Volleyball, Super League: everything about the first day

First day of the Super League. The men’s championship starts with the battle ending in the tie break between Modena and Milan. The next round will be on the weekend of 28-29 October with the Milan-Piacenza match scheduled

Modena-Milan 3-2 (25-19, 12-25, 21-25, 26-24, 15-12)

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It ends with coach Petrella carried to triumph by his players. First bench as head coach for the young coach from Modena, first victory. Suffered, desired, also by the Palapanini crowd who saw the home team rise again after a match ball wasted by Milan at the end of the fourth set. Davyskiba was decisive in the crucial phase, serving and attacking in the opposite role. Piazza chews bitterly: after an almost one-sided first partial, his team raised its head again, favored by a sudden decline in Modena, returning to the match fighting until the end, thanks also to 21 team blocks. Great eye-catcher at the beginning at the Palapanini (4,200 spectators) which wanted to remember Carlo Gobbi and Leo Novi, the first historic signature of the Gazzetta della Sport, the second manager of Panini. First set, Zonta is setter in Milan’s ranks given the injury that forces Porro to watch from the bench. Modena with Juantorena and Rinaldi spikers, Stankovic and Sanguinetti central, Bruno-Sapozhkov diagonal, with Federici libero. It is Juantorena himself who scores the first point of the new Super League season. At 3-3 the home team made their first breakthrough which would later prove to be important. Sapozhov’s block and another point from the Russian forces Piazza to take the first timeout at 7 to 3 for Modena. The home team’s good reception allows Bruno to vary the game in attack. Milan reaction with Dirlic bringing Allianz back to -1 (12-11). A block on Ishikawa, an attack by Sanguinetti and an ace by Shapozov gave Modena confidence and went up 17-12 and then 19-13 thanks to Shapozov. In the second, Modena’s attack drops, Milan grows, taking the lead to 6-1 and even 11-3. Set practically never started from Modena, with Milan resurrected and relentless in attack and blocking. Allianz finishes with 62% in attack, Modena with 31%. In the third set, Kaziyski’s invasion allows Modena to move ahead 9-8. Davyskiba and Sapozhkov give the yellow-blues the +3 which vanishes immediately afterwards. Piazza inserts Reggers for Dirlic and with Ishikawa’s block and Kazyski’s ace the tie returns (13-13). Loser’s block on Shapozov overturns everything and puts Allianz ahead by +2. Modena risks sinking: Sapozhkov’s ball out, Piano’s block on Juantorena and Milan goes +4 (21-17). A condensation of emotions in the fourth set with Milan wasting a match ball at 24-23 favoring Modena’s angry comeback. In the decisive set the score changes sides at 8 to 5 for Valsa. Double ace from Davyskiba and the match is almost over (12-6). An excess of confidence from Modena and the pride of Milan which nibbles at 4 points make the final electric. An invasion of the area by Ishikawa is whistled (13-10), it’s Rinaldi’s turn to close the match (Paolo Reggianini)

Taranto-Verona 1-3 (22-25, 22-25, 28-26, 16-25)

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A very lucid and solid Verona beats Taranto by taking the first three points of the season against a Gioiella Prisma who lost some clarity in the final moments of the sets. Coach Mastrangelo, on the first bench in the Super League, chooses the promising Sala in the opposite role, who has carried out all the pre-season preparation (the American Russell starts on the bench) while he immediately launches the central Jendryk, who arrived in Taranto just last Tuesday, into the net. On the other side of the net, coach Stoytchev has to do without the Malian opposite player Keita, on his way to recovery after shoulder surgery, and the Czech spiker Dzavoronok (present on the scoresheet) replaced by the Iranian Amin and the Frenchman Truhtchev. The first set was won by Verona 25-22, appearing very solid in all fundamentals and with the opposite Amin (7 points, 6 out of 6 in attack) on the shields, compared to Taranto who, instead, paid for the foul in the serve ( 6 errors), some breaks in the block-defense phase and the intermittent attack (Lanza scored the first points in the dunk at the end of the set). Lanza who, however, in the second set, warms up his arm in the initial phase (4 points out of the first 10 of the team) who appears balanced. Taranto has a blaze and takes the lead to 18-15 but Verona turns the situation around and places a 5-point break (18-20). The hosts bend but don’t break but don’t bend and two consecutive points from Jendryk restore parity (20-20). Verona closes 22-25 thanks to two attacks from the mangy Mozic (6 points in the partial) and a block from the usual Amin (8 points in the partial) on Lanza. In the third set, Verona tries to take advantage of an opponent with low morale and goes ahead by three points (7-10, 9-12). Taranto, with Gargiulo for Alletti, finds the strength to equalize (13-13). The match goes up and down (13-16, 16-16) and then settles into a point-to-point phase until 20-20. Break in Verona with double winning attack by Dzavoronok and score 20-22 but Taranto, more with his nerves than with his head, thanks also to the entry of Russell (inspiring in serving), does not give up and brings the opponent to the advantage (comeback from 21-24 to 25-24). Verona cancels two set points, on the third (Mozic’s out attack), the first referee calls a discretionary check which adds pathos to the match. The frame by frame confirms no touch to the wall (28-26). We go to the fourth set. Confirmed in the starting sextet are Gargiulo, Russell and Raffaelli for Taranto who, however, appears to be short of nervous energy and Verona inserts the arrow by pushing hard on the serve and putting pressure on the block. The score becomes an unbridgeable chasm for the Apulians (4-9;6-13; 8-18, 10-21) who finally succumb. (Giovanni Saracino)

Piacenza-Padova 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-16)

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Leal and Caneschi are missing but Piacenza doesn’t even notice. Half the team only arrived on Monday and Anastasi had anticipated: “I don’t expect a brilliant game.” Instead, a clear 3-0 against Padova arrived from a Gas Sales Bluenergy team already at good levels, even if, especially at the start, the many guest errors made the task of the Emilians less complicated. In the red and white home there are Recine and Ricci in the starting six, Padova forces the serve but makes a lot of mistakes (9 errors in service, 12 overall), so Piacenza easily takes a decent margin which it increases with Lucarelli’s pipes and a ball change already decent thanks above all to an inspired Brizard and a reception that doesn’t force him to run around the field. Cardenas and especially Gardini, 10 points between them, drag the guests but it’s not enough; in the final the red and white tank also finds the fuel of the wall for the 25-21. In the second half the first break came with two consecutive aces from Lucarelli for 8-4. Once again Piacenza runs away, but this time Cuttini’s team finds answers from nine meters with Plak and Gabi Garcia arriving just one length away at 13-12. Then Simon takes the stand and puts everything that passes over the tape on the ground and the Emilians start running again. At the end there is also room for the spectacle that excites the 2200 spectators at the Palabanca: a double great defense by Brizard then the guests attack to make it 25-19. We start again with the series served by Romanò which allows the red and whites to immediately find a nice advantage and Gas Salese Bluenergy also finds excellent responses from Simon’s serve, which makes the third set a formality. The hosts fly 16-7 and enjoy a quiet finish until the final 25-16. (Matteo Marchetti)