# 2017–18 CEV Challenge Cup

The 2017–18 CEV Challenge Cup was the 38th edition of the CEV Challenge Cup tournament, the former CEV Cup.

## Participating teams

| Rank | Country | Number of teams | Teams |
| 1 | Russia | 1 | Gazprom-Ugra Surgut |
| 2 | Italy | 1 | Bunge Ravenna |
| 3 | Turkey | 2 | Maliye Piyango SK Ankara, İnegöl Belediye Bursa |
| 5 | France | 1 | Tours VB |
| 6 | Belgium | 1 | PAR-KY Menen |
| 8 | Greece | 2 | Foinikas Syros, Olympiacos Piraeus |
| 9 | Romania | 3 | CSA Steaua București, Tricolorul LMV Ploiești, ACS Volei Municipal Zalău |
| 10 | Switzerland | 3 | Biogas Volley Näfels, Lausanne UC, Volley Schönenwerd |
| 11 | Czech Republic | 2 | ČEZ Karlovarsko, Volejbal Brno |
| 13 | Austria | 2 | Union Raiffeisen Waldviertel, UVC Holding Graz |
| 14 | Bulgaria | 2 | Levski Sofia, Montana Volley |
| 19 | Estonia | 1 | Pärnu VK |
| 20 | Portugal | 2 | Fonte Bastardo Açores, S.L. Benfica |
| 21 | Belarus | 1 | Stroitel Minsk |
| 22 | Ukraine | 1 | Lokomotyv Kharkiv |
| 23 | Netherlands | 1 | Orion Doetinchem |
| 24 | Slovakia | 3 | VK KDS ŠPORT Košice, VK Bystrina SPU Nitra, Spartak Myjava |
| 25 | Croatia | 2 | Mladost Zagreb, OK Mladost Ribola Kaštela |
| 26 | Hungary | 2 | Pénzügyőr Budapest, Fino Kaposvár |
| 27 | Cyprus | 3 | Pafiakos Pafos, Nea Salamina Famagusta, APOEL Nicosia |
| 29 | Israel | 1 | Hapoel Kfar Saba |
| 30 | Luxembourg | 1 | VC Strassen |
| 31 | Denmark | 1 | Gentofte Volley |
| 34 | Norway | 3 | TIF Viking Bergen, BK Tromsø, Førde VBK |
| 39 | Azerbaijan | 1 | Lokomotiv Baku |

## Qualification phase
### 2nd round

* 1st leg 21–23 November 2017
* 2nd leg 28–30 November 2017
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Golden Set |
| İnegöl Belediye Bursa | 3–3 | Olympiacos Piraeus | 0–3 | 3–1 | 13–15 |
| Lausanne UC | 4–2 | Tricolorul LMV Ploiești | 3–0 | 2–3 |
| S.L. Benfica | 5–1 | ACS Volei Municipal Zalău | 3–1 | 3–2 |
| VC Strassen | 0–6 | Levski Sofia | 1–3 | 0–3 |
| Hapoel Kfar Saba | 6–0 | Nea Salamina Famagusta | 3–0 | 3–1 |
| Lokomotiv Baku | 3–3 | APOEL Nicosia | 3–0 | 1–3 | 15–11 |
| OK Mladost Ribola Kaštela | 0–6 | Volejbal Brno | 0–3 | 1–3 |
| Spartak Myjava | 3–3 | Union Raiffeisen Waldviertel | 3–1 | 0–3 | 13–15 |
| Fino Kaposvár | 1–5 | VK Bystrina SPU Nitra | 2–3 | 0–3 |
| BK Tromsø | 0–6 | Gentofte Volley | 0–3 | 0–3 |
| TIF Viking Bergen | 4–2 | Førde VBK | 2–3 | 3–1 |

## Main phase
### 16th finals

* 1st leg 5–7 December 2017
* 2nd leg 19–21 December 2017
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Golden Set |
| Pénzügyőr Budapest | 0–6 | Gazprom-Ugra Surgut | 0–3 | 0–3 |
| Levski Sofia | 3–3 | Orion Doetinchem | 3–1 | 0–3 | 13–15 |
| Mladost Zagreb | 1–5 | ČEZ Karlovarsko | 2–3 | 0–3 |
| Union Raiffeisen Waldviertel | 0–6 | Biogas Volley Näfels | 1–3 | 1–3 |
| Volley Schönenwerd | 0–6 | PAR-KY Menen | 0–3 | 1–3 |
| Pafiakos Pafos | 0–6 | Pärnu VK | 1–3 | 0–3 |
| Lokomotiv Baku | 3–3 | Fonte Bastardo Açores | 3–1 | 0–3 | 25–23 |
| Olympiacos Piraeus | 3–3 | Tours VB | 3–0 | 0–3 | 15–11 |
| VK Bystrina SPU Nitra | 0–6 | Maliye Piyango SK Ankara | 1–3 | 0–3 |
| Lausanne UC | 2–4 | Stroitel Minsk | 3–2 | 0–3 |
| Hapoel Kfar Saba | 1–5 | Montana Volley | 1–3 | 2–3 |
| TIF Viking Bergen | 1–5 | Foinikas Syros | 0–3 | 2–3 |
| VK KDS ŠPORT Košice | 0–6 | CSA Steaua București | 0–3 | 0–3 |
| S.L. Benfica | 6–0 | UVC Holding Graz | 3–0 | 3–0 |
| Volejbal Brno | 3–3 | Lokomotyv Kharkiv | 3–0 | 1–3 | 15–12 |
| Gentofte Volley | 1–5 | Bunge Ravenna | 0–3 | 2–3 |

