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Eczacibasi Dynavit booked their place in the final of the CEV Zeren Group Champions League after edging past Italy’s Savino Del Bene 3-2, setting up an all-Turkish title clash with VakifBank in Istanbul.
The final, to be played at Ulker Sports and Event Hall at 8:00 p.m. local time, guarantees that the trophy will remain in Türkiye this season.
Eczacibasi Dynavit had to come from behind to overcome Savino Del Bene in a tightly contested semifinal.
The Italian side took early control and claimed the opening set 25-20, forcing Eczacibasi onto the back foot.
However, the Turkish side quickly regrouped, with Magdalena Stysiak and Ebrar Karakurt stepping up to turn the momentum.
Eczacibasi leveled the match by taking the second set 25-20, before pushing ahead with a dominant 25-17 win in the third.
Savino Del Bene responded in the fourth set, holding their nerve in the closing stages to win 25-21 and force a deciding set.
Yet Eczacibasi regained control in the final stretch, building an early lead and closing it out 15-8 to secure a 3-2 victory and a place in the final.
VakifBank, which defeated A.
Carraro Imoco 3-2 in their semifinal, will now look to add another title to their already impressive record in Europe’s top club competition.
The Istanbul-based side has previously lifted the Champions League trophy six times and reached the final this season without losing a match.
A victory would bring them level with Italy’s Volley Bergamo as the third most successful club in the competition’s history.
This will be the second time VakifBank and Eczacibasi meet in a Champions League final. Their previous encounter came in the 2022-2023 season, when VakifBank came out on top with a 3-1 win.
The upcoming match also marks only the second all-Turkish final in the history of the competition, underlining the country’s continued strength in women’s club volleyball.
With both finalists coming from Türkiye, the country has already secured another international club title in women’s volleyball.
This latest success guarantees the 27th international trophy for Turkish clubs across major competitions, including the FIVB Club World Championship and various CEV tournaments.
In the Champions League alone, Turkish teams have won the title eight times so far, with VakifBank accounting for the majority of those victories, alongside single titles for Fenerbahce and Eczacibasi.
The final between VakifBank and Eczacibasi will determine the ninth Champions League title for Türkiye.
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