In the return match the Polish team confirms the superiority seen last week in the first leg match. Tomorrow in Nantes it’s Novara’s turn in the women’s final: starting from the 3-0 success of the first leg
monza-projekt warsaw 1-3 (25-27, 16-25, 25-17, 22-25)
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The Challenge Cup remains a curse for Monza, who loses the opportunity against Projekt Warsaw. At the Opiquad Arena it ends 1-3, and for the Vero Volley consortium team it is the second European final they have lost, 5 years after the one against Belgorod in the same competition (and 2 years after the victory in the CEV against Tours). The first two sets won in Monza by the Poles, thanks to the 3-1 success in the first leg, were enough to return home with the cup, the first at European level (in 2012 a final lost, again in the Challenge). MVP is Semeniuk as in the first leg, while Mujanovic is the best scorer with 17 points. Eccheli starts again from 6+1 with Cachopa as director opposite Szwarc, Di Martino-Galassi in the middle, Maar and Loeppky in the starting line-up and Gaggini libero. Graban responds by changing compared to the first leg, preferring Boladz to Weber as diagonal opposite with the setter Firlej, with Wrona-Semeniuk in the center, Tillie-Szalpuk on the sides with Wojtaszek libero. Mint starts off strong, blocking and serving: 4 points from these fundamentals (however they will remain the only ones in the set) and Warsaw calls the first timeout at 11-7, but the Poles draw at 12. It is the guests’ best moment, compact, tidy and with a growing wall, and Firlej who varies the game. The overtaking comes at 17-19 (after two consecutive blocks suffered by Szwarc, 4 up to that point), and Eccheli ends the timeouts. The hosts return (20 draws), the video check cancels the 23-25 in Warsaw, but on the third attempt Tillie’s block (sixth of the team) closes the fraction 25-27, with Loeppky at 6 points but Boladz at 7 ( both in 9 attacks). Monza feels the pinch, with the Projekt appearing to be impassable on the wall where it touches everything. At 2-9 Eccheli plays the Mujanovic card (for Szwarc), and shortly after (3-11) Takahashi for Maar. But it is in serving that Mint does not know how to sting, and the guests escape (from 10-16 to 12-22) and win the set and the cup after Takahashi’s serving error which is worth 16-25, with the attack of home at 38% (against 63% opponent). Benches emptied in subsequent sets on both sides. Monza dominated the third from the start (9-4) with Mujanovic (6 points) and 11 opponent errors. Diego Frascio of 2006 also enters in the fourth (first career block for him), the fraction remains balanced, but in the final Warsaw extends and closes 22-25, starting the celebrations.