Volleyball, Perugia is Italian champion: Civitanova beat

PERUGIA-CIVITANOVA 3-1 (25-27, 26-24, 25-22, 25-20) series 3-0 (3-0, 3-1, 3-1)

He conquered the world in December, Europe a year ago, with the reconfirmation to be attempted in about ten days. For now, Italy has recovered. Perugia has unified all the crowns: even the tricolor scudetto is theirs. And now he is champion of Italy, champion of everything. Even in game 3, tonight, at home, they beat Lube Civitanova, 3-1, as predicted, but suffering and trembling much more. Not because anyone expected it to be easy, but because it was more than just hard. It was a feat. Suffice it to say that Civitanova won the first set and in the second was ahead 20-14 and then again 24-21. Yes, exactly, with three set balls to go 2-0, two of which to be played on the opponents’ serve, therefore with no more than two ball changes to close. And it never closed. Simply because Perugia, in addition to great class, in addition to an amazing attacking potential, in addition to the setter who is without a doubt the best in the world, has an extraordinary character, confidence and moral strength. As a true champion team. As demonstrated by winning the regular season.

the technician

—

Just as her coach shaped her: Angelo Lorenzetti. Which with this led her to 9 finals and won all 9 of them. It is his sixth championship: Anderlini’s record of eight is starting to be visible. As mentioned, the first set had sparked some strange thoughts. Scary for the Umbrians in the stands, hopeful for the visiting side. Not so much and not only because Lube won that opening part, but above all because of how they did it. Because Perugia had started with better walls and with Ben Tara flying. World Champions ahead 16-12, then 17-13 apparently in control. When Bottolo’s sharp Manila-style gaze was seen again: ace of 14-17, ace of 15-17. Two blows that gave his team back the idea that they could do it. A bloody block from Podrascanin in the private duel with Russo (19-18), another ace, from Boninfante. And then Bottolo again, again from nine metres: third serve point of the set for the first lead exactly at the moment of the set point. Two wasted, but in the third a sluggish first half made Balaso’s defense very easy. Boninfante played it safe, on Nikolov. And he didn’t make a mistake: 25-27.

The second partial

—

Second set with Loser entered at the beginning of the set due to an ankle injury to Solè. Entered but not exactly in the game. He committed a bloody invasion that gave Lube 18-22. An even stronger Lube in serving, in this case in the second set with Loeppky, author of a prodigious turn from 14-17 to 14-20. That is, Civitanova was also ahead by 6 points, with the set and therefore the entire match in hand. And there you have to go and review the deadly joke, again by Loeppky: Plotnyskyi received it perfectly. And then he attacked again: 15-20. It seemed like nothing. Yet if there was one ball that decided the match it was that. Because Perugia recovered a little, but equally a wrong serve from Loser sent Lube to three set balls: 21-24. At the first moment Bottolo wanted to resolve but instead he pulled out the serve. On the second Nikolov wanted to put it down in a spectacular way, but instead Giannelli sent it back at him with a big block. On the third the wall touched again, Plotnitskyi defended, Giannelli brushed a perfect arc from a good ten meters, and Semeniuk put it on the ground: 24-24. We must also praise Ben Tara who, for all those batting actions, shot without making mistakes. And on 24 all, in the most important moment of the evening, he hit an ace. Then another replay, Semeniuk’s point and Lube’s shock: 1-1

giannelli

—

Ben Tara gave the feeling of having a great evening, as he practically always does when it counts, but he didn’t have too many balls to attack. So the Polish-Tunisian opposite must have understood that he could make the difference in his serve, again, as already in the memorable final of the second set. At 12-12 he fired two more aces. Another found Semeniuk for 18-14. This time Civitanova wasn’t able to overturn the inertia, simply because he repeatedly missed his lines. And in the end he had to replace Boninfante, who was suffering from cramps, with Orduna. Final of long, oversized serves, on both sides, until it was Ben Tara’s turn, who put his in, Colaci then defended and Semeniuk converted a lift into parallel that for any other spiker in the world would have only been attackable diagonally. For 24-21. Then the ball change by the same Ben Tara made it 25-22.

bad service

—

Civitanova, with Orduna as director, continued to make service errors. And Perugia understood that it was time to start the triumphal march. Giannelli started serving again in the first half, he showed an extraordinary defense, for a masterful attack by Plotnytskyi for 16-10. Russo returned the option block to Podrascanin. And the party began. The celebration of the third scudetto in Perugia’s history. Of the admirable skill of Simone Giannelli. Of the left-handed beating, but also of the defenses, of the receptions (the crucial one mentioned above, the one for 15-20 in the second set: go and see it again) by Oleh Plotnitskyi. Of Kamil Semeniuk’s lucidity and class. By Wassim Ben Tara who when it counts (think back to the 2025 Champions League final) jumps much more than normal. Of the defenses and square organization of Massimo Colaci. Of the early times and the blocks of Roberto Russo and the central band of the Argentina national team, Agustin Loser and Sabastian Solé. Without forgetting Yuki Ishikawa, the second Japanese to become Italian champion after Yoichi Kato, who won the Italian championship 23 years ago with Trevis (practically without ever playing). Three will leave, Russo (to Modena), Ben Tara (to Japan) and Ishikawa himself, Colaci will stop. But first there is still Europe to recover, in ten days, in Turin.