MERCILESS IMOCO BACK ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

Club World Championship hosts Tianjin settle for historic silver; rookies Vero Volley claim bronze

Imoco triumph as 2024 club world champions

Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano climbed back up to the top of the world! After winning the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship in 2019 and in 2022, the Panthers from Italy triumphed at the 2024 edition in Hangzhou that came to a conclusion on Sunday to collect their third world title in history in four appearances at the competition. They earned this one in the most convincing of ways, without losing a single set throughout the tournament. In 2021, Imoco settled for silver.

Imoco’s Polish captain Joanna Wolosz rejoices with the Club World Championship trophy and gold medal

This year, the silver went to hosts Tianjin Bohai Bank and it was the best result any Chinese club has ever managed to achieve at the Club World Championships. Tianjin’s previous best result was last year’s bronze. Another Italian team, Club World Championship rookies Numia Vero Volley Milan, completed the podium, claiming the bronze.

• Watch FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship replays on VBTV

In front of packed stands of well over six thousand fans at the Huanglong Sports Center in Hangzhou, Imoco showed no mercy for their hosts and, spearheaded by their Swedish star opposite Isabelle Haak, hammered out a 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-20) shutout in Sunday’s gold medal showdown to triumph as club world champions, while dominating in all scoring elements.

The incredible Haak was on fire throughout the match and scored a fantastic match high of 25 points over the three sets of the match. She led the way in attack with 19 spike kills, she led the way in serving with three aces, and with three stuffs in blocking, she was second only to her teammate in the middle, Sarah Fahr, who raised four kill blocks and fired one ace to finish with 11 points. Playing in her native China, Imoco’s outside hitter Zhu Ting stroke 14 points in attack, including the match winner, while her cross-court teammate, Gabriela Guimaraes (Gabi) of Brazil, added another 1o points towards the victory. Tianjin were led by Wang Yizhu with 13 points and Li Yingying with 12.

Hangzhou 2024 club world runners-up Tianjin Bohai Bank

Earlier on Sunday, Numia Vero Volley Milan made sure they decorated their Club World Championship debut with a medal and shut out Brazil’s Dentil Praia Clube Uberlandia in the third place match, leaving their opponents off the podium again. It was Dentil Praia’s second consecutive and third overall fourth-place finish in the history of the competition.

On the way to an emphatic 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-13) sweep, the Italian team showed their superiority from the serving line with 9-1 in aces, in attack with 34-27 in spiking points, and most of all, in blocking with 18-4 in stuffs. Vero Volley’s star opposite Paola Egonu led the way in all three of these elements. She raised six kill blocks, fired three aces and hammered 13 successful swings in offence towards a match-high total of 22 points. The only other player to reach the double digits in the match was her 20-year-old Serbian teammate, middle blocker Hena Kurtagic, who put away five kill blocks and five successful attacks. Dentil Praia’s most prolific scorer, American outside Payton Caffrey, finished with nine points.

Paola Egonu in attack during the bronze medal match in Hangzhou

Incredible Haak does it again! Collects her third Club Worlds MVP award

The Swedish star and another six outstanding players honoured on the Hangzhou 2024 Dream Team

Swedish star and Italy’s Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano opposite Isabelle Haak was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship in Hangzhou, China. The 25-year-old 1.96m-tall striker claimed the Club World Championship’s highest individual recognition for the third time in her career, after doing so in 2022 as an Imoco player and in 2021 as a VakifBank Istanbul athlete as well.

Haak also led a line-up of seven outstanding players who were honoured on the symbolic Hangzhou 2024 Dream Team during a memorable awarding ceremony after the final on Sunday:

Setter: Joanna Wolosz (Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano)
Opposite: Isabelle Haak (Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano)
Outside hitters: Li Yingying (Tianjin Bohai Bank) and Zhu Ting (Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano)
Middle blockers: Hena Kurtagic (Numia Vero Volley Milan) and Sarah Fahr (Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano)
Libero: Liu Liwen (Tianjin Bohai Bank)

Haak was Imoco’s leading scorer at the Club World Championship and overall third best scorer of the tournament with 68 points (52 spikes, 9 kill blocks, 7 aces) over the four matches she took part in. Above her in that chart were Li Yingying with 104 points and Vero Volley’s Paola Egonu with 89. Haak was also the third best server and the fourth best attacker of the competition.

• Watch FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship replays on VBTV

2024 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship: all results

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