Volleyball, A1 women: results of the last round of the regular season

Conegliano wins in Perugia and ends the women’s A1 regular season in the lead with 72 points: 9 more than Scandicci, who won the tiebreak against Florence. And 11 more than Milan, a corsair in Busto Arsizio. Successes also for Bergamo, Vallefoglia and Novara. Macerata, already relegated for some time, will be accompanied by Perugia. This is the playoff grid: Conegliano-Busto Arsizio and Chieri-Novara on one side of the draw, Scandicci-Bergamo and Milan-Casalmaggiore on the other. Race details:

PERUGIA-CONEGLIANO 0-3
(21-25, 15-25, 20-25)
The Perugian volleyball week ends in the worst possible way. After Sir’s exit from the men’s Champions League, Bartoccini Fortinfissi was also relegated from the women’s A1, defeated at home by Conegliano, who further consolidated their leadership in the standings by gaining their twenty-fifth victory in 26 games played. For Perugia of pink volleyball, the adventure in the top national championship ends after four seasons, with the company of president Antonio Bartoccini who can now only hope for a repechage to regain possession of the A1. However, the match was one-sided. In the first set Perugia (with Anastasia Guerra remaining on the bench for the entire match) had started with her foot on the accelerator, ahead on 6-1 with Galkowska (5 points in the fraction) immediately protagonist, even if continuity was lacking, allowing Conegliano to reach parity on 10-10. Then on 17-17 the guest break until 17-21, which represented a severe psychological blow for Matteo Bertini’s girls, who didn’t have the strength to react, collapsing inexorably under the blows of their opponents, who went to close (21-25) with a point from the new entry Gray. The second set began in the name of balance (8-7), before the extension of Daniele Santarelli’s sextet up to 11-17. The Venetians continued to play at a fast pace, asserting their technical supremacy over the Umbrians, thanks also to a superlative Haak (9 points in the fraction) and with Gray who grounded the final attack (15-25) . The 0-2 in the sets marked the mathematical relegation of Bartoccini Fortinfissi by virtue of the worst set quotient with Pinerolo, to the disappointment of the PalaBarton audience. In the third set, now practically pure academy, there was a better balance in the score up to 19-19, then there was the decisive extension of the Prosecco Doc Imoco which with a break took it to 19-22 again with a Haak (Mvp and best scorer of the match with 17 points) at times devastating and then went on to win with the decisive point (20-25) brought down with a central attack by Lubian.

FLORENCE-SCANDICCI 2-3
(21-25, 14-25, 25-20, 26-24, 7-15)
For the seventeenth time out of eighteen derbies in Serie A1, Scandicci overtook Florence, albeit with difficulty and at the tie break, and took second place at the end of the regular season. This is a non-trivial fact because, at least in theory, Barbolini’s team will not have to cross Conegliano, Savino’s bete noire in recent years, before the championship final. Il Bisonte instead closes a championship conducted below the high expectations that existed at the beginning of the season, without qualifying for the playoffs, but with the tournament to conquer a place in the Challenge Cup to be honoured. The Scandiccese team takes command of the game right from the start, finding themselves ahead 4-1. A plus three that the ‘guest’ formation will practically be able to manage until the end of the set. Antropova scores 7 points in just one half of the game and thanks to her opposite and the good contribution of the power plants, Savino Del Bene wins the first half of the game 25-21. Final mistake of an understated Herbots for the entire first part of the match. No reaction from the Bison in the second half of the game. On the contrary, Savino Del Bene’s dominance becomes even clearer thanks to a nice initial run (3-10). Antropova travels at a very high pace without problems, however Nwakalor and Herbots, the mouths of fire in Florence, are defused against the block and in defense of the opponents. The set goes by fast until an error arrives at the service of Herbots to decree its end. The Scandiccese team seems to be able to bring home the match easily even by three points in the third, but Il Bisonte Firenze shows a great reaction of pride with Herbots and Alhassan dragging their teammates and Van Gestel worrying the opponents with his poisonous joke. It’s up to Herbots to put the ball down 25-20 which means extending the match to the fourth set. Savino Del Bene has the great opportunity to close the match in the fourth set. This is because he finds himself having two balls to put an end to the match, but here comes the unexpected Il Bisonte: the team led by Parisi not only cancels the two match points, but sends the derby with a 4-0 run in the fifth set. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Phrase more suitable than ever for Zhu Ting who becomes the absolute protagonist of the challenge during the tie break. With his attacks he digs a furrow with the opponents and with his final 26 points he also deservedly earns the title of MVP of this match even if the best scorer in the end is Antropova with 28 points. Just for the record, the final point is signed by Sorokaite who blocks Malinov to the wall.

BUSTO ARSIZIO-MILAN 0-3
(22-25, 11-25, 19-25)
In an Arena close to sold out, also thanks to the Easter tournament “UYBA & Friends Motorola Cup” which had animated the Bustocco sports hall since the morning, the Busto Arsizio e-work pays for the absences of the bruised Zannoni, Rosamaria and Zakchaiou, surrendering in three sets at Vero Volley Milano. Three points which, despite bringing the fifth consecutive victory to the Brianza/Milan players, are not enough for Orro and her companions to capture the second place finish, the prerogative of Scandicci. With Larson who has to resort to an unexpected pit stop in the locker room, passing through the audience, the first set proves to be more fought than expected with the indomitable Uyba who – with Bressan and Lualdi in the starting six – holds his head very well (21-22 with Strigot protagonist) to the most popular opponents, before surrendering 22-25 in 28′ on Stysiak’s block. With Stevanovic (formerly on duty with Orro and Negretti) making the big voice (5 points, with Sylla and Thompson close behind) in the initial score, the second fraction – in which Folie and Davyskiba also stand out with the American n. 12 – has practically no history: the reception bustocca staggers, the attack shows no signs of vitae and for Milan it’s a game for… girls to close with an eloquent 11-25 in 21′. With the match already channeled, Uyba proudly tries to delay the verdict (9-10, 17-20), but there is a difference in values ​​on the pitch: the 19-25 in 23′ bears the signature of mvp Folie, in double figures with the top scorer Thompson (14), Davyskiba (11) and Strigot (11).

MACERATA-VALLEFOGLIA 0-3
(22-25, 24-26, 17-25)
The Marche derby is the prerogative of Vallefoglia who, with an incisive attack and a punctual block (9 winning blocks), overcomes an already relegated Cbf Balducci and who also in this match showed many technical limitations and lack of personality which condemned her to last place in ranking. In the Pesaro ranks Drews and D’Odorico stand out who created many problems in Macerata in whose ranks the excellent performance of Chaussee (18 points) was not enough to mask the limits of the sextet. First set where Vallefoglia’s walls are above all decisive in the crucial moments of the match in the presence of a Macerata who has the strength to play point to point with the opponents anyway. Same script in the second, with the Cbf that remains in Megabox’s wake until the final (22-22) with the more lucid Manfrici’s team that closes the partial in their favor at the second ball set. Macerata accuses the blow and crashes in the third, with the Megabox flying away on 9-13 going to easily conquer a three-point success that has never been in discussion. Meanwhile Cbf Balducci already projected towards the future A2 championship with the certainty of farewell to the current coach Paniconi and to many players of this first disappointing season in A1. For the bench next year in poule there is coach Stefano Saja candidate to lead Macerata.

BERGAMO-CASALMAGGIORE 3-1 (26,-24, 26-24, 18-25, 25-17)
The heavy-duty transport Casalmaggiore arrives in Bergamo with the sixth place practically armored and, therefore, without particular reasons. On the contrary, Volley Bergamo stubbornly pursues the seventh position and in the end obtains it with full merit, grabbing the best result of the last five years. So the superior motivation of the Bergamo team that avoids Conegliano in the first round of the playoffs wins: it’s already something. The first two sets are photocopied: Casalmaggiore’s start-sprint, which digs a significant break in the middle of each partial (16-10 in the first, 15-9 in the second) and progressive recovery of Volley Bergamo which remedies carburetion defects, he takes over the game and leads both fractions to the advantage after a hard-fought tug of war: 26-24. Basically, it’s the two sets that decide the match, because the next two have no history. The Cremonese win the third quite easily, thanks also to the understandable relaxation of the Bergamo players. Given the crease, coach Micoli, very shrewd, takes away the powerful Lanier to make her catch her breath and re-present her properly recharged in the fourth set. Apt move, because in the decisive fraction Volley Bergamo explodes all its charge and leaves no way out for the opponents, who accuse an evident tiredness. The great protagonist of the evening is the Brazilian opposite Lorrayna, relentless in attack and very mobile in the low defense. She and Lanier are the cornerstones of the team from Bergamo, well supported by the direction of Gennari and by the spectacular defenses of the libero Cecchetto.

PINEROLO – CHIERI 1-3
(20-25, 21-25, 25-20, 23-25)
A game that was worth the whole season, for both teams, made even more exciting because it was a derby. Teams with very different seasonal ambitions, but united by the goal of winning at least one point from the confrontation that closes the regular season. In the end, in a completely sold-out Pala Bus Company, Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri won 1-3 over Wash4Green Pinerolo. An initial phase of the first set characterized by overtaking and counter-overtaking for a substantial balance, but above all in which both teams demonstrate all their fundamentals. Only from the middle of the set is Chieri gaining the advantage, further raising the level of play, which thus allows her to close 20-25. A Pinerolo in great shape who makes defense, with unleashed Moro, his winning weapon to obtain a small margin of advantage. However Chieri replies in kind thanks to Cazaute’s serve. Also this time in the middle of the set it is again the guest formation to put the arrow and overtake the pinelle closing 21-25. However, the end of the second set is already a big party: Pinerolo, thanks to the result in Perugia, officially celebrates his salvation in A1 in a season that started uphill but which saw him shed his skin in the final part, demonstrating all his worth. Chieri instead celebrates the fourth mathematical position, against Novara, with all the advantages that will derive from it in the playoffs against the Novara team, and mortgaging them in an international perspective for next season. Pinerolo who doesn’t fit makes the third set his own (25-20), solving it above all in the last part. On the other side of the net, Chieri takes advantage of some turnover. We still fight point to point even in the fourth fraction, with the confirmed white and blues of the revised roster, and a Pinerolo determined to demonstrate all its competitive value. The guests slip back by five lengths to then reopen the set at 19-19 and finally close the hopes of a tie-break at 23-25. MVP award for captain Grobelna, Chieri’s best scorer (14 points, 28% in attack), even if she was only the protagonist of the first half of the match.