KNACK RANDSTAD ROESELARE WELCOMES UNICAJA ALMERIA

Men's Indesit European Champions League 2005/06

Roeselare, Belgium, October 25, 2005. On Wednesday, 26th October 2005, Knack Randstad ROESELARE start their seventh European campaign, facing Spanish Unicaja ALMERIA one week later than the other four Pool A opponents in the Indesit European Champions League.

Knack Randstad ROESELARE have a strong tradition to defend in European Volleyball. Playing their first European match in 1985 in the Confederation Cup, the team have since played 103 matches in 16 European campaigns. Latest highlight was the victory in the 2002/03 Austrian Airlines Top Teams Cup. For the fifth time, respectively the fourth time in a row, Knack Randstad ROESELARE participate in the most prestigious European Cup, the Indesit European Champions League, having won the Belgian Championship as well as the Belgian Cup last season.

The last three years the Belgian champion only missed the qualification for the second round by a little. “We would be very disappointed if we don’t survive the first round this year”, commented head coach Dominique Baeyens, “The team is ready for a new European campaign, eagerly awaiting the first match. Neverthless, we know that we won’t get the qualification handed to us on a plate. We will have to reach our best level to win against Ortec ROTTERDAM Nesselande and Unicaja ALMERIA. In particular the Spanish team proved far stronger than we first expected. Their match against INNSBRUCK gave us a warning. In addition, ALMERIA dominated LAS PALMAS during the finals of the Spanish play-offs last season.”

“ALMERIA are composed of many strong players, such as Mike Van De Goor as experienced middle-blocker as well as their efficient opposite from Venezuela”, added Baeyens. “Five of their players have a very strong serve. We will have to put them under pressure in reception by serving effective ourselves to win our first home match.”

Knack Randstad ROESELARE expect a full house in the top sportshall Schiervelde, offering place to an audience 2’000 cheering fans. The match starts at 20.30hrs local time on Wednesday, 26th October.

Johan Eeckhout
Press Officer
Knack Randstad ROESELARE

PERUGIA AT HOME AGAINST SOFIA

Perugia, Italy, October 25, 2005. The European adventure is continuing. EMU RPA PERUGIA will meet Levski Siconco SOFIA from Bulgaria in their first home match.

Forgetting about their first round defeat against Russian Lokomotiv BELGOROD, PERUGIA is looking ahead: “Our training is targeted at the matches”, declared Piero Molducci, head coach of PERUGIA. The only doubt remaining is the starting line-up, as setter Paolo Tofoli suffers a leg injury, which made him miss the last match of the Italian Championship.

However, Ivan Zaytsev is ready to take the role. “I was told that I played a good match on Saturday”, he stated, “Still, we lost.”

The Bulgarian team defeated Buducnost PODGORICKA Banka after five hard fought sets. PERUGIA will have an eye on their diagonal spiker Boyan Yordanov, who scored 30 points in his first match.

The match will be broadcast live on Sport Italia at 20.30hrs local time.

Eleonora Cozzari
Press Officer
EMU RPA PERUGIA

FRENCH AS CANNES FACE ITALIAN SISLEY TREVISO

Cannes, France, October 25, 2005. AS CANNES meet TREVISO in their first match of the men’s Indesit European Champions League 2005/2006, which will take place in the newly constructed “Palais des Victoires”.

The French champion is facing a difficult task against the Italian team which lines up several national team players who have claimed the European Championship title in September this year.

“TREVISO is a magnificent team who have won many Italian and European titles in the past few years”, stated CANNES head coach Laurent Tillie, “The best players of the international volleyball arena have played or play in this team, i.e. Papi, Vermiglio, Fei, Cisolla, Gustavo, Tencati, Farina, Casoli. Technique, speed and power come together for an efficient and perfect play with the tactics managed by Daniele Bagnoli.” The head coach of the French Riviera team AS CANNES promises “an attractive show!”

The game is scheduled for Thursday, 27th October 2005, at 20.30hrs local time at the “Palais des Victoires”, Avenue Maurice Chevalier at Cannes La Bocca.

Press Officer
AS CANNES

SISLEY VOLLEY SEARCHING FOR ANOTHER WINNING STREAK IN EUROPE

Sisley, Italy, October 26, 2005. Second gameday in Pool C of the Indesit European Champions League. Sisley TREVISO wants to confirm their good start by trying to beat the French champion AS CANNES. The game is scheduled for Thursday, 27th October 2005 at 20.30hrs local time.

"It's going to be a difficult for us", recognises Sisley Volley's captain Samuele Papi, "In the first match last week we realised the great intensityof the European matches, hence we will focus from the beginning. "It's a matter of concentration. We know that each team faces us with no pressure with the sole aim of knocking us out of the competition. AS CANNES is well known for their organisation on court."

