Luxembourg, March 5, 2021. There's going to be a new champion this year in the world's premier continental club competition, after titleholders Cucine Lube Civitanova were knocked out by Grupa Azoty Kedzierzyn-Kozle in the quarterfinals of the CEV Champions League Volley 2021 in the dramatic return legs this week that saw Zenit Kazan, Trentino Itas and Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia also advance to the last four.

The semifinals matchups bring yet another Italian derby on the table, with the country's two remaining sides, Trentino and Perugia up against each other, while six-time European champions Zenit will have to overcome Kedzierzyn-Kozle if they are to return to a final since losing to Lube in 2019.

Lube were on the ropes after losing at home to Kedzierzyn-Kozle in the first leg. But remarkably, after a change of head coach a few days before the return leg, they edged the Polish side in three exceptionally tight sets to force a 'Golden Set'.

Kezierzyn-Kozle had set balls in both the second and third sets as they attempted to take the two sets needed to clinch their ticket to the semifinals in the regular match. On both counts they were stopped by a Robertlandy Simon ace (one of a total of four in the match) and Simone Anzani's back-to-back blocks.

But Lube got a taste of their own medicine when Lukasz Kaczmarek served his sole ace of the whole match on Osmany Juantorena to close the 'Golden Set' and send players and staff of Kedzierzyn-Kozle into a frenzy of celebrations for making the semifinals.

It will be the fourth time Kedzierzyn-Kozle feature amongst the top four of Europe, though they have never yet made it past the semifinals.



A day earlier, it had also taken a 'Golden Set' to decide the first ticket to the semifinals at Perugia where Leo Shoes Modena were challenging the home side in the Italian derby. Having convincingly won the first leg a week earlier, Modena needed two sets in the regular match to advance to the semifinals.



But other than in the first set, when they led by as many as three points midway through, Modena failed to apply any real pressure on Perugia - their attacking efficiency shocking, at a mere 36%, and their unforced errors providing Perugia with almost a sets-worth of points in the regular match.

Perugia forced the 'Golden Set' with a sweep of the regular game after a brilliant top-scoring performance (18 points in the first three sets) from match MVP Wilfredo Leon.

There was no stopping Perugia now and it must have been painful for any Modena fan to watch, as the 2017 Champions League runners-up ruthlessly demolished their opponents 15-5 (including an incredible nine-point run from 4-4 to 13-4 with Oleh Plotnytskyi serving), as Leon added another six points to his tally.



After faltering in the unfinished 2020 season, Zenit Kazan are back in the top four of Europe, following their win at home over PGE Skra Belchatow - whom they had also beaten a week earlier in the first leg.

But for a moment it looked shaky. Three thousand fans, in one of the few countries were spectators are allowed, watched with horror as Zenit approached the match lacking the seriousness required, committed as many as ten unforced errors in the first set and allowed Skra to take the lead.

Still, the home side did regroup quickly to take the next two sets - enough to see them through to the semifinal - with Bartosz Bednorz and Maxim Mikhailov sharing top-scoring honours on 15 points each. With the tie decided, the two coaches brought on their reserves, as Skra forced a tie-break but Zenit went on to take the match.



Three-time European champions Trentino also return to the continent's last four, after their straight-set win at home over Berlin Recycling Volleys, to make the semifinals for the first time since 2016.

It was never in any doubt and in combination with their win a week earlier in the German capital, Trentino wrapped it all up after only two sets - Nimir Abdel-Aziz once again named MVP of the game after spearheading the scoring with a match high of 12 points and a 67% (10/15) attacking efficiency in the two sets he played, before the substitutes were sent in for the third.