Ziraat Bankkart's 2025 CEV Cup Championship

Ziraat Bankkart’s CEV Cup championship is the club’s first Europe trophy win. This achievement was accomplished by the Ziraat Bankkart Men’s Volleyball Team in the 2024–2025 season of the Men’s CEV Cup, organized by the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV).

Ziraat Bankkart’s 2025 CEV Cup Championship, 9 April 2025 – Anadolu Ajansı

Tournament Process and Final Matches

Ziraat Bankkart faced Asseco Resovia Rzeszow of Poland in the CEV Cup final. The first leg was played on 3 April 2025 in Poland and was won by the Turkish representative with a score of 3–2. The return leg took place on 9 April 2025 at the TVF Ziraat Bankkart Volleyball Hall in Ankara. Ziraat Bankkart defeated their opponent 3–1 in this match, securing the championship with two overall victories.

In the second match of the Final series, the sets ended with scores of 20–25, 25–17, 28–26 and 25–14. The total duration of the match was 110 minutes. The match was officiated by Swiss referee Yves Kalin and Slovenian referee Sanja Miklosic.

Match Details

The players who took the court for Ziraat Bankkart in the final were Murat, Anderson, Vahit Emre, Ter Maat, Clevenot, Bedirhan and libero Berkay. Stern place was among the substitute players. The Asseco Resovia Rzeszow roster included Cebulj, Woch, Boyer, Bednorz, Klos, Ropret and libero Potera. Additionally, Bucki, Staszewski and Vasina were brought into the game from the bench for the Polish team.

The first set was won by the Polish representative 25–20. In the second set, Ziraat Bankkart leveled the score by winning 25–17. They gained the upper hand in the third set with a 28–26 victory and sealed the win in the fourth set with a 25–14 scoreline.

Ziraat Bankkart Ankara versus Polish representative Asseco Resovia Rzeszow in the CEV Cup final return leg, 9 April 2025 – Anadolu Ajansı

Organization and Attendance

The match was held at the 7600-seat TVF Ziraat Bankkart Volleyball Hall in Ankara and the venue was fully packed. The final was attended by Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak, his assistants, the Director General of Sports Services and the President of the Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF) Mehmet Akif Üstündağ.

At the ceremony held after the match, medals were presented to the Ziraat Bankkart players by Ziraat Bankası officials and TVF President. The trophy was presented by CEV Vice President Ivan Knezevic and Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak.

CEV Cup Final, 9 April 2025 – Anadolu Ajansı

Individual Performances

Ziraat Bankkart’s USA-linked spiker Matthew Anderson concluded the return match with a total of 24 points, seven of which were aces. For this performance, he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the CEV Cup finals. The award was presented to him by Burcu Ünal Ermişoğlu of the Ziraat Bank Sports Club management.

Technical Staff and Management

Mustafa Kavaz served as head coach of the Ziraat Bankkart Volleyball Team. The entire Technical staff consists of domestic names. In his post-championship statements, Kavaz provided information regarding the team’s structure and victories over previous champions. He also highlighted the club’s goals for sustainable success in Europe.

Historical and Statistical Background

Ziraat Bankkart won its first European trophy in this tournament. Previously, the club had reached the final of European competitions three times but had never won a cup. This championship marks Türkiye’s fourth European title in men’s volleyball. Previous victories were achieved by Arkas Spor (CEV Challenge Cup) in 2009, Halkbank (CEV Cup) in 2013 and Fenerbahçe (CEV Challenge Cup) in 2014. Thus, Türkiye has won a European cup again after an 11-year gap.