The game between AS CANNES and Sisley TREVISO will be broadcast live on national TV Sportitalia (20.30hrs CET) as well as on the local radio Veneto Uno (97.5 FM).

Enrico Castorina
Press Officer
Sisley TREVISO

Tirol Manager Hannes Kronthaler, Head Coach Pietro Scarduzio, Sports Director Stefan Chrtiansky (from left to right)

ROTTERDAM IS GUEST IN INNSBRUCK

Innsbruck, Austria, October 24, 2005. Hypo Tirol INNSBRUCK will receive Dutch club Ortec ROTTERDAM Neselande on Wednesday, which will be the first home game for the Austrian double winner this season in the Indesit European Champions League.

“This is going to be an interesting match”, promises Tirol’s manager Hannes Kronthaler. Both teams have lost their first round games. Whilst INNSBRUCK was beaten 0:3 in Almeria, Ortec ROTTERDAM lost at home to Iraklis THESSALONIKI. The Austrians are optimistic in view of the game believing that they are able to book their first victory in their tenth match in the Champions League. “We will fight for the third to fifth rank against ROTTERDAM and ROESELARE”, predicted Tirol’s new head coach Italian Pietro Scarduzio during a press conference for the launch of the Indesit European Champions League.

“We are determined to leave the court as the winners in our home game against ROTTERDAM”, confirmed Kronthaler, “Both teams are looking for their first wins, thus it will be a good match to follow.”

Amongst Ortec ROTTERDAM’s team will be two Dutch legends, namely head coach Peter Blangé, who belonged to the Olympic gold medal team in 1996 in Atlanta, as well as 37 year old Marko Klok, winner of the silver medal at the Olympic Games in 1992 in Barcelona at the side of his current coach Blangé.

The match will start in Innsbruck at 20.15hrs local time. TW1 will broadcast live.

Michael Weiss
Press Officer
Hypo Tirol INSBRUCK

HOME DEBUT FOR DÜREN IN THE INDESIT EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Düren, Germany, October 25, 2005. evivo DÜREN and the aon hotVolleys VIENNA will meet on Wednesday, 26th October 2005 at 20.15hrs local time for their second match in the Indesit European Champions League after both teams had to admit a 2:3 defeat last week.

Winning two sets against Italian champion TREVISO on Italian home ground is regarded as a success by DÜREN, whereas VIENNA suffered a painful defeat at home against Belgian Nolio MAASEIK. The aon hotVolleys are now under pressure to beat the German vice-champion, otherwise the club will face more problems of reaching their aim in Pool C, which is third place. “We are the underdogs”, stated DÜREN’s new assistant coach Stefan Hübner, former national team player, “VIENNA is an established team in the Indesit European Champions League with several good and experienced players.” DÜREN’s goal lies in avoiding last place in their group. “I hope there will be a lot of fans in the DÜREN Arena”, Hübner continued, “If we keep playing our best with the support of our fans we might have a chance.”

The important question is: Which team can handle the pressure better? DÜREN, who are giving their home debut in this high-status competition, or VIENNA , who are trying to stay in the race for third place?

Guido Jansen
Press Officer
evivo DÜREN

OLYMPIACOS PIRAEUS VS. VFB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN

Piraeus, Greece, October 25, 2005. Since German re-unificatio, the men’s volleyball team of Olympiacos PIRAEUS has met German teams in ten times in European Cups, winning eight of the ten matches. Still, both defeats were against VfB Friedrichshafen, one in 1999 and the other in 2000.

Olympiacos is ready to set this record straight on Thursday, when they take on VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN in their opening match of the 2005/06 Indesit European Champions League.

The reigning Top Teams Cup holder Olympiacos has had a shaky start to this year's national season, dropping a point in the opening match to EAP PATRAS and then losing in four sets to the defending champions as well as last season’s Indesit European Champions League runners up Iraklis THESSALONIKI. Despite coming back with an impressive straight-set victory over newly promoted PANERYTHRAIKOS last weekend, Olympiacos remain sixth in the Greek League ranking following the third round.

On Thursday, PIRAEUS will have to do without two of their star foreign players, namely Argentinean Marcos Milinkovic, who is suffering from injury, as well as Italy’s Lorenzo Bernardi who has been requested to return Italy. Still, PIRAEUS remains optimistic.

Pool B of the 2005/06 Indesit European Champions League also includes the defending champions TOURS VB from France, as well as Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS) and volleyball.cz KLADNO (CZE).

The Greek-German encounter will begin at 18.00 local time at the Rentis Sports Centre, televised live in Greece on ET1.

Constantine Dimaras
Press Officer
Olympiacos PIRAEUS

Confédération Européenne de Volleyball

KNACK RANDSTAD ROESELARE WELCOMES UNICAJA ALMERIA

Men's Indesit European Champions League 2005/06