This was Gas Sales Bluenergy Volley Piacenza’s second participation in the CEV Volleyball Cup: the first was in the 2022-2023 season, where they were eliminated in the semifinals by Knack Roeselare.
They made their debut in the 2026 CEV Volleyball Cup in the Round of 32, facing Czech team Jihostroj Ceske Budejovice. The first leg was played in Cagliari, with Gas Sales Bluenergy Volley Piacenza winning 3-1 (24-26, 25-14, 25.19, 25.13).
Gas Sales Bluenergy Volley Piacenza faces a Spanish team, Rio Duero Soria, in the Round of 16. In the first leg played in Spain, the red and whites conquered a scorching Complejo Deportivo De Los Pajaritos in Soria, defeating the Spanish team 3-1 (20-25, 20-25, 25-23, 17-25). In the return match played a week later at the PalabancaSport, the red and whites won again.
In the playoff round, the red and whites faced Polish team Jastrzebski Wegiel. In the first leg at Hala Widowiskowo – Sportowa in Jastrzebie Zdroj, coach Boninfante’s team defeated the Polish team 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 14-25). In the return match, played seven days later in Piacenza, the red and whites won again 3-1 (25-20, 25-18, 18-25, 25-22).
In the quarterfinals, the red and whites face Berlin Recycling Volleys, who dropped out of the CEV Champions League after finishing third in Pool C, tied with Guaguas on points but with a lower set quotient. In the first leg in Berlin, the red and whites conquered Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin in just over an hour, winning 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-18).
In the semifinals, Gas Sales Bluenergy Volley Piacenza faces Slovenian team ACH Volley Ljubljana, also dropping out of the CEV Champions League. The first leg was played in Piacenza, and after more than two hours of play, the red and whites defeated the Slovenian team 3-2 (30-28, 25-20, 27-29, 20-25, 15-4). A week later, in the return match at a sold-out Sporta Dvorarana Tivoli, Simon and his teammates defeated their opponents 3-1 (25-19, 25-22, 13-25, 25-22), thus securing Gas Sales Bluenergy Volley Piacenza’s place in its first European final.
In the final, their opponent was the German team SVG Luneburg, who also began their European season in the CEV Champions League. In the first leg played in Germany, in the fiery bowl of the sold out LKH Arena, Gas Sales Bluenergy Volley Piacenza beat the home team 3-0 (24-26, 22-25, 16-25), in the return leg played in a sold out PalabancaSport the red and whites repeated the result of the first leg, 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-21) conquering the CEV Volley Cup, the first European trophy in its history.
