Sofia, Bulgaria, October 25, 2019.  The composition of the five pools per gender for the upcoming fourth round of CEV Champions League Volley 2020 was determined by the drawing of lots, held in a stylish ceremony at the Marinela hotel in Sofia on Friday evening, ahead of this year’s European Volleyball Gala. The 18 women’s and 18 men’s teams, seeded directly into the pool stage of the continent’s most prestigious club competition, as well as those who have yet to find their way there via the previous rounds, may now start preparing to face their specific opponents and look forward to the start of the fourth round set for November 19 - 21 in the women’s League and December 3 - 5 on the men’s side.

Italy’s Francesca Piccinini, 2002 world champion, 2009 European champion and seven-time gold medallist and two-time MVP of the Champions League, drew the names of the women’s teams from the four pots into five pools of four as follows:

Pool A: Eczacibasi VitrA ISTANBUL (TUR), Budowlani ŁODZ (POL), LP SALO (FIN), Fenerbahce Opet ISTANBUL (TUR)
Pool B: VakifBank ISTANBUL (TUR), Lokomotiv KALININGRAD REGION (RUS), Nova KBM Branik MARIBOR (SLO), Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI (ITA)
Pool C: Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA (ITA), ŁKS Commercecon LODZ (POL), Allianz MTV STUTTGART (GER), Winner of matches 3-301/3-302 (VK UP OLOMOUC (CZE) or Khimik YUZHNY (UKR))
Pool D: A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO (ITA), NANTES VB (FRA), CSM Volei Alba BLAJ (ROU), Winner of matches 3-303/3-304 (Vasas Óbuda BUDAPEST (HUN) or Partizani TIRANA (ALB))
Pool E: Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS), RC CANNES (FRA), Maritza PLOVDIV (BUL), Uralochka-NTMK EKATERINBURG (RUS)



Bas van de Goor, 1996 Olympic champion and 1997 European champion with the Netherlands and three-time Champions Cup gold medallist, took responsibility to carry out the draw for the men’s pools:

Pool A: Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA (ITA), Fenerbahçe HDI Sigorta ISTANBUL (TUR), Jihostroj CESKE BUDEJOVICE (CZE), TRENTINO Itas (ITA)
Pool B: Kuzbass KEMEROVO (RUS), BERLIN Recycling Volleys (GER), ACH Volley LJUBLJANA (SLO), Fakel NOVY URENGOY (RUS)
Pool C: Zenit KAZAN (RUS), Halkbank ANKARA (TUR), VC Greenyard MAASEIK (BEL), JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel (POL)
Pool D: Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA (ITA), Projekt WARSZAWA (POL), TOURS VB (FRA), Winner of matches 3-001/3-002
Pool E: Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE (POL), VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (GER), Knack ROESELARE (BEL), Winner of matches 3-003/3-004



Each pool will be contested in a six-leg double round-robin home-and-away format.  In each gender, the five pool winners and the three best-ranked pool runners-up will advance to the quarterfinals. The eventual winners will be determined on May 16 and 17, 2020.



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