Numia opens the European campaign with a good home victory, despite the turnover at the start. The contribution of the wall was decisive
MILAN-OLYMPIACOS 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-16)
Winning debut for Numia Milano in the Champions League. The 3-0 home win (at the Opiquad Arena in Monza) against Olympiacos is worth the first success of the season in Europe, and above all a bit of pitch for Pietrini and Akimova to find their best form. The former is also deserved MVP, as well as top scorer of the match (17 points with 13/21 in attack), while the Russian, who recently returned after almost 2 years of absence, needs some time to find the perfect game mechanisms, even if the path, especially from a physical point of view, seems the right one. Overall, Milan is not always very brilliant and lucid, but it is also effective in playing a game in crescendo, blocking its opponents 12 times.
the match
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Lavarini makes a turnover and starts with Bosio-Akimova in the diagonal setter-opposite position, Pietrini and Piva in the gang, Sartori and Kurtagic centrally with Gelin libero. Kovacevic responds with Di Iulio (formerly of the match) director, Kubura opposite, Vanjak and Abderrahim bands, Emmanouilidou and Stevanovic (also already in Milan, 22/23 season) in the center and Artakianou libero. Slow start for Milan who goes behind (2-7), but already overtakes at 10-9 in a 4-0 with 2 blocks. Bosio often looks for Pietrini and Akimova: the former is more precise and surgical (5/6) than the Russian (5/14 and 3 errors). The second and decisive break comes with another 4-0 (21-15) and the locals control until 25-18. The 1-0 does not loosen up Lavarini’s girls, because the Greek team remains attached thanks to the energy of Abderrahim and Vanjak, and indeed from 12-9 they find themselves 15-18 down. Egonu enters for Akimova (1 ace, 1 attack, 1 error and 1 block immediately in the fraction for the Russian) and Numia immediately finds a draw at 18. The 23-20, more than a block (fifth of the team in the set) by Kurtagic on Stevanovic, seems like a generational handover between Serbian central defenders, but Olympiacos draws at the best (24 draws), before the advantage is given by Egonu’s block 27-25 closes the score: 2-0 (and 4 blocks in the half for Sartori alone). Balance also began at the start of the third set, broken by a 3-0 (12-9) closed by a block from Akimova, who shortly afterwards also made herself felt in attack and serving. Pietrini continues to rage, and Olympiacos ultimately surrenders 25-16 and Milan takes home full success.
Milan: Pietrini 17 points; team blocks 12 (Sartori 4); ace team 4.
Olympiacos: Kubura 13 points; walls team 4; ace team 3.
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