Women’s A-1 volleyball: Chieri beats Novara in the derby. And Pinerolo dreams of salvation

Scandicci-Macerata 3-1 (20-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-21)
Scandicci wins, Macerata leaves Palazzo Wanny with honor. This in summary what we saw in one of the advances of the 19th day of the A-1 championship. Initial balance, but Balducci is preferred because she shows good game plots and makes fewer mistakes than her opponents. On 14-12 for the Marches comes the time out called by Barbolini. Malik, Abbot, Aelbrecht and partly also Fiesoli, all masterfully directed by a very inspired, at least in this part of the game, Dijkema, Macerata keeps his head ahead with this offensive formation. The exchange that brings the team coached by Paniconi to 21-17 was beautiful, closed with a block-out from Fiesoli, but after two great defenses from Pietrini and Merlo. Antropova tries to keep up the barrack by herself, Fiesoli instead throws it down with the point of 25-20 for the guests. The music seems to change from the first bars of the second set, with Scandicci who finds himself on 13-8 with the usual Antropova, who pulls Alberti behind him. At a certain point, however, it really becomes Antropova against Macerata with the literally unstoppable Russian and also with two big walls under her belt (Fiesoli and Malik know something about it). Eight set points for the home team at 24-16 and it is up to Scherban (on the second attempt) to decree the end of the set and send everyone to change sides. The Antropova show also resumes in the third set with an ace and two winning attacks. Savino Del Bene runs away at first, but rests too much on her laurels. And this is how Macerata gets back into the match (time out for Barbolini on 14-11 for his own team). The alarm rings for Pietrini, it is thanks to her that Savino starts again and extends it. All downhill road for the Tuscans up to 25-17 with a Fiesoli pipe flying away beyond the baseline. Great team spirit present within Macerata. Paniconi’s girls don’t disunite and don’t give up even after a set and in the presence of an opponent who has clearly superior technical values. And so with the Marches leading 15-14, Barbolini was forced to put in Zhu Ting, to give Savino more depth. The entry into the field of the Chinese is to be applauded with an attack and two aces, but above all a 6-0 run arrives which brings the balance back to the landlords’ half of the field. The match is closed by Antropova and the three points, which are worth consolidating second place, go to Scandicci, but Macerata comes out of this away game amid applause for having put a battleship in difficulty (even if the applause doesn’t bring points and relegation to Serie A -2 is materializing on the horizon). (Stefano Del Corona)

Chieri 3-1 Novara (25-22, 14-25, 25-15, 28-26)
A fierce Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri who, having found the friendly walls of the house, also rediscovers its best game and also makes the second derby of the season against Igor Gorgonzola Novara its own. The 3-1 means three full points in the direct challenge which now sees the hills overcome the Novarese and thus move into fourth position in the A1 standings, halfway through the second round. The first set, which opens immediately with an already very intense exchange, sees the landlords extend twice, respectively at +6 and +5; while Novara on both occasions mends the disadvantage up to two lengths, but without ever finding the final cue to thus complete the comeback. Despite the very similar percentages, in the end it is Chieri who closes the set 25-22. The second set is of a completely different kind: a ghost Chieri compared to the performance of the previous partial who suffers all the fundamentals of Novara and who can thus close 14-25 with sufficient ease, exploiting the blocks in primis, despite a very foul service. Returning to the field for the third set, Chieri seems to have rediscovered the right sensations in the game and, point after point, conquers the large advantage that will lead her to close 25-15, dragged by the pair of terminals Grobelna-Rozanski. The fourth set is certainly the maximum expression of this derby. If on the one hand Chieri wants to close the accounts, Novara is certainly not idling in an attempt to drag the match to the tie-beak. At the initial 5-2 of the biancoblù, Igor responds by taking the lead. A central part of the set played in perfect equality, without any of the formations being able to break the delay. After reaching +3, this time it is Novara who suffers the return of the opponents who reopen the entire partial, and the challenge, on 21-21. Novara cancels Chieri’s first match ball, who however responds in kind and in turn cancels two set balls, regaining the advantage point and closing all hope of the mosquitoes with the final block 28-26. Challenge within the challenge between Grobelna and Rozanski, in the end it is the latter who receives the title of MVP thanks to her entry in the first set, replacing Villani, and who scores 15 points with 54% in attack. (Gabriele Giovine)