Itas first with two days to spare. Civitanova wins in comeback against Cisterna and joins Piacenza in third place. Perugia easy with Padova. Milan starts again with Verona
Four matches close the ninth return day of the men’s Super League. With today’s victory Trento seals first place in the regular season
Trento-Modena 3-0 (25-22 25-17 25-22)
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Trento wins the regular season. Thanks to the victory in a “classic” like the one against Modena, Trentino Volley now sees the final success in the regular season as mathematical. Three excellent points to maintain the eight-point lead over Perugia with just two games to go, with therefore only 6 points still at stake. Trento wins the regular season and gains homecourt advantage in all the playoff rounds. Alongside the usual performers, Gabriele Nelli’s contribution from the bench is also invaluable in defeating the Modena team, with the Tuscan opposite number on the pitch for a long time in place of Rychlicki. At the start Soli confirms the now traditional sextet, while Giuliani at the helm of the Valsa Group still relies on the format with the three spikers i.e. Davyskiba opposite with the former Juantorena in place-4 together with Rinaldi with Gollini libero. Brehme scores the first extension at 2-5 but Michieletto brings everything back to parity at 8-8, before Davyskiba doesn’t put his team ahead with the attack at 9-12 which pushes Soli to stop the game. At 12-15 inside Nelli for Rychlicki, Trento reacts when Michieletto takes the ball beyond nine meters pushing the break of parity to 16-16, in the final the blue Golden Boy again blocks Rinaldi for 22-20 before taking the set ball that Davyskiba’s attack error did not transform into Trentino’s victory in the first set. In the second set Nelli is confirmed as the starting opposite and the Dolomites start off on the right foot: 9-5 and 11-7. Modena begins to struggle more in putting the ball on the ground, while Trento holds the advantage (17-12) working well especially in the break phase. Two aces in a row from Lavia brings the score to 22-14 and, in fact, closes the game in the second set. This brings us to the third set and Modena tries a reaction (10-9) managing to stay in the wake of the home team. The reigning Italian champions manage to maintain a couple of points margin (16-13) until the final stages of the partial matches, when Juantorena and co. (23-21) definitively raise the white flag. Nicola Baldo
civitanova-cisterna 3-2 (23-25 20-25 25-17 25-18 15-11)
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No overtaking but Lube managed to secure third place in Piacenza at the end of a rollercoaster challenge against Cisterna. The red and whites won in a comeback after being 2-0 down against an opponent who caused a lot of problems for the Marche players in attack and blocking. Already without Zaytsev and with Nikolov at half-service during the match, they also lost Chinenyeze injured (in the week leading up to the Champions League) but they found resources from the bench with the crucial arrivals of Yant (mvp) and Diamantini. Faure and Peric with 22 points were the protagonists on the Lazio side, on a par with Lagumdzija who scored the same points as them. Blengini still has to deal with the absence of the injured Zaytsev while he recovers Nikolov who had suffered back problems in the midweek match and fields a Civitanova with De Cecco-Lagumdzija, Anzani-Chinenyeze, Bottolo-Nikolov and Balaso libero. Cisterna instead presents itself with the Baranowicz-Faure diagonal, Ramon and Peric as spikers, Mazzone-Nedeljkovic as central defenders and Piccinelli as libero. Cisterna who is preferred in attack (60%) and in the block (4 winning blocks) and places the first break thanks to Faure and Peric (9-12): Civitanova does not react and the Pontini take advantage of this by extending the advantage. Lube showed signs of life in the final, but were extinguished by the opposite player Faure (8 points with 80%) with the Lazio players winning two set points with Mazzone and closing in the second with the other central defender Nedeljkovic. Even in the second Cisterna fought openly with the Marche team always forced to chase (10-12). Lube clings to Anzani to move up but the away attack continues to hammer with Ramon who brings his team back three points ahead. Blengini plays the Yant card for a Nikolov foul but the opponents’ serve and block continue to cause damage in the Marche half of the court. Final part in control for Falasca’s sextet who conquers four set points closing on the first with Peric. Anzani and Lagumdzija’s serve pave the way for recovery in the third set: Lube regaining confidence and effectiveness in attack (71%), with Yant landing the ball to make it 15-10 which allows him to widen the advantage in a set in control for the Civitanova players while the Lazio players suffered the real first decline in their game. Thus the red and whites win easily, reopening the games. The fourth starts uphill for Civitanova who loses Chinenyeze who injured his knee and was taken over by Diamantini: Civitanova’s rounds of service increase with Yant first and Lagumdzija then demolishing Lazio’s reception, with Cisterna unable to withstand the impact in a match that has changed face compared to the first two sets, the prerogative of the Pontini forced to concede and take refuge in the inevitable tie break. Where Lube immediately responds to Cisterna’s initial advantage (5-5): Yant’s attack and Bottolo’s ace launch Civitanova’s sprint, which keeps its attack level high and completes its comeback. Mauro Giustozzi
Milan-Verona 3-0 (25-20 25-23 25-16)
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Allianz Milano smiles again in front of its fans with a splendid performance that is worth three points against a two-faced Rana Verona. The Milanese team show off an unstoppable Ishikawa on serve (5 aces) and an irrepressible Vitelli (13 points and MVP). Verona sinks after two hard-fought sets with an unrecognizable Mozic and only Keita who tries to hold on (15 points) but in the end involves like his teammates (44% in attack). In the setting of the Allianz Cloud, Piazza lines up Porro diagonally with Reggers, then Melgarejo and Ishikawa on the sides, the Vitelli-Loser duo in the center and Catania libero. Stoytchev instead starts with Spirito opposite Keita, Mozic and Dzavoronok in the back, Zingel and Grozdanov central with D’Amico libero. The match begins with Verona continuously serving Keita, who wreaks havoc in attack and on serve, forcing Piazza into the first time out at 5-8 for the guests. Milan tries to react by relying on Melgarejo and above all Ishikawa, who find three aces in total to put Milan back in front (14-12). The match heats up, Piazza introduces Zonta and Dirlic, Verona responds with the usual Keita and the entry of Sani for a dull Mozic. However, Allianz continues to grind out the game, and at 21-17 it is Stoytchev who stops the hostilities to catechize his players. Rok Mozic also returns to the taraflex, but does not enter the game. It is he who, with an error in attack and then with an immediate block, gives the first set to the home team, who closes 25-20. Even in the second set, Verona started strong with an excellent turn serving Dzavoronok, Milan responded with a furious Ishikawa. We go point by point, Keita and Melgarejo fight each other blow for blow, Milan finds the advantage at 11-10 and Verona calls the discretionary one, but coming out of the same it is still Melgarejo who scores an ace. The Milanese held the lead until 19-18, with Verona shortening the lead by relying on Keita and Piazza trying to stop the bleeding by calling a time out. Rana Verona wants to recover but puts too much effort into it: Keita and D’Amico make a mess in the reconstruction, then Mozic makes yet another mistake in attack. 22-20 and another time out. Ishikawa finds the decisive ace for the set point and then closes with Keita’s serving error (25-23). the third set begins with an angry Milan taking the lead to 3-0, Stoytchev calls the time out immediately and ferociously scolds him. Verona doesn’t recognize itself, Milan wants the three points: Ishikawa’s serve is divine, Keita is no longer unstoppable and gets two straight blocks. The second discretionary for the guests is also called early, but solutions struggle to be found. Keita continues to be blocked, Mozic grants aces in abundance, Grozdanov never manages to stop Vitelli. The result is a set without history where Allianz Milano beats Rana Verona 25-16 and takes home three important points (Lorenzo Castiglia).
Padua-Perugia 0-3 (17-25, 21-25, 23-25)
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Victory without any particular worries for Perugia who triumphed at the Kioene Arena, still without Giannelli and with Leon on the pitch from the first point. Padova, after the mathematical salvation, still plays good volleyball, especially in the second and third sets but once again suffers from the atavistic absence of a top-level opponent. Gabi Garci finishes with 4 points and 31 percent in attack, Porro and Gardini are a little better (even if no Juventus player reaches double figures), but too little to extract anything from this Sir, led by Ben Tara (19) and Semeniuk (13). The news. The start of the first set bears the signature of Leon: devastating turn of serve and immediately 4-8. Perugia continues to push on serve and the set is all downhill for Lorenzetti’s team (8-16). The ending is without story (17-25). The Bianconeri got off to a better start at the start of the second set thanks to Plak’s serve (8-5), but it was a flash in the pan. Sir immediately gets back into the running and sets the ball (10-11), and then it’s point to point until 16-16, then Lorenzetti’s team finds a block and serve and scores the break (17-19), then they think about it Ben Tara to close the account. Sir started off a little unfocused in the initial phase of the third set with Padova taking advantage of it (7-3), but Russo’s serve (great progress made by this player in this fundamental aspect) immediately put the set back on par (8 -8). The Umbrians get to 11-16, it seems all over, but a few too many errors put Padova back into the game and they get to 18-19 but then waste a comfortable counterattack with Porro who gets blocked. Plak’s first half gives the Bianconeri parity (21-21), in the final head-to-head Leon’s ace is decisive which closes the set and the match. Massimo Salmaso
Gazzetta dello Sport
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