09/05/2019 10:00
Know Your ‘Super Teams’ – Zenit KAZAN
CEV Champions League Volley 2019 Super Finals
Luxembourg, May 9, 2019. Even though they surprisingly lost the championship series of the Russian Superleague to Kuzbass KEMEROVO, Zenit KAZAN still have one major goal to achieve this season – to win the historic CEV Champions League Volley 2019 Super Finals coming up in a little more than a week at Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin.
After their winning streak in Europe’s elite competition ended in the quarterfinals with their home match vs. Trefl GDANSK, there is still a number of records that Zenit KAZAN are pursuing when taking to the court in the German capital on May 18, 2019. The Super Final with Italy’s Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA will be a repeat of last year’s gold medal match that Zenit won at the tiebreak.
• Zenit KAZAN are in the Champions League final for a record-extending eighth time. Italy’s TRENTINO Itas follows on four CL finals.
• Zenit have won a record six CL titles, including in each of the last four seasons: 2007/08, 2011/12, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18.
• Their first CL success came in 2008 in Lodz, Poland under their previous denomination – Dinamo Tattransgaz KAZAN.
• Zenit ousted Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA in this year's semi-finals. They won 3-2 away and 3-1 at home in matches that were somehow special – since their former superstar Wilfredo Leon had moved to Italy last summer after spending four years in Kazan.
• Zenit have lost only one of their last 33 CL matches, a 3-2 home defeat against Trefl GDANSK in this season's quarterfinals.
• Zenit have won at least two sets in each of their last 54 CL matches, since a 3-1 defeat against JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel in the bronze medal match of the 2014 edition.
• Vadym Likhosherstov (21.43%) has the best blocker efficiency and Alexander Butko (60.00%) the best setter efficiency this CL season.
• Only CHAUMONT VB 52 HM's Michael Saeta (28) has served up more aces in the CL this campaign than Earvin Ngapeth (26).
• If he wins another CL crown in Berlin, Maxim Mikhailov will equal the all-time record in the competition owned by another Russian player, Alexander Gutsalyuk, who has six titles to his name – five with Zenit KAZAN and one with Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK.
For further information, visit the official event website http://cl.volley.cev.eu.
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