Volleyball playoffs: Milan hits the championship final and finds Conegliano again

Scandicci – Milan 2-3 (21-25, 20 -25, 26-24, 25-18, 10-15)

A Vero Volley Milano with a thousand faces takes the pass for the Scudetto final and does so with a performance that is not for the faint of heart. In a “very hot” Palawanny, Orro and teammates get the Italian revenge against Conegliano in a game of a thousand emotions. In the first two sets there are many lows and few highs for Barbolini’s girls, in the following two the situation is reversed with Milan completely absent, especially in the fourth set. But, in his worst moment, Gaspari finds a strong tie break and gives himself the final. Barbolini’s girls find a good start, but Milan is there and responds immediately. Until 7-7 signed by Di Iulio balance is king of the field, but the Lombards want to repeat last Sunday’s good performance and extend until 8-11 when the Tuscan coach stops the game. Sylla and Folie fly to the block (8-12) but Savino Del Bene tries to get back on Zhu’s push and her one-on-one block on Thompson settles the score at +2 (13-15). The gap of two resists between the defensive errors of Scandicci and the good reception of Milan. Under the power of the American spiker, the guests escape on +4 (18-22) and Barbolini stops the game again. The temporary stop and Antropova don’t stop Folie and teammates who close the first set on 21-25.

The second half of the game, with the entry of Belien, begins with Antropova’s push (2-0) but the teammates don’t follow her, handing over the draw to Milan at 3-3. From there it’s a descent to Orro and Co. with a Thompson on their shields. Scandicci is wrong, a lot. Antropova tries a long line (4-8) but is out and Barbolini tries to make the Tuscans catch their breath. The music at the Palawanny doesn’t change, first with Sylla (9-13) then with the mistake of Belien (9-15) which infuriates the coach from Emilia. The maximum advantage of the rosablu is +6 when the scoreboard reads 12-18 thanks to the series of points signed by Thompson. Savino Del Bene Scandicci tries to shorten with a splendid save by Castillo then transformed by Zhu who forces Gaspari to call the first time-out at 16-19. The best action of the match takes place in the following exchange which, thanks to Larson’s mistake, explodes the 2590 spectators in Florence. The Chinese player finds another winning attack, but Thompson’s block on Antropova clears things up (18-21). Vero Volley after the short blackout immediately recovers and extends up to 19-24 signed by an extraordinary Thompson. The set closes on 20-25. Barbolini changes again in the center proposing Washington again for Belien and Scandicci seems to recover. After the first point in Milan, the American center finds two fundamental points (4-2). An advantage that persists despite some mistakes, Di Iulio charges into the block (7-5) but Milan is there with Sylla closing the ball change and Folie’s ace that brings the result to 10-10. It was a back and forth between the two teams until 16-16, when Antropova’s mistake controlled by Parrocchiale caused Milan to overtake (16-17) Alberti healed the wound, but the Serbian Stevanovic hit the Tuscan defense until the 17-20 but then Savino Del Bene Scandicci does not want to give up the final dream. Di Iulio first and a series of fouls then give the clubs 20-20 who then, when the light could go out, find the overtaking. Exchange of blows between hammers with Thompson who puts the rosablù back in front (22-23). Larson finds the match point with a billiard shot but Scandicci turns the situation around with Antropova (25-24); Pietrini then reopens the game and closes the dispute. The air is different in Florence and Washington on the shields collects 3 points (4-2), then Antropova finds the point and Gaspari stalls. Savino Del Bene is pushed by Pietrini’s attacks and by Milanese mistakes so much as to pack a +6 (8-2) which forces the substitution of Thompson for Stysiak. Gap that resists until Orro’s turn of service when Milan tries to shorten (10-5), but first Pietrini and then an Antropova who has grown a lot compared to the previous sets direct the match (12-6). Scandicci administers, Gaspari tries Rettke and the results show: immediately two points (17-11). But the night is deep in the fourth set for Milan never manages to shorten decisively (21-13) ending up throwing away the advantage acquired at the start of the match. The set closes on 25-18, after some roars from Begic and with Washington as the protagonist. Antropova opens the short set, but Thompson returns the favor (1-2). An electrifying start with the same seventeen again overturning the partial (3-2) but Milan is not there and extends with a mistake by Zhu (3-5). Sylla strikes the Tuscan defense with arrogance and precision and Gaspari’s girls go to the field change at 5-8. Pietrini tries to mend but Milan doesn’t take its head off the target and takes advantage of the mistakes of the Florentine teams (7-12). Not even the time out, Antropova’s last attempts stop Folie (9-14). A True Volley heart mad closes the game with the sign of the former Stevanovic. Gaspari’s girls will have little time to rest in view of Race 1 of the final, but tonight and throughout the series they showed all their abilities. For Savino Del Bene Scandicci, however, the final dream of the championship ends, a goal never achieved by the company of Patron Nocentini.