PRESENTATION OF TRENTINO – powerhouse rival of Asseco Resovia RZESZOW on the final road to CICL FINAL FOUR in LODZ

TRENTINO (a team from Trento – city located in the north-east part of the Italy, in Trentino region, famous for many attractive ski lifts), is without any doubt the biggest favorite of this edition of CICL. Italians are the current world club champions, the winners of 2008/2009 CICL, the runner-ups in Italian championships last year and Italian Cup winners in 2010. In this edition of CEV Indesit Champions League the team trained by Bulgarian head coach - Radostin Stoytchev (former setter and Trentino head coach since 2007/2008) suffered two defeats in pools round (away meeting against Dinamo MOSCOW and home game against Olympiacos PIRAEUS). However thanks to the better set ratio TRENTINO won the pool A. In the first round of play-offs they outplayed Belgian Knack Randstad Roeselare (twice 3-1).

Trentino, is a club of a quite short history, however full of great successes. 23rd of May 2000  sports company Trentino Volley was created that succeeded the rights from Ravenna club and from 2000/2001 (as the Itas Gruppo Diatec Trentino) they started to compete directly in A1. Already in 2003/2004 season Itas Diatec Trentino was the best team of the league round in A1. However, in the quarter final (play offs) Trentino was eliminated by RPA Perugia. The first big gest success of the club was noticed in 2005/2006 when the team won the junior competition (under 18 years of age). 7^th May of 2008r is a historical date as in that day Itas Diatec Trentino defeated in the third decisive game of the final Copra Nordmeccanica Piacenza 3-0 and secured the first title of Italian league. In the starting line-up of that game they were: setter Nicola Grbic (Polish Jakub Bednaruk was the substitute player on this position), the opposite Vladimir Nikolov, the receivers - Michal Winiarski and Matej Kaziyski, middle-blockers - Emanuele Birarelli and Gregor Jeroncic, libero - Andrea Bari.

The next big success TRENTINO players achieved in 2008/2009 by winning prestigious CEV Indesit Champions League as a debutant in this competition (!). However, a few weeks after this amazing achievement in Final Four in Prague Italians did not manage to defend the Italian champions title. After incredible and extremely tough fight in the fifth decisive game of the final they were defeated by Copra Nordmeccanica Piacenza 2-3 (13-15 in tie-break). The main players in Trentino roster in the previous season were: the setter Nicola Grbic (Polish Lukasz Zygadlo was substitute player), the opposite Leandro Neves Visotto, receivers – Michal Winiarski and Matey Kaziyski, middle-blockers – Emanuele Birarelli and Marco Piscopo (however, in CICL Brazilian Riad played more as he was the fourth foreigner in Trentino team and could not play as much in Italian championships).

Before this season there were couple of changes in TRENTINO roster. At first, Nicola Grbic  and Michal Winiarski left the club (Grbic to Cuneo and Winiarski to PGE Skra). On the other hand the team was enforced by Brazilian setter Raphael Vieira de Oliveira (previously in Tonno Calippo Vibo Valentia –  he spent there three seasons, also 2007/2008 when Ljubo Travica was Vibo Valentia head coach) and by Cuban – Osmany Juantorena Portuondo (he came back to the professional volley-ball after three years’ suspension due to positive result in occasion of anti doping control before World Championships Japan 2006; his last club before this unpleasant accident was Russian Ufa).  Trentino was joined also by the middle-blocker from national Italia team – Andrea Sala (previously Montichiari). The powerful team full of international stars (Kaziyski, Visotto, Juantorena) has already won this season FIVB Men’s Club World Volleyball Championships in Doha  and Italian Cup. Itas Diatec Trentino (the name of the club in A1) is a current leader of Italian league with 57 points (19 wins and 4 losses) and has 3 points of advantage over second Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo. Last weekend they had a pause (as there are 15 teams in Italian league and one of it always having a rest). Before the first leg in Playoffs 6, Trentino will play on Sunday 28^th of February away meeting against Marmi Lanza Verona.

