Dinamo KAZAN will be hosting on Tuesday night the first round of the 2017 CEV Volleyball Cup – Women Final against Unet Yamamay BUSTO ARSIZIO, with the match starting at 19:00 local time.

Dinamo KAZAN participated in the CEV Volleyball Champions League for five years in a row and this season many considered the Russians as the heavy favourites for the CEV Cup crown. Dinamo KAZAN progressed to the final stage of the competition by first sweeping aside their opponents from Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia – VK UP OLOMOUC, ZOK Bimal-Jedinstvo BRČKO and Vizura BEOGRAD – without dropping a set. As for the semis, they first lost 0-3 to two-time CEV Cup silver medal winners Galatasaray ISTANBUL before coming back strong in the rematch to score a 3-0 home victory and take the all-deciding Golden Set. Dinamo KAZAN are currently also competing in the final stages of the Russian Superleague where they have to deal with some mighty opponents.

Unet Yamamay BUSTO ARSIZIO have just reached the quarterfinals of the Italian national league but most of all they beat Pomì CASALMAGGIORE in the semis of the CEV Cup – thus upsetting the gold medal winners from last year’s CEV Volleyball Champions League. Unet Yamamay BUSTO ARSIZIO are trying to claim their third CEV Cup crown after they stood on top of the podium in 2010 and 2012. Though Unet Yamamay finished the regular season of their national league in seventh place, they were able to edge the runners-up – CASALMAGGIORE – before these two teams meet again in the quarterfinals of their national championship.

As for Dinamo KAZAN, the Russians will be trying to make amends for their loss in the semis of last year’s Champions League to Pomì CASALMAGGIORE as the matchup with Unet Yamamay represents the continuation of a long rivalry between Italian and Russian teams.