On Tuesday, April 1st local time, Novara (Italy), the team Mayu Ishikawa plays for, defeated Alba Brasi (Romania) to win the CEV Cup.
The final was contested between two matches between Novara and Alba Brasíhome, with Novara winning the first match 3-1 (25-12, 25-20, 20-25, 25-17). According to the tournament rules, Novara was declared the winner if she won two sets in the second match.
Novara won the first set 30-28 after a deuce thanks to the great performance of OP Torok, who scored 16 points in this set alone. The second set was also closely fought until the middle, but then OP Torok and OH Ishikawa's spikes led Novara to take this set 25-17 and secure the CEV Cup victory (Novara then replaced most of their members in the third set and won the match 3-0 (30-28, 25-17, 28-26)).
OP Torok was selected as the tournament MVP for scoring 22 points in two sets. OH Ishikawa also contributed to the team on both offense and defense, scoring 7 points, including 2 service aces, and receiving the most serves in two sets.
However, immediately after the victory, there was a temporary spread of incorrect information, such as articles that gave the impression that they had won the Italian league. This was probably due to the low recognition of the CEV Cup. So what kind of tournament was the CEV Cup?
In Europe, in parallel with the domestic leagues of each country, a European tournament organized by the CEV (Confederation of European Volleyball) is held. There are three tournaments organized by the CEV, in order of prestige: the European Champions League, the CEV Cup, and the Challenge Cup. In other words, the CEV Cup is the second highest tournament for club teams organized by the CEV.
Participating teams in each tournament organized by CEV are decided by their league and the ranking of the previous season. For example, in the case of the Italian women's team this season, the 1st to 3rd place teams from last season are assigned to the European Champions League, the 4th place team to the CEV Cup, and the 5th place team to the Challenge Cup. Novara was 4th in the Italian league last season, so they are participating in the CEV Cup this season.
By the way, the Champions League is currently being participated in by Conegliano, where Seki Nanami plays, and Milan, where Fukudome Keimi plays (both of which have advanced to the final four), and in the men's division, Perugia, where Ishikawa Yuki plays (advanced to the final four), and Milan, where Otsuka Tatsunori plays (eliminated in the round of 16).
The exact number of participating teams from each league in the 2024/25 season isHereSee.
A total of 27 teams took part in this season's Women's CEV Cup, and the tournament was played in a tournament format with winners advancing based on the results of two home and away matches played on weekdays between domestic league matches.
Italians have dominated the title for the past three years in a row, and last season Chieri, which included current Quincys Kariya OP Kaya Groberna and current Toray Arrows Shiga coach Kento Hayashi, won the championship. This means that the Women's CEV Cup has gone to Japanese players for the second year in a row.
To be honest, there is a big difference in strength between the leagues of each country, so there are many games that are much easier for the Italian teams than for the domestic league, but the Turkish and Polish teams are strong, so the difference in the level of the games is intense. In fact, Novara also lost once against Kuzeybor (Turkey), but won the golden set after a 1-1 record.
This is Ishikawa Mayu's first title in Italy. And it's a title as a starter. It will be interesting to see if he can win more titles in the future.
Photo: CEV
English 
Japanese