Luxembourg, April 4, 2021. Poland's Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn Koźle made history recently as they qualified for the CEV Champions League Volley Super Finals for the first time, following a dramatic tie against Russia's Zenit Kazan.
This semi-final battle was an absolute marathon, with each match going into a fifth set and the tie being decided after a Golden Set. The difficult path towards the Super Finals had given Zaksa the edge, seemingly not phased by the caliber of their opponent and the pressure of a Golden Set, with Nikola Grbić's team managing to make history already even before playing in the much anticipated Super Finals.
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David Smith, the people's choice
Following the conclusion of the semi-final matches, the CEV gave the opportunity to fans to vote for who they believe was the Top Performer of the Round out of two top players: Zaksa's David Smith and Trentino's Alessandro Michieletto. The 24 hour vote was carried out on all of the CEV's digital platforms and gathered 4,716 votes with a very close finish:
David Smith - 2,583 / 55%
Alessandro Michieletto - 2,133 / 45%
Kędzierzyn Koźle's middle blocker, David Smith, played an immense role in their performances this year by being a dominant presence at the net and a calming, motivating presence on the court and in the locker room. A consistently good performer and a reliable output for his coach's vision, Smith has been rewarded by the fans with their vote in being selected the Top Performer of the semi-finals, here is how he did it!
The 35-year-old American middle blocker is an inspiration for players and fans all over the world, having to overcome hearing disabilities on his journey to playing volleyball at the highest level for both club and the United States National Team, winning an Olympic Bronze Medal, World Cup Gold and Bronze along the way.
Now in his second season with Zaksa and his ninth season playing in the European Cups, David Smith has the opportunity of contributing to his side potential historic win in the CEV Champions League Volley Super Finals scheduled to take place in Verona on 1st May.