### 8th finals

* 1st leg 16–18 January 2018
* 2nd leg 30 January – 1 February 2018
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Gazprom-Ugra Surgut | 6–0 | Orion Doetinchem | 3–1 | 3–0 |
| ČEZ Karlovarsko | 1–5 | Biogas Volley Näfels | 1–3 | 2–3 |
| Pärnu VK | 0–6 | PAR-KY Menen | 1–3 | 0–3 |
| Olympiacos Piraeus | 6–0 | Lokomotiv Baku | 3–0 | 3–0 |
| Maliye Piyango SK Ankara | 5–1 | Stroitel Minsk | 3–0 | 3–2 |
| Montana Volley | 4–2 | Foinikas Syros | 3–1 | 2–3 |
| CSA Steaua București | 1–5 | S.L. Benfica | 2–3 | 1–3 |
| Bunge Ravenna | 6–0 | Volejbal Brno | 3–0 | 3–0 |

### 4th finals

* 1st leg 13–15 February 2018
* 2nd leg 27 February – 1 March 2018
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Biogas Volley Näfels | 1–5 | Gazprom-Ugra Surgut | 1–3 | 2–3 |
| PAR-KY Menen | 0–6 | Olympiacos Piraeus | 1–3 | 0–3 |
| Maliye Piyango SK Ankara | 6–0 | Montana Volley | 3–0 | 3–0 |
| Bunge Ravenna | 5–1 | S.L. Benfica | 3–1 | 3–2 |

## Final phase
### Semi finals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Golden Set |
| Gazprom-Ugra Surgut | 0–6 | Olympiacos Piraeus | 0–3 | 0–3 |
| Bunge Ravenna | 3–3 | Maliye Piyango SK Ankara | 0–3 | 3–1 | 16–14 |

#### First leg

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 14 Mar | 19:00 | Gazprom-Ugra Surgut | 0–3 | Olympiacos Piraeus | 21–25 | 21–25 | 19–25 | | | 61–75 | Report |
| 14 Mar | 20:00 | Bunge Ravenna | 0–3 | Maliye Piyango SK Ankara | 21–25 | 19–25 | 23–25 | | | 63–75 | Report |

#### Second leg

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Total | Report |
| 21 Mar | 19:00 | Olympiacos Piraeus | 3–0 | Gazprom-Ugra Surgut | 25–22 | 25–17 | 25–21 | | 75–60 | Report |
| 21 Mar | 18:30 | Maliye Piyango SK Ankara | 1–3 | Bunge Ravenna | 22–25 | 25–22 | 19–25 | 19–25 | 85–97 | Report |
| Golden set | Golden set | Maliye Piyango SK Ankara | 14–16 | Bunge Ravenna |

### Final
#### First leg

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 4 Apr | 00:00 | Bunge Ravenna | 3–1 | Olympiacos Piraeus | 26–24 | 23–25 | 25–20 | 25–23 | | 99–92 | Report |

#### Second leg

| Date | Time | | Score | | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5 | Total | Report |
| 11 Apr | 20:30 | Olympiacos Piraeus | 1–3 | Bunge Ravenna | 26–28 | 25–23 | 20–25 | 18–25 | | 89–101 | Report |

## Final standing

| Rank | Team |
| | Bunge Ravenna |
| | Olympiacos Piraeus |
| Semifinalists | Gazprom-Ugra Surgut |
| Semifinalists | Maliye Piyango SK Ankara |
* 2018 Men's CEV Challenge Cup winner
* Bunge Ravenna 2nd title
* Tiziano Mazzone, Marco Vitelli, Santiago Orduna, Cristian Poglajen, Giacomo Raffaelli, Matteo Pistolesi, Miguel Gutiérrez, Riccardo Goi, Krasimir Georgiev, Enrico Diamantini, Stefano Marchini, Nicolas Maréchal, Paul Buchegger
* Head coach
* Fabio Soli