Volleyball, Superlega, Verona grabs third place

The Veneto derby goes to Verona with Padova and Mozic and his teammates thus grabbing third place.

Verona-Padua 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-21)

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Verona rises to third place on a magical night of the eighth day, postponed to Monday due to the city marathon. All easy for Verona in the Veneto derby with Padua. Game without history with Stoytchev’s men dominating the black and whites in all fundamentals, in their first 0-3 of the season. Three sets that for long stretches were a veritable yellow-blue monologue, with Padova only in the match for half of the first set and in the final phase of the third. Best scorer of the match, Petkovic with 18 points. Cuttini, in the opening, chooses Desmet instead of Takahashi to give more “physicality” to his team. Stoytchev confirms the usual 6+1 with Cortesia diagonally with Grozdanov in the centre. The record. Padua starts better at the start of the first set (11-14), thanks above all to Petkovic and Zenger’s defenses. Then it’s Keita and Mozic who take Stoytchev’s team by the hand who puts the arrow on 17-16 and then gets carried away by Sapozhkov’s serve, simply devastating until the final 25-21. Verona pushes on the accelerator also in the second set (5-2), Padova wakes up with Petkovic (7-8) and the teams are arm in arm until 11 all when it is again Verona’s service to dig another break that fact puts an end to the set (17-12), with the Gialloblù managing the advantage with great tranquility. Enter Takahashi for Desmet but the music doesn’t change. The hosts start fired (4-1), playing better in all fundamentals. Verona’s three hammers rage in attack, Padova tries to stay close to the opponents on Takahashi’s serve (12-10), but the first times of the WithU still bring Cuttini’s team to its knees (17-11). Padova tries with Petkovic (22-20), but it’s too late. Three important points for the standings of Verona which flies to second place albeit in cohabitation, another “zero” for Padua which remains in the penultimate place in the standings, on a par with Taranto.