Volleyball superstars Paola Egonu and Tijana Bošković to clash at women's CEV Champions League 2023 Super Final - Head-to-Head stats
The women's Champions League final is scheduled for Saturday 20 May in Turin, Italy, and will feature the Istanbul sides VakifBank and Eczacibasi Dynavit in a highly anticipated Turkish derby. Discover how their Egonu and Bošković's stats stack up this season and what has happened in their previous meetings.
Volleyball
Volleyball aces Paola Egonu and Tijana Bošković are set to face each other once again in the women's CEV Champions League 2023 Super Final in Turin, Italy, on Saturday (20 May).
The final will showcase a thrilling all-Turkish team clash between the reigning champions, VakifBank Istanbul, and 2015 winners Eczacibasi Istanbul.
Eczacibasi's standout player Boskovic earned the title of MVP in the last two FIVB World Championships with Serbia, while VafikBank star Egonu of Italy was crowned MVP at both the 2021 European Championship and the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Nations League.
The two world-class opposites will go head-to-head in this highly anticipated European continental title showdown. Read on to discover how their season statistics compare and what happend in their previous encounters.
Volleyball - Paola Egonu: How the Vakifbank star performed during the 2022/23 season
A trophy in the cabinet and a final yet to be played. Paola Egonu's first season outside Italy has enriched the accolades of the Italian opposite hitter.
In Turkey, after a regular season with only three defeats (two of which were against Eczacibasi), VakifBank was eliminated in the playoff semi-finals by Fenerbahce after a golden set. The opposite happened in Europe, when the tie-breaker favoured the Italian's club.
In the Turkish Cup, on the other hand, there was a 3-0 victory in the final against Fenerbahce: a triumph that also earned Egonu the MVP title.
With 235 points, the 24-year-old, who carried the Olympic flag at the Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony in 2021, is also the top scorer in the current CEV Champions League (with 205 successful spikes and a 35% efficiency rate).
In the semi-finals, after losing 0-3 in the first leg, Egonu's 21 points allowed VakifBank to overturn the score against Fenerbahce and win the Golden Set 15-12, securing a spot in the final in Turin.
Volleyball - Tijana Bošković: The impressive 2022/23 season of the Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul opposite spiker
Tijana Bošković averaged an impressive 6.45 points per set during the regular season of the top Turkish league.
The 26-year-old Serbian has been the top scorer for Eczacibasi, a team that won all 26 matches and maintained an unbeaten record until the FIVB Club World Championship semi-finals against VakifBank.
For Eczacibasi, this Champions League final is an opportunity for redemption after that loss and a disappointing conclusion to the Turkish season, with Fenerbahce winning the final 3-0.
While Paola Egonu boasts better overall numbers in the Champions League, Bošković maintains a more consistent average. The Serbian left-handed spiker holds the top spot among players with at least 100 points scored, with an average of 6.38 points per set (vs Egonu's 6.03). Similarly, she leads in the average of successful spikes per set played (5.54 spikes vs Egonu's 5.26) across six matches.
Eczacibasi secured their spot in the final during the second leg of the semi-finals in Istanbul. Unfortunately that night became infamous for the tragic events that occurred after the game with the passing of the the Igor Novara player Julia Ituma. The Turkish team won the match 3-0, with Bošković named MVP (21 points, 48% attack efficiency, 2 blocks, and 3 aces).
Volleyball - Paola Egonu vs Tijana Bošković: Head-to-Head Stats in 2022/2023
Throughout this season, Egonu and Bošković have engaged in intense battles both in the domestic competitions and the Champions League.
In Türkiye, Eczacibasi, led by Bošković, consistently emerged as the victors. However, in international competitions, it was Egonu and Vakifbank who celebrated with convincing 3-0 victories
During the Club World Championship semi-finals, Vakifbank triumphed in three sets, with Egonu scoring an impressive 29 points, including 3 aces, and a 61% attack efficiency. However, in the final, Giovanni Guidetti's team surrendered to Imoco Volley Conegliano, Egonu's former team.
In the Turkish Sultanlar Ligi, Eczacibasi remained undefeated throughout the regular season but fell short in the playoffs. In head-to-head matches against Vakifbank and Egonu in the league, Bošković consistently came out on top.
As for their national teams, their last encounter took place in the final of the 2021 European Championship, where Italy secured a 3-1 victory, and Paola Egonu was named the tournament's MVP. A month prior, Tijana Bošković led Serbia to victory over Italy in the quarter-finals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021, eventually claiming a bronze medal for Serbia.
During the last European Championship, Bošković became the first woman to spike at a speed exceeding 110 km/h, recording a remarkable 110.3 km/h in the semifinal against Turkey. However, Egonu surpassed this record a year later in the 2022 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) final against Brazil, spiking at an incredible 112.7 km/h.
There may be a new encounter in the upcoming VNL 2023, scheduled from 30 May to 16 July. Bošković was not among Serbia's selected players for the 2022 edition, which was won by the Italian team.
Volleyball - Paola Egonu vs Tijana Bošković: Previous encounters
Below is the list of encounters between Paola Egonu (Imoco and Vakifbank) and Tijana Bošković (Eczacibasi) with their clubs and respective national teams.
- Rio 2016 Olympics (group stage): Serbia - Italy 3-0 (6 August 2016)
- World Grand Prix 2017: Serbia - Italy 3-1 (4 August 2017)
- VNL 2018: Italy - Serbia 3-2 (5 June 2018)
- 2018 World Championship (third phase): Italy - Serbia 1-3 (16 October 2018)
- 2018 World Championship (final): Serbia - Italy 3-2 (20 October 2018)
- 2019 European Championship (semifinal): Serbia - Italy 3-1 (7 September 2019)
- 2019 Club World Championship (group stage): Imoco - Eczacibasi 3-1 (3 December 2019)
- 2019 Club World Championship (final): Imoco - Eczacibasi 3-1 (8 December 2019)
- Tokyo 2020 Olympics (quarterfinals): Serbia - Italy 3-0 (4 August 2021)
- 2021 European Championship (final): Serbia - Italy 1-3 (4 September 2021)
- Sultanlar Ligi: Eczacibasi - Vakifbank 3-0 (16 November 2022)
- 2022 Club World Championship (semifinals): Vakifbank - Eczacibasi 3-0 (17 December 2022)
- Sultanlar Ligi: Vakifbank - Eczacibasi 0-3 (4 March 2023)
Volleyball - CEV Women's Champions League 2023 Super Finals: Schedule and how to watch
The CEV Women's Champions League 2022/23 Super Finals will take place at the Pala Olimpico in Turin on Saturday, 20 May.
- Women: 17:30 CET - Vakifbank Istanbul (TUR) - Eczacibasi Istanbul (TUR)
- Men: 20:30 CET - Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle - Jastrzębski Węgiel (POL)
The match will be streamed on the CEV EuroVolleyTV, on the Discovery+ platform and on RedBullTV.