The most often starting line-up of TRENTINO in his season: setter – Raphael Vieira de Oliveira (Polish Lukasz Zygadlo as a substitute player), opposite – Leandro Vissotto, receivers – Matey Kaziyski and Osmany Juantoreana, middle-blockers – Emanule Birarelli and Andrea Sala (in CICL head coach Radostin Stoytchev can count on Brazilian Riad), libero – Andrea Bari.

The President of the club is Diego Mosna, the chairman of DIATEC Group (main sponsor of the team). From 2004 to 2009 he was also the President of Italian League (Lega Pallavolo Serie A).

Trentino games are taking place in PALATRENTO, sports hall that can hold 4.000 supporters.

The biggest stars of his season Trentino roster:

MATEY KAZIYSKI – main receiver of Bulgarian national team with which he gained the bronze medal of FIVB Men’s World Championships Japan 2006 medal MŚ 2006 as well as bronze medal of the Europeans in 2010; he has been already chosen as the best player in Europe in 2006; MVP of CICL Final Four 2008/2009, MPV and best spiker of FIVB Men’s Club World Volleyball Championship in Doha 2009; he plays in Trentino from 2007r., he is the current captain of this team.

LEANDRO NEVES VISSOTTO – opposite player of Brazilian national team with which he won in 2009 World League and Grand Champions Cup; he is very tall (212 cm) and his height gives him unbelievable opportunities in attack and block, he plays in Trentino from 2008/2009.

OSMANY JUANTORENA PORTUONDO – Cuban receiver however he does not play in national team any more, he gained bronze medal of the Junior World Championships in 2005 as well as bronze medal in World League 2005, MVP of the Russian League in 2005, the best server of the FIVB Men’s Club World Volleyball Club Championship’s in Doha 2009, the best spiker of the League Round in 2009/2010 CICL.

The biggest successes of Trentino club:

• World Champions in FIVB Men’s Club World Championships in 2009 (in the final which took place in November 20009 in Doha Italians defeated Polish PGE Skra Belchatow 3-0)
• The winners of CEV Indesit Champions League in 2008/2009 (in the Final Four Tournament which took place in Prague they outplayed Lube Banca Marche Macerata 3-0 in the semi-final, in the final they defeated Iraklis Saloniki of Aleh Akhrem, current Asseco Resovia player 3-1)
• Italia League champions in 2007/2008 (in the final they defated Copra Nordmeccanica Piacenza 2-1 and 3-0 in the third, decisive game)
• Italian Cup winners in 2009/2010 (in the final which took place 31 th of January 2010 they outplayed Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 3-1)

The results of TRENTINO in this edition of CICL

Grupa A:

Olympiacos Piraeus – Trentino  2-3 (28-26, 25-19, 18-25, 22-25, 9-15)

Trentino – Jihostroj Ceske Budejovice 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-20)

Trentino – Dinamo Moscow 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-11)

Dinamo Moscow – Trentino 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-17)

Jihostroj Ceske Budejovice – Trentino 1-3 (22-25, 18-25, 25-23, 20-25)

Trentino – Olympiacos Piraeus 2-3 (23-25, 25-14, 21-25, 25-23, 13-15)

TRENTINO won pool A with 4 wins and 2 defeats – as wells as Dinamo Moscow and Olympiacos Piraeus. However, they had better set ratio than their opponents (15 wins to 9 lost).

Playoffs 12:

Trentino – Knack Randstad Roeselare 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-18, 25-22)

Knack Randstad Roeselare – Trentino 1-3 (26-28, 25-18, 21-25, 14-25)

THE SCHEDULE of Playoffs 6

1^st leg: Wednesday 03.03.2010 Trento (Palatrento at 20.30) TRENTINO – Asseco Resovia RZESZOW

2^nd leg: Tuesday 09.03.2010 Rzeszow (Podpromie sports hall at 18.00) Asseco Resovia RZESZOW – TRENTINO

(CAROL)