Volleyball, A-1 women: super Stigrot drags Rome

In the advances of the third day of return. Rome conquers the Casalmaggiore field with a monstre Stigrot. Florence beats Trento and Busto wins in Perugia who does not field Diouf (apparently he asked for the termination of the contract). Three more games tomorrow

Casalmaggiore-Rome 2-3 (25-22, 29-31, 25-18, 19-25, 9-15)

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Two of the three teams with the lowest set quotient faced each other (0.33 Rome, 0.45 Casalmaggiore). Against all odds, an infinite challenge comes out that rewards Water and Soap and makes Heavy Transport return a bit of anxiety in the race to safety. The first set has a key moment: Rome is running away, Bechis makes a magic, with a direct point in place of the lift and nails the visiting team, which does not recover from there and collects a 7-0 partial. From 10-12 to 17-12 with Shcherban and the home wall and with Casalmaggiore who takes advantage of two other key games: the hands out drawn by Braga for 22-19 and Shcherban’s wall which is worth 24-21. However, the Acqua e Sapone is there and it shows in the longest part, although perhaps technically less inspired, marked more by mistakes than by plays. Stigrot and Decortes hammer, Cecconello on the turn at bat is +3, Braga and Malual however begins to flake off the guest reception. A monstrous rescue by Carocci combined with Zambelli’s block put everything back on par (22-22) and the advantages Rome almost seems not to want to win: it wastes four set points but conquers the fifth with Stigrot. Trasporti Pesanti does not want to allow itself any more breaks and Malual pushes it on 11-7, confirmed with 19-13 by Bechis’s turn at bat. Guidi hits the center and Shcherban (20 points already before the end of the third set) confirms himself as unsurpassed: this time everything is easy for Casalmaggiore. Like in a Bud Spencer and Terence Hill film, however, the blows are given and taken and Rome makes the match with a fourth set in which it keeps not only its head ahead, but also the safety distance, thanks to the shock given by Alice Pamio. With 19-25 we go to the tie break: first time this season for Casalmaggiore, second for Rome. Who is perhaps more used to and in fact offsets at 5-8 and then closes it with Stigrot, while Casalmaggiore – short of ideas and a bench, with Rahimova far away to cure himself of physical ailments – has no more. The race to salvation has never been so open.

Trento-Florence 1-3 (16-25, 27-29, 25-11, 22-25)

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The Bisonte loads and, in four sets, overcomes the Delta Despar Trentino obstacle. An excellent Cambi directs (finding an important Nwakalor, MVP of the match, in attack) a Florentine team capable of collecting three very important tranquility points, after a match in which Trento can eat his hands. First of all for the second set, lost when he was ahead 24-21 and saw Florence cancel all their set balls. A good Vittoria Piani at Delta Despar is not enough, which remains in close contact with the relegation zone, an excellent performance also for Martina Stocco who took over in the second set in directing for Raskie. In the first post-farewell game of captain Indre Sorokaite, replaced in the chest band by Carlotta Cambi, coach Bellano opts for opposite Nwakalor with Knollema and Enweonwu crushers. While the home coach, Matteo Bertini, invents the alternation between the free players with Moro engaged in reception and the newly arrived Quiligotti in the defense phase. After the first study exchanges, the first extension reaches 10-14 in favor of Bisonte thanks to Nwakalor’s batting turn, with Bertini immediately stopping the game. Belien’s block brings the score to 11-17, Trento is more foul in reception and above all attack, struggling to find rhythm in putting the ball on the ground. The wall of Nwakalor on Nizetich of 16-23 effectively ruled the closure of a first partial entirely of the Tuscan brand. In the second set Bertini changes the direction: outside Raskie and inside Martina Stocco, with the setter from Padua who manages to make her companions run on higher percentages in attack. Starting from 12-9 signed by Romero, Enweonwu attacks out giving the 14-11 to the hosts. On the wall and in defense, the Tuscans are now struggling to find the same, excellent rhythm found in the first set, but it is Furlan’s attacking error (15-13) that keeps Florence in the wake. Bertini guesses the insertion in the serve of Chiara Mason who signs the ace of 17-13 but when the ball is hot it is Nwakalor who takes her by the hand (17-15) and keeps the bison alive. It is the Trentino power plants that give hope for the Dolomites, with Berti first author of 19-15 and then Furlan’s wall on Nwakalor of 22-18. A set that seemed closed now reopens suddenly, Piani makes 24-21 but Delta wastes everything and two walls in a row on the same Piani brings the dispute to the advantages. Where the victorious kidney blow for Florence comes thanks to Enweonwu’s diagonal which is worth the final 27-29. Bertini in the third set returns to the old by inserting Raskie again in the control room, but it is the Bisonte who completely changes the approach to the fourth set. It is seen when, at 7-4, he takes a mini break of 3-0 which at 10-4 immediately pushes Bellano to stop the game. The Bison gets stuck in practically every fundamental (14-6), the Delta instead finds the right rhythm (primarily in attack and serve) to hold the reins of the game firmly in hand (19-9). In recent exchanges, sealing the success in the partial is only a formality for Delta Despar, given the large margin. Thus we arrive at the fourth set, where between breaks and against break the Bisonte manages to take an important first margin on 8-12. Two errors in a row by the Tuscans allow Delta to get closer to 11-13, a sumptuous second touch by Carlotta Cambi who solves the 12-16 ball by forcing Bertini to play the last discretionary time-out. Precious ace from Enweonwu who brings the score to 13-18, when the ball is hot Nwakalor makes no mistake and makes 16-20 but the Delta Despar does not give up and remains in the wake. Still Nwakalor (lob of 19-23), Rivero cancels the match ball with his ace (22-24) before the strike on the net by the yellow-blue spiker does not start the bison party.

Perugia-Busto Arsizio 1-3 (25-19, 21-25, 18-25, 23-25)

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Busto Arsizio wins in comeback against Perugia (from today alone in last place in the standings), which also managed to dominate the first set, giving a glimpse of the possibility of aiming for the big shot. Luca Cristofani’s team (whose future on the Bartoccini Fortinfissi bench remains at risk) also paid for the absence of Valentina Diouf, now destined to leave the Umbrian team and continue the season in Poland, after having asked to terminate the contract with the Umbrian club. In the first set to drag Perugia was an incisive Havelkova (6 points in the fraction), assisted by a war always present in crucial moments, grounding the final point (25-19) with a vertical attack. In the second set Busto Arsizio has stretched from the start thanks to a devastating Gray (8 points in the fraction and best scorer of the match with 24 points), but Perugia has found the strength to react thanks to the joke, getting closer (14-16) before with the ace of Bauer and then (16-17) with that of Bongaerts. In the end it was Mingardi who made the difference, closing (21-25) with an attack walled out. In the third fraction there was the initial extension of Perugia, but the Lombard team of Marco Musso reached parity on 11-11 and then took the game in hand and found the confirmation of Mongardi (6 points in the set and MVP of the race) and the best Stevanovic (7 points) went on to win (18-25) with a block from the latter on Havelkova. In the fourth set, Busto Arsizio attempted the initial draw, but the Perugians found the strength to react and even took the lead (22-21) thanks to an attack from the War (Bartoccini’s best scorer with 19 points). In the final the Lombard reacted again, closing the match (23-25) with an attack from Stevanovic.