08/08/2014 10:36
CEV Cup silver medallists Guberniya announce transfer of Italy’s ironman Matteo Martino
News from the clubs
Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, August 8, 2014. Guberniya NIZHNIY NOVGOROD was one of the major sensations of last year’s European Cups as the Russian rookies made it all the way through to the final stage of the 2014 CEV Volleyball Cup before they lost the final match to France’s PARIS Volley. The team will return to the European stage also in the 2015 season, this time to participate in the CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup.
Guberniya just announced some changes to their roster with the main “coup” being the transfer of Italy’s Matteo Martino. The former wunderkind of Italian Volleyball, a 2008 Olympian, has been playing Beach Volleyball this summer also on the international stage with partner Matteo Cecchini (see picture) but once all paperwork is done, he is set to move to Russia to start the preparations for his debut in the Russian Superleague wearing the jersey of Guberniya.
There have been some more changes in the roster of the team with 41-year old Igor Shulepov retiring from competitive sport and middle-blocker Alexey Ostapenko leaving Russia to play next year for Italy’s Copra Elior PIACENZA. Serbia’s outside hitter Milos Nikic has decided to continue his career in Turkey to join there the ranks of Fenerbahce Grundig ISTANBUL, so apart Martino’s transfer, Guberniya has also signed a couple of more players, thereby announcing the arrival of Bulgarian middle-blocker Viktor Yosifov from Germany’s vice-champions VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN and of Russian opposite Filipp Voronkov, who spent the last season with Fakel NOVY URENGOY. It is still to be determined what happens with their setter Mikko Esko, since the contract with the Finnish player has come to an end and he apparently has an option to play in France next year.
In the meantime after Alexandr Bogomolov already moved to Superleague rookie Neftyanik ORENBURG, another two players who last year were on the roster of Belogorie BELGOROD, the team that won both the CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League and the FIVB Men’s Club World Championship, have left the group mentored by Gennady Shipulin. Libero Hachatur Stepanyan and wing-spiker Maxim Panteleymonenko will be playing next year for Kuzbass KEMEROVO and Dinamo KRASNODAR, respectively.
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