroossen Strassen snatched their 17th national title in Luxembourg to register a 2023 golden double, along with the national cup they claimed last month. In the best-of-three championship series, they did not lose a single set against Volley Bartreng Bertrange and, after a 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-21) sweep at home on 15 April and 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-20) away victory last Saturday, celebrated as national champions. The team of Lorentzweiler completed the podium with bronze.

Stroossen Strassen’s team roster

Qatar

Al-Rayyan defended their national title from 2022 and added the 11th championship trophy to their collection on Wednesday as they produced a 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-21) shutout of Al Arabi Doha in the final of the Qatari league. Qatar Volleyball Association President Ali Ghanim Al-Kuwari presented the trophy to the champions. Al-Rayyan’s Estonian opposite Oliver Venno was the best scorer of the final with 18 points, while Serbian opposite Dusan Petkovic and Croatian outside Marko Sedlacek shared the top scorer honours on Al Arabi’s side with 11 points apiece. The bronze went to Police Doha after a five-set battle with Qatar Doha in the third place playoff.

Slovakia

VKP Bratislava swept the best-of-seven championship series in Slovakia to triumph for the first time in 12 years and pick up their 12th overall Slovakian title. They opened the final playoff against MIRAD UNIPO Presov with two away victories on 15 and 16 April, 3-2 (16-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 15-13) and 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 27-25). With the series moving to Bratislava for the next two games last weekend, the home team extended their streak with a 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 26-24, 25-23) win on Saturday and a narrow 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-17, 15-12) victory on Sunday. In that fourth match, Bratislava’s 20-year-old opposite Adrian Vanco impressed with a match high of 41 points, including five aces. TJ Spartak Myjava took the bronze after winning the best-of-five third place playoff against Rieker UJS Komarno by three wins to none.

VKP Bratislava’s team roster

Slovenia

ACH Volley Ljubljana claimed their 19th national title of Slovenia, winning the trophy in 18 of the last 19 seasons and registering a golden treble in 2022-2023, along with the MEVZA League and the national cup. In the best-of-five championship series, they left no doubts over their superiority and defeated Calcit Volley Kamnik three times in three matches – 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-19) at home on 15 April, 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19) away on 19 April and 3-1 (25-23, 26-28, 25-21, 25-20) at home again last Friday, 21 April. In the last game, ACH Volley’s outside Matej Kok impressed with five aces and a 77% success rate in attack towards the match high of 24 points. On Saturday, Merkur Maribor closed the best-of-three third place playoff to sweep the bronze.

ACH Volley Ljubljana’s team roster

Switzerland

Volley Schoenenwerd mounted a glorious turnaround in Switzerland’s championship series to grab their first-ever national title after losing the first two games of the best-of-five playoff. Defending champions LINDAREN Volley Amriswil got the final underway with a 3-2 (25-22, 25-17, 23-25, 20-25, 15-11) victory in Schoenenwerd on 5 April and backed it up with a 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-16, 25-22) home win on 10 April. This is when Schoenenwerd’s comeback started. On 16 April, they won at home by 3-1 (29-27, 25-19, 20-25, 29-27), and leveled the series with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-17) sweep in Amriswil on 21 April. Hosting Sunday’s title decider in front of a sellout crowd, Schoenenwerd mastered another 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-23) shutout with a 20-point match high from outside Luca Ulrich to triumph with the crown. The team of Volley Naefels swept the best-of-three third place series to claim the bronze.

Volley Schoenenwerd’s team roster

Ukraine

Prometey Dnipro won their first-ever men’s title in Ukraine. On Sunday, they closed the Superliga final playoff against Epicentr-Podolyany Gorodok by three wins to one and celebrated as national champions. All matches of the championship series were played in Hodyliv. On 11 April, Epicentr managed a 3-1 (18-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-18) win to take the lead, but Prometey bounced back to win the next three games, each in a hard-fought five-set battle – 3-2 (25-17, 20-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-12) on 13 April, 3-2 (25-18, 19-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-10) on 21 April and 3-2 (25-12, 13-25, 22-25, 25-22, 20-18) on Sunday, 23 April. Their setter and captain Vitaliy Shchytkov was named MVP of the season. Yurydychna akademiya Kharkiv claimed the bronze medals after sweeping the best-of-five third place playoff in three matches.

Prometey Dnipro’s team roster