Women’s volleyball, playoffs: Milan beats Casalmaggiore, finds Scandicci in the semifinals

Milan-Casalmaggiore 3-1 (25-21, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21)
Monza arrives in the semifinals, beating Casalmaggiore 3-1. Orro and teammates enter the beautiful with two sets of convincing volleyball. Then a decline in which the guests play an orderly volleyball defensively, enhanced by the usual Dimitrova (26 points), but this is Thompson’s evening, who brings out his season high (31 points) in the most important match, and is MVP without no shadow of a doubt Gaspari recovers Larson by deploying her as starter together with Sylla in position 4, with Orro-Thompson diagonally setter-opposite, Stevanovic-Folie in the center with Parrocchiale libero. Pistola, responds with Carlini in opposite direction to Dimitrova, Frantti and Perinelli in band, Lohuis and Melandri in the center with De Bortoli free. Milan tense and Casalmaggiore imprecise at the start, so at 9-10 at the start there are 5 errors (4 in batting) by the landlords and the guest attack is looking for Dimitrova. Break of 7-1 (with 3 blocks) which dissolves Gaspari’s team, TrasportiPesanti responds with a 4-0 mainly signed by Dimitrova (he will close at 7 in the fraction). Two errors by Casalmaggiore (Carlini in serve and Dimitrova in attack) close the break and give Milan a breather, which controls until 25-21 with Thompson (9 points) and Larson (5). Casalmaggiore doesn’t accuse the blow and plays with greater order, while Milan refuses. Piva’s entry (for Frantti) gives energy and a small break (from 11-10 to 13-16 with 3 consecutive points from the guest band). But with Sylla unleashed and Larson who, although not physically at his best, doesn’t miss a beat, the clubs are back ahead 21-19. Milan stops playing the game, and so, from 6-4, when he takes his foot off the accelerator, the Casalascos overtake (10-13), with a lot of work on the block and in defence.

Fatigue in attack

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Vero Volley begins to struggle a lot in attack, while Casalmaggiore finds the right attacker in turn. At 13-21 Gaspari sends Begic, Davyskiba and Stevanovic onto the field for Sylla, Larson and Rettke, and an immediate 4-0 break restores hope to the locals, who also come back 22-24 (Thompson’s tenth point in the fraction). Dimitrova, however, closes 22-25, reopening the match. Gaspari reopens from Sylla and Larson, however confirming Stevanovic. But it’s the joke that’s missing, so Carlini manages to put his teammates in the position to attack. On the break of 0-4 (5-7) Orro and her companions seem to skid, but with the usual Thompson they come back next door (13-12), despite Dimitrova’s 3 aces. Just the opposite American, together with Larson, are lethal and make no mistakes closing 25-21 Rodolfo Palermo