Volleyball playoff, semifinal match-1: Ngapeth drags Modena, Perugia still ko

The great night of Modena! After the elimination in the Champions League against Trento, the black moment of the season continues for Perugia, with the defeat in four sets at PalaBarton in game-1 of the championship semifinal which exalted the formation of Andrea Giani, capable of offering great volleyball.

Perugia-Modena 1-3 (22-25, 25-22, 22-25, 20-25)

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Nikola Grbic initially deploys Sir Safety with Giannelli in control, Rychlicki opposite, Mengozzi and Solè in the middle, Leon and Anderson spikers and Colaci free. On the other hand, Modena presents itself with Bruno in the direction, Abdel-Aziz opposite, Stankovic and Mazzone in the middle, Earvin Ngapeth and Leal spikers, with Rossini free. Brilliant is the departure of Perugia, which thanks to Solè (6 points in the fraction) moves forward on 8-5, even if Modena manages to make the change with Ngapeth’s series of bars, passing from 12-9 to 12 -16 (ace for 12-15) and creating the conditions for the success (22-25) that comes with a block by Abdel-Aziz on Leon, despite a desperate attempt by Sir Safety with Rychlicki’s lines. In the second set Modena goes on until 5-9 and then the comeback of Sir Safety came from the bench, with Ricci preferred in the center to an off Mengozzi. Then Perugia stretched up to 17-13 and only in the final Modena tried a reaction again with Ngapeth (7 points in the set) and then to close the fraction (25-22) is a wall by Ricci right on the French hitter. In the third set (Perugia with Plontytsky in place of Anderson) the start is in the sign of Modena, ahead on 4-8 and then passing from 8-12 and reaching 15-21. Leon with a double ace starts a comeback that stops at 21-22 and then Leo Shoes goes on to win (22-25) with a mistake by Giannelli. That seen at the start of the fourth set is the worst Sir Safety of the evening, it allows Modena to find itself immediately at 0-4, then at 5-9 and then extend to 10-16 with a spectacular ace by an extraordinary Ngapeth between the whistles of the PalaBarton. Grbic tries with the changes (inside Piccinelli too) to contain the disruptive force of Modena, but nothing (two aces in a row by Leon allowed Perugia only to get closer to 17-21) is only worth to stop the extension of Giani’s team , who ends the match with a growing performance thanks to Abdel-Aziz (best scorer of the match with 22 points), going on to win (20-25) with a block from Stankovic on Rychlicki. After the end there was a lot of turmoil on the pitch, with Leal accompanied by his teammates and Leon to the locker room. Civitanova-Trento is on the pitch on Thursday, at 20.30.