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The 2008
Champions & Cup Winners
ALBANIA:
Studenti Tirana was the leading team in the Men's
Competitions. They won the League, beating Tirana 3-0
(25-16, 25-21, 25-23) and the National Cup with a 3-0
(25:20, 25:20, 25:13) win over Teuta Durres. As for the
Women, Tirana were crowned Champions and Cup Winners,
beating Teuta 3-0 and UMB Volej 3-0 in the respective
finals.
BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA: In Bosnia there were also
double winners in both genders. OK Kakanj won the Men's
League and Cup, while Jedinstvo Brcko was the Women's
Champion and Cup Winner.
BULGARIA: CSKA Sofia won its first Men's
championship title in 13 years, beating Lukoil
Neftohimik (3-1 wins). The team from Burgas found
consolation by beating the champions 3-0 in the final of
the Bulgarian Cup.
F.Y.R.O.M.: Two clubs from the capital Skopje
dominated the season. Reining Men's champions Rabotnicki
Fersped won the League and Cup Double (in the Cup Final
the beat Makedonija Gio 3-1), while the girls from Forca
Volej also won both trophies (they downed Rabotnicki 3-2
in the Cup Final).
GREECE: There was one more League title for
Iraklis Thessaloniki, for the second consecutive year.
The team, managed by Swede Anders Kristiansson, swept
Panathinaikos (3-0 wins, two of them in Athens). The two
teams have met earlier in the Cup final, where
Panathinaikos was the winner (3-1). The girls from
Panathinaikos were more successful. They won the League
for the third consecutive year, led by ex-national team
coach Dimitris Floros, the Romanian born Ruxi Dumitrescu
and French star Jelena Lozancic and overturning a 0-2
deficit in the final series against Olympiakos. Earlier
they had also won the Nataional Cup,
after a thrilling 3-2 victory over
Markopoulo Athens.
MONTENEGRO: Buducnost Podgoricka Banka won the
League and National Cup, beating in both finals
Budvanska Rivijera 3-1. The girls of Luka Bar won the
Women's League, winning the final series against last
year's champions Podgorica 3-0 (last match 3:2 in
Podgorica). Earlier,
AOK Rudar Pljevlja was the surprise
package of the Women's Cup, beating Luka Bar 3:1.
ROMANIA: Tomis Constanta, managed by well known
Canadian Stelio De Rocco, won the League and Cup double,
beating in both finals Piatra Neamt 3-1 and 3-0
respectively. The Women's Cup was won by Metal Galati.
SERBIA: Crvena Zvezda Belgrade completed an
amazing overturn in the finals of the Men's League and,
after trailing 0-2 wins to
Radnicki
Kragujevac, managed three consecutive wins and won the
title. They won 3-2 the last match in Kragujevac, after
also trailing 1-2 sets. Earlier,
Radnicki
won the Cup for the first time in its history, beating
in the final Ribnica Kraljevo 3-0.
There was double joy for the girls of
Postar 064 Belgrade. They won the Cup by beating Dinamo
Azotar from Pancevo 3-1 and then the League, for the
third consecutive year, brushing away Crvena Zvezda 3-0.
TURKEY: Fenebahce Istanbul led by Serbian legend
Vladimir Grbic, won the Turkish League, sweeping
Halkbank Ankara in the finals (3-0 wins). In the Women's
League, Eczacibasi Istanbul, led by young setter Naz
Aydemir and American star Nancy Metcalf, won also their
final series against Fenerbahce 3-2, 3-2 and 3-0. The
finalists were leading the first match 2-0 and 20-15!
Technical Committee Meeting 2008 in Belgrade
The BVA
Technical Committee
(Photo: Novica Saric/Volleyball Federation of
Serbia)
The
annual Technical Committee meeting was held on Saturday,
April 5, in the Continental Hotel in Belgrade and was
very successful, thanks to the excellent organization of
the Serbian Volleyball Federation.
During the meeting, all BVA Member Federations confirmed
their participation in the volleyball competitions and
the 2008 Balkan Championships will be the biggest ever
in the BVA history. Also, during the meeting in the
Serbian capital, the drawing of lots for
all volleyball competitions was made.
Especially for the inaugural BVA Clubs Cup, the
deadline for the teams registration is June 13th and the
drawing of lots will be held in Thessaloniki, Greece, on
July 8, 1008. The other 2008 competitions will be held
as following:
VOLLEYBALL
Youth Girls: July 22-26 in Portaria (Greece)
POOL
A: Turkey, Romania,
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
POOL B: Greece, Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro
POOL C: Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Moldavia
Junior Men: August 13-17
in Korce & Pogradec (Albania)
POOL A:
Montenegro, Romania, Moldavia
POOL B: Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece
POOL C: Albania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina
Junior Women: August
25-30 in Tuzla (Bosnia Herzegovina)
POOL
A: Bosnia Herzegovina,
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldavia
POOL B: Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Albania
POOL C: Serbia, Montenegro, Greece
Youth Boys: July 26-30
in Kazanlak (Bulgaria)
POOL
A: Serbia,
Montenegro, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Moldavia
POOL B: Bulgaria, Bosnia Herzegovina, Albania
POOL C: Turkey, Romania, Greece
BEACH VOLLEY
Under
20: July 19 & 20 in Constanta (Romania)
Under 23: August 22 to 24 in Pogradec (Albania)
Men & Women: August 29 to 31 in Belgrade (Serbia)
Vakifbank does it again...
Vakifbank
Gunes Sigorta Istanbul form Turkey won the 2008 Women's
Challenge Cup in Bursa, beating Italian Infoplus Minetti
Imola 3:2 (17-25, 25-18, 26-28, 25-11, 15-5) in a
thrilling final watched by 3.000 spectators. It was the
second major European title for the Turkish team, after
the 2004 Top Teams Cup. Aysun Özbek was named MVP of the
tournament and four other girls from the winning team
received individual prizes; Arzu Gollu (best setter),
Riika Lehtonen (best attacker), Vargas Valdez (best
blocker) and Nihan Yeldan (best libero). In the semi
final the Turkish team beat Germany's Dredner Sc in
straight sets. Another BVA team, Romania's Stiinta
Bacau, was classified 4th, after losing its two matches
against Imola (1:3) and Dresden (1:3).
The Final Four of the Women's CEV Cup was played in
Belgrade and hosts Crvena Zvezda won the bronze medal,
beating Samodorok Khabarovsk 3:2. The young Serbian team
had lost in the same fashion their semifinal against
France's Rocheville Le Cannet. Finally, the title was
won by Italy's Scavolini Pesaro.
Crvena Zvezda's Bojana Zivkovic was the best blocker of
the tournament and Nina rosic the star libero, while
another Serbian international won the major individual
prizes: Vesna Jovanovic was named MVP and best scorer.
In Roma, Budvanska Rvijera Budva from Montenegro
capped a fine European season with the bronze medal of
the CEV Men's Cup. After losing to Belgium's Noliko
Maaseik in the semi final, the team from Budva beat
outgoing champions Fakel Novy Urengoi 3:1 and won the
third place play off, whith their Bulgarian star
Krasimir Stefanov winning the Best Attacker award.
The 2007 General
Assembly in Sofia
The "Family
Photo" of the 2007 General Assembly in Sofia
CEV President
Mr. Andre Meyer, CEV Vice President Mr. Jan Hronek & the BVA
2007 Board of Administration
The 2008 Board
of Administration
Mr. Milutin Popovic (Vice President), Mr. Dancho Lazarov
(President), Mr. Achilleas Mavromatis (Secretary General)
The 2007 General Assembly in Sofia
The 2007 General Assembly of the BVA was held in
Sofia (Bulgaria), on Saturday Dec. 15 and was attended by the
CEV President Mr. Andre Meyer and the CEV Vice-President Mr.
Jan Hronek. Mr. Meyer expressed his satisfaction about the
activities and the work done by the BVA and stressed the support
CEV and FIVB to the Balkan Volleyball Association.
Mr. Dancho Lazarov, the President of the Bulgarian Volleyball
Federation, was elected BVA President for 2008 in Sofia, Mr.
Milutin Popovic (the new President of the Bosnia & Herzegovina
Federation), was elected as the new Vice President and Mr.
Achilleas Mavromatis will continue as Secretary General for the
next three years. Furthermore, Mr. Zoran Karanovic (Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia)
was added to the Technical Commission and Mr. Tosho Stoyanov
(Bulgaria) to the Beach Volley Technical Commission.
Presidents and representatives of all 10 member countries of the
Balkan Association attended the Assembly in the Bulgarian
capital. The outgoing President Mr.
Gjergji Leqejza and the
Secretary General Mr. Mavromatis presented the
activity report of the 2007 season. The BVA members
approved the organizers of the 2008 BVA competitions and two new
tournaments were added to the BVA
Calendar, making the BVA the
Zonal Association with the most competitions. These are the BVA
Cup, a brand new Club tournament for clubs not eligible to take
part in the European Cups and the Beach Volley U23
Championships. Both were welcomed by the CEV President.
Finally, it was decided that Serbia will host the 2008 meeting
of the Technical Commission in Belgrade and Greece the 2008
General Assembly in Orestiada, to celebrate the 10th anniversary
of the inaugural BVA assembly, which was held in the same city
in 1998.
During the BVA General Assembly, the Bulgarian Olympic Committee
and the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation organized a small but
very emotional ceremony, to honour the surviving members of the
1957 Bulgarian Men’s National Team. On that year, the Bulgarian
team won an international volleyball tournament, which was
staged in Sofia on the occasion of the IOC Congress and thus
persuaded the IOC members to include volleyball in the Olympic
programme. Among those honoured were legends like Todor Simov
and Dimitar Zahariev.
Present in
Sofia were the following delegates:
BVA:
Gjergji Leqejza, Albania
(President), Dancho Lazarov, Bulgaria (Vice President),
Achilleas Mavromatis,
Greece (Secretary General), Zacharias Nikolaidis, Greece (Press
Officer)
BULGARIA (Hosts): Ivan Todorov (BOA Member), Ilia Iliev
(BOA Member), Stanislav Nikolov (Executive Director)
ALBANIA: Leonard Tase (Sec.
Gen.)
BOSNIA/HERZEGOVINA: Milutin
Popovic (President), Alija Fatic (BOA Member)
F.Y.R.O.M.: Marjan Ivanov (President), Zoran Karanovic
(Sec. Gen.)
GREECE: Thanasis Beligratis (President), Periklis
Bakodimos (Technical Coordinator)
MOLDOVA: Artur Romascan (Vice President), Gheorghi Bahov
(BOA Member)
MONTENEGRO: Slobodan Kovacevic (Sec. Gen)
ROMANIA: Viorel Manole (Sec. Gen.)
SERBIA: Aleksandar Boricic (President), Slobodan
Milosevic (Sec. Gen.)
TURKEY: Mrs. Nilufer Shimonsky (Int. Relations Manager)
BVA General
Assemblies & Meetings
2007: Technical
Committee Meeting in Bucharest
2006: General Assembly in Skopje
2006: Technical
Committee Meeting in Sofia
2005: General
Assembly in Tirana
2005: Technical
Committee Meeting in Thessaloniki